________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes

Lesson Plan

4 Prefixes
TEACHING FOCUS
Students will have the opportunity to learn many of the most common prefixes in the medical language
that provide a foundation for the study of body systems. Students will also be presented with additional
combining forms that will aid in the analysis of terminology in this chapter. Students will have the
opportunity to expand their understanding of terminology with reference to anatomy, physiology, and
pathology.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Chalkboard or overhead projector

(Lesson 4.1)
Color photocopies (Lesson 4.1)
Copies of unlabeled Figure 4-2 (Lesson 4.1)

Textbook (Lesson 4.1)

Transparencies or flash cards with words
combining prefixes and other word elements
(Lesson 4.1)

LESSON CHECKLIST

Preparations for this lesson include:

Lecture
Method of student evaluation for entry-level knowledge to achieve competency, focusing on:
o prefixes and suffixes, including those presented in previous chapters
o word analysis and combining word forms to build terms
o understanding new terminology and pronouncing it correctly
o terminology associated with Rh-factor conditions

KEY TERMS
Combining Forms (p. 110)
carp/o
cib/o
cis/o
cost/o
cutane/o
dactyl/o
duct/o
flex/o
furc/o
gloss/o
glyc/o
immun/o
morph/o
mort/o
nat/i
nect/o
norm/o
ox/o
pub/o
seps/o
somn/o
son/o
the/o
thel/o
thyr/o
top/o

tox/o
trache/o
urethr/o
Suffixes (p. 111)
-blast
-crine
-cyesis
-drome
-fusion
-gen
-lapse
-lysis
-meter
-mission
-or
-partum
-phoria
-physis
-plasia
-plasm
-pnea
-ptosis
-rrhea
-stasis
-trophy
Prefixes and Terminology (pp. 111-117)
a-, an-

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes
abadanaanteantiautobibradycataconcontradediadysec-, ectoen-, endoepieuexhemihyperhypoin- (not)
in- (into, within)
infrainterintramacromalmetamicroneopanparaperperipolypostprepropseudoreretrosubsuprasyn-, sym-

tachytransultrauniAppendix A: Adrenal Glands (p. 118)

adrenal glands
Appendix B: Antigens and Antibodies; the
Rh Condition (pp. 118-120)
antibodies
antigen
bilirubin
erythroblastosis fetalis
hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN)
jaundice
Rh condition
Appendix C: Autoimmune (p. 120)
autoimmune
Appendix D: Congenital Anomaly (p. 120)
congenital anomalies
Appendix E: Contralateral (p. 121)
contralateral
ipsilateral
Appendix F: Ectopic Pregnancy (p. 121)
ectopic pregnancy
Appendix G: Prolapse (p. 122)
-lapse
prolapses
Appendix H: Recombinant DNA (p. 122)
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
recombinant DNA
Appendix I: Syndactyly (p. 122)
syndactyly
Appendix J: Syndrome (pp. 122-123)
syndrome
Appendix K: Symbiosis (p. 123)
parasitism
symbiosis
Appendix L: Symphysis (p. 123)
symphysis
Appendix M: Transurethral (p. 124)
transurethral
Appendix N: Ultrasonography (p. 124)
echocardiograms
sonogram
ultrasonography

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes

REFERENCE LIST
PowerPoint slides (CD, Evolve): 1-30

Legend

CD
Companion CD

iTerms

IRM
Instructors
Resource Manual
available on CD
and Evolve

Evolve
Evolve
Resources

PPT
PowerPoint
Slides

MTO
Medical
Terminology
Online

Class Activities are indicated in bold italic.

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes

LESSON 4.1
PRETEST
IRM Quiz C

BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT
Question: What is a prefix? What is an example of a prefix? Give at least three examples of different
medical terms that share that same prefix. Give an example of medical terms that share the same root but
have different prefixes.
Answer: A prefix is a small word part that is attached to the beginning of a term. Not all medical terms
contain prefixes, but the prefix can have an important influence on meaning. An example of a prefix is
hyper-, which means excessive or above. Three medical terms that use the prefix hyper- are
hyperglycemia, which means excess of sugar in the blood; hyperplasia, which means increase in cell
numbers; and hypertrophy, which means increase in size of individual cells. Subgastric and epigastric are
examples of terms that share a root but have different prefixes and drastically different meanings. Subgastric
means pertaining to [something] under the stomach and epigastric means pertaining to [something] above
the stomach.
Question: What is the medical term for a group of signs or symptoms that commonly occur together and
indicate a particular disease or abnormal condition?
Answer: The term for a group of symptoms that occur together and indicate a particular disease is
syndrome. The term syndrome is built from the suffix syn meaning together, with and from the Greek
dromos meaning a cause for running.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

Melinda is a student in a medical assisting program. She has difficulty reading an entry in a patient's
chart that states that the patient has shown evidence of either hypertension or hypotension. She
cannot read the physician's handwriting. Is there a difference between the two?
Guidelines: Yes! Hypertension would indicate high blood pressure, whereas hypotension would indicate
abnormally low blood pressure. She needs to confirm which of the two is correct.

OBJECTIVES
Analyze medical
terms that
combine
prefixes and
other word
elements.

CONTENT

Combining forms and suffixes

(p. 110)

Combining forms (p. 110)

Suffixes (p. 111)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 13-14
MTO Module 4, Section I, Lessons 1-2
Exercise J (pp. 130-131)
Divide the class into teams of
three or four. During a timed session, call out
the name of a suffix or combining form.
Class Activity

Each team must create as many medical

terms from the suffix or combining form as it
can in a 60-second period. After 60 seconds,
announce another suffix or combining form.
Alternatively, write each suffix or combining
form on a card and its definition on another
card. Divide into as many piles as there are
groups. Shuffle the cards and give to each
group to match the suffix/combining form to
its correct definition. Have students then
shuffle the cards and pass to the next group
until all suffixes and combining forms have
been defined by all groups.
Define basic
prefixes used in

Prefixes and terminology (p. 111)

PPT 1-12

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

the medical
language.

TEACHING RESOURCES
MTO Module 4, Section II, Lessons 1-4
Prefixes and Terminology (pp. 111-117)
Exercise A (p. 126)
Exercise D (p. 127)
Exercise G (p. 129)
Go around the room and ask
each student to name a prefix. Have the
student give the prefixs meaning and name a
medical term using that prefix. The next
student must either name a new prefix or be
able to name a term that has not been used
yet.
Class Activity

Divide the class into two

competing teams. Ask them to name a prefix,
give the prefixs meaning, and name a
medical term using that prefix. The first
team to do so correctly wins a point. The team
with the most points at the end of the game
wins.
Class Activity

Divide the class into small

groups. Write four prefixes on the chalkboard
or overhead projector. Ask each group to
come up with as many medical terms using
those prefixes as possible. Ask one student in
each group to be a fact checker to see if the
terms are listed in a medical dictionary.
Class Activity

Analyze medical
terms that
combine
prefixes and
other word
elements.

Appendixes (p. 118)

Adrenal glands (p. 118)

PPT 15, 19, 20-22

MTO Module 4, Section V
Practical Applications (p. 125)
Exercises B, C, I, J (pp. 126-127, 130-131)
Divide the class into three
groups and have each choose a contestant for
a quiz show. Using transparencies or flash
cards, show the contestants a variety of words
one at a time. Ask them to pronounce each
word correctly, spell the prefix and define it.
The first contestant to answer correctly wins
a point. When a contestant answers
incorrectly, the team chooses a new
contestant. The team with the most correct
answers wins.
Class Activity

Learn about the

Rh condition as
an example of an
antigen-antibody
reaction.

Antigens and antibodies; the Rh

condition (p. 118)

PPT 16-18
Exercise A (p. 126)
Make copies of Figure 4-2 on
p. 119, taking care to delete the labels. Divide
the students into small groups. Ask each
Class Activity

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

TEACHING RESOURCES
group to describe the scenario of the second
pregnancy figure. Also ask them how this
scenario can be prevented.

Analyze medical
terms that
combine
prefixes and
other word
elements.

Appendixes

PPT 23-30

Autoimmune (p. 120)

Practical Applications (p. 125)

Congenital anomaly (p. 120)

Figure 4-1 Adrenal glands (p. 118)

Contralateral (p. 121)

Figure 4-3 Rh condition (p. 120)

Ectopic pregnancy (p. 121)

Prolapse (p. 122)

Figure 4-4 Sites of ectopic pregnancies

(p. 121)

Recombinant DNA (p. 122)

Syndactyly (p. 122)

Syndrome (p. 122)

Symbiosis (p. 123)

Symphysis (p. 123)

Transurethral (p. 124)

Ultrasonography (p. 124)

Pronunciation of terms
(pp. 134-136)

Figure 4-5 First- and second-degree prolapse

of the uterus (p. 122)
Figure 4-6 Syndactyly (p. 123)
Figure 4-7 Pubic symphysis (p. 123)
Figure 4-8 Location of the prostate gland (p. 124)
Figure 4-9 Ultrasonography (p. 124)
Exercises B, C, E, F, H, I, K (pp. 126-131)
Pronunciation Exercise (pp. 134-136)
iTerms Chapter 04
Read any/all of the appendixes
to the students. Ask them to spell, analyze,
define, and underline the accented syllable in
the boldfaced terms.
Class Activity

Spell a medical term to the class.

Ask students to pronounce the word. Repeat
this for 10 to 20 terms.
Class Activity

Performance
Evaluation

ESLR Student Quiz Chapter 04

MTO Module 4, Sections I-III quizzes
MTO Module 4 Exam
Practical Applications (p. 125)

________________________________________________________Chapter 4 Prefixes
4.1 Homework/Assignments:

Divide the class into teams. Assign each of the terms in appendixes A through O. Have each team research
the term and give a synopsis of their research to the class.

4.1 Teachers Notes: