Which technique should a first-grade teacher use to help students analyze the morphological structure of words to support their vocabulary development?

• A. predicting which meaning of fall will be used
• B. describing common idioms
• C. asking students if they can explain the meaning of the s in the word kittens
• D. giving students a child-friendly explanation for the word elated during a read-aloud

Answer: (C)

Understanding how word parts fit together helps young readers unlock meaning and grow their vocabularies. In the word kittens, the ending -s is a suffix that marks plural. By asking students to explain what the s means, the teacher prompts them to identify this morpheme and its function, showing how adding a suffix changes a word’s meaning and connects related forms (kitten vs. kittens). This kind of question builds morphological awareness, a foundation for decoding and vocabulary growth, and it’s developmentally appropriate for first graders who are beginning to notice simple word parts.

Other options don’t focus on word structure the same way. Predicting which meaning of fall will be used targets different senses of a word rather than its parts. Describing common idioms engages figurative language, not morphology. Providing a child-friendly definition of a new word like elated during a read-aloud focuses on meaning in context rather than analyzing the word’s parts.