Grade 6 · Foundations of Language · Complex Words and Fluency

Unlock Complex Words

Long words become manageable when readers recognize meaningful parts and check the result against the sentence.

The big idea

Morphemes carry meaning

In 'unpredictable', un- means not, predict is the base, and -able means capable of. Together they suggest something that cannot be predicted.

Work it through

1. Find the base word: communicate.
2. Identify the prefix mis-, meaning wrongly or badly.
3. Identify the suffix -ion, which turns an action into a noun.
4. Reread the sentence to confirm that 'communication that went wrong' makes sense.

For parents and educators

Grade 6 Language · Strand B: Foundations of Language

View supported expectations

B2.1 · Word-Level Reading and Spelling: Using Morphological Knowledge

Use generalized knowledge of the meanings of words and morphemes, including bases, prefixes, and suffixes, to read and spell complex words with accuracy and automaticity.
B2.2 · Vocabulary

Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use generalized morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context.
B2.3 · Reading Fluency: Accuracy, Rate, and Prosody

Read a variety of texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing to support comprehension, and when reading aloud, adjust expression and intonation according to the purpose of reading.