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Rooted in Language

Alien Bugs Word Study

Name: Alien Bugs Word Study
Brand: Rooted in Language
SKU: IM-ALNBG
Price: 21.25 USD
Availability: InStock

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On July 16, 2025, we announced that Rooted in Language will be closing effective July 15, 2026. The last day for purchases in our Shop is March 31, 2026. Access to PDF downloads ends June 30, 2026. Please see our Business Transition page for details.

Aliens invade language arts to propel vocabulary and spelling growth!

Creep and crawl into the world of word study, the study of the structural elements of words—prefixes, base words, and suffixes—as well as a word’s root origin and history. Students of all ages, including tweens and teens, love using Alien Bugs, making complex ideas simple to understand and remember. Alien Bugs demonstrate how words morph into different meanings and parts of speech. These six Alien Bug activities and games launch kids into the universe of word study!

Successful reading, writing, and spelling require both phonics and word study. Research supports that word study results in the best retention and usage of vocabulary and spelling skills. Alien Bug manipulatives teach these concepts in an engaging way that bolsters student understanding, vocabulary, and, in turn, their comprehension and composition skills. Now that’s out of this world.

All Rooted in Language products incorporate research-based methods to support students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, developmental language disorder, and other literacy-based struggles.

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Specifications

Grade level: 1 -12
File count: 1 PDF
Page count: 20 pages
6 word study activities for repeated use throughout the year
5 pages of student resources and bug templates (cardstock recommended, lamination optional)

Scope

Free and bound base words, prefixes, suffixes
Understanding word structure
Forming and investigating word sum hypotheses
Creating word derivatives
Prefixsite and Suffixsite Extermination game (cardstock recommended)

License and Terms of Use

Refer to our complete Policies & Terms of Use which provide the full terms that govern your use.
This product is licensed for the purchaser's own use with their own children, children for whom they have legal guardianship, and their own students. The purchaser may not share this product with or reproduce it for other parents, educators, tutors, or students outside of the purchaser’s immediate family.
Please direct other educators to the Rooted in Language Shop to purchase this product for their own use.
For charters, schools, and districts purchasing on behalf of enrolled families:Click the Help Chatbot in the lower right corner of your screen for Website Order and Purchase Order procedures. Our products are consumable and the property of your enrolled family, the home educator for whom you purchased the product. A separate purchase must be made for each home educator using the product. Our products may not be shared in lending libraries. Our products may not be reproduced for multiple home educators without a purchased license for each home educator. A home educator is defined as a parent or legal guardian who is teaching their own children and the children for whom they have legal guardianship. For more information, see our FAQs and complete Policies & Terms of Use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I learn more about all the rules and patterns in spelling and word study . . . and how to teach it?

We’ve got you covered with our Foundations for Teaching Reading, Writing & Spelling online educator course. Through over 40 hours of instructional videos, an Educator Guide, Reading Kit, and additional resources, we teach you what, when, and how to teach all the underlying skills in phonics, spelling, and word study. We help you weave all these skills together with effective teaching strategies for all students, especially those with learning challenges. The Foundations course includes periodic live sessions with new teaching content and opportunities to ask questions specific to your students. The Foundations course is not required to successfully use Alien Bugs, but it will deepen your knowledge and expand your word study instruction.

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Can I use Alien Bugs with younger students?

Yes. The concepts and activities are appropriate for students of all ages, from children who are new to reading and writing to tweens and teens who need to grow their spelling and vocabulary skills. You’re never too young (or old) for word study!

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Will Alien Bugs help my student who struggles?

Yes. Word study and understanding word parts are essential skills for becoming a strong reader and writer. This is particularly true for children with learning struggles. These students also benefit greatly from lessons that are multisensory in nature. Alien Bugs make spelling and vocabulary work engaging, meaningful, and memorable!

Research supports that word study results in the best retention and usage of vocabulary and spelling skills. Alien Bug manipulatives teach these concepts in an engaging way that bolsters student understanding, vocabulary, and, in turn, their comprehension and composition skills.

I just bought your Alien Bugs Word Study packet. The idea of using parasites to depict the dependent nature of affixes is brilliant — and very sticky for kids! Thank you for sharing such a great invention.

Today we played with our Alien Bugs. My daughter loved the hands on approach and attaching the pincher bugs to their butts! We also made a couple LA Binder pages to go along with our suffix work.

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Alien Bugs Word Study