South Dakota ELA 3.RF.3.c

ELA3rd GradeReading Foundational Skills

The Standard

3.RF.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words.

Recognize words with common Greek and Latin affixes to enhance vocabulary and word recognition skills.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students spot Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes in words they read. They use those parts, the rest of the word, and the sentence to work out the word’s meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student reads preview, microscope, and washable without guessing from the first letter. They explain that pre means before, micro means small, and -able means can be, then check that each meaning fits.
Common Misconceptions: Some students call pre in pretty a prefix, though the remaining letters do not make a meaningful base. Others think tele means phone rather than far, so they miss how it works in telescope. Some think washable means washing well rather than able to be washed.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Read prepay and telescope. Circle each prefix, write what it means, and explain each whole word.

Lesson moves

Give pairs cards for preview, preheat, microscope, microchip, washable, and readable; have them underline affixes, read each word, and sort by meaning.
Ask, 'Why does washable mean something different from washing?' Have students write a sentence explaining what -able adds.
Play word-part bingo: call 'before heating,' 'small chip,' or 'can be read'; students cover preheat, microchip, or readable and read it aloud.
Show a microscope label and a clothing tag marked 'machine washable'; students underline micro and -able and explain what each tells them.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.RF.3.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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