Lesson Title:

Taking the Un out of Unwritten

teaching prefixes and suffixes while asking students to write about how to live well

This lesson was created by Northern Nevada teacher Abby Olde during the NNWP's iPods Across the Curriculum Workshop.

This writing prompt inspired by

Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten"

Click here to do a Google search for the lyrics.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Using the rap “Prefix, Suffix, Roots” from educationalrap.com and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield, students will have a fun and musically engaging way to be introduced to and practice their understanding of prefixes, suffixes and roots. This lesson is designed to encourage students to think about the words and the parts of words they are faced with on a daily basis: from words in the classroom to words in songs, poems, emails, billboards – anywhere! Students write paragraphs or free-verse poems where they share advice on how to "live your life with arms wide open," highlighting their use of prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait for this lesson is conventions;  students’ published piece will showcase an understanding of word structure, use and meaning (grammar) through their practice and application of prefix, suffix, and root knowledge. They will be inspired to use a variety of simple and complex words that use many of the commonly used prefixes and suffixes. The support trait for this lesson is word choice; students will be inspired to think about more interesting and complex words that they can use in their own writing.