Word ID Assessment Across the Content Areas

Discipline-Specific Academic Words with Common Affixes

Academic words tend to be longer, and for the most part, the length is due to prefixes and suffixes. Although the same common prefixes and derivational suffixes occur in academic words across the content areas, the words themselves are often discipline specific.

COMMON AFFIX ELA MATH SCIENCE SOCIAL STUDIES
con– context
contrast
concave
convex
condense
conserve
congress
contract
re– recite
retell
regroup
reverse
refract
repel
repeal
revolt
–al journal
verbal
cardinal
nominal
crustal
thermal
postal
royal
–ation dictation
narration
negation
operation
fermentation
rotation
taxation
corporation