Which text would be most effective to use as an exemplar text for a mini-lesson on manipulating morphemes within and across words?

• A. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. (e.g., includes words like bear and hear)
• B. Jamberry by Bruce Degen (e.g., includes words like raspberry and razzamatazzberry)
• C. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (e.g., includes words like moon and light)
• D. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (e.g., includes words like house and mouse)

Answer: (B)

Understanding how morphemes—the meaningful parts of words—can be manipulated inside a word and across words is essential for helping students see how new words are built and what they mean. Jamberry shows this clearly. It repeatedly uses the same morpheme suffix (-berry) with a variety of bases, such as raspberry and the playful razzamatazzberry. This lets students notice that adding -berry to different stems creates new words with related ideas, while also letting them compare how the meaning shifts with different bases. The text invites both decoding and word-formation practices, giving concrete chances to discuss how morphemes function and how they attach to different roots.

In contrast, the other books lean more on rhyme, repetition, or simple vocabulary rather than a systematic exploration of word parts across many words. They don’t provide as strong an anchor for noticing and manipulating morphemes across multiple terms. That combination of a common morpheme across varied bases makes Jamberry the best fit for a mini-lesson on manipulating morphemes within and across words.