CurriculumGrade 3English Language Arts

Unlocking New Words

Aligned to L.3.4 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

To figure out a new word, use the words around it, or look at its parts like prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

Worked example

In 'unhappy,' the prefix 'un-' means 'not,' so 'unhappy' means 'not happy' — the parts unlock the meaning.

Practice questions

  1. Use context to guess a new word's meaning.
  2. Break a word into a prefix and a root to find its meaning.
  3. Tell the two meanings of a word like 'bat' and how to know which is used.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

Descifrar Palabras Nuevas

Para descubrir una palabra nueva, usa las palabras a su alrededor o mira sus partes, como los prefijos, sufijos y raíces.

Ejemplo: En 'infeliz', el prefijo 'in-' significa 'no', así que 'infeliz' significa 'no feliz' — las partes revelan el significado.

More Language lessons

Grammar, Conventions & VocabularyL.3.1Capitals, Marks, and SpellingL.3.2Choosing Words That FitL.3.3Word Meanings and ShadesL.3.5Using New WordsL.3.6

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