Which of the following is a strategy for struggling readers?

• A. Ignoring word parts and memorizing whole words.
• B. Relying only on pictures.
• C. Reading at a slower pace without strategies.
• D. Chunking words and analyzing patterns, roots, and affixes with scaffolding.

Answer: (D)

Chunking words and analyzing patterns, roots, and affixes with scaffolding gives struggling readers practical tools to decode unfamiliar words and grasp their meaning. When a word feels long or tricky, breaking it into smaller parts makes pronunciation clearer and the word easier to tackle step by step. Knowing common roots and affixes helps students predict meaning and connect new words to what they already know, so a word like unbelievable can be read as un- (not) + believe (root) + -able (able to be), signaling that the word means not able to be believed. Scaffolding—modeling the process, guiding practice, and gradually releasing independence—provides support as students learn to use these strategies on their own. This approach also builds vocabulary and reading fluency, because decoding becomes faster and more automatic, freeing cognitive effort for understanding. Relying on memorizing whole words, using pictures alone, or reading without strategies doesn’t equip students to decode new words or read with comprehension, so the chunking and morpheme-analysis approach with scaffolding is the most effective choice for learners who struggle.