Chunking

What Is Chunking?

The chunking reading strategy involves breaking down a difficult text into more manageable pieces and having students rewrite these “chunks” in their own words. You can use this strategy with challenging texts of any length. Chunking helps students identify key words and ideas, develops their ability to paraphrase, and makes it easier for them to organize and synthesize information.

How to Use the Chunking Method

Step 1: Preparation

Chunking can be used with challenging texts of any length. A paragraph can be chunked into phrases and sentences, while a reading of several pages can be chunked into paragraphs or sections. It is often helpful to have students record information about each “chunk” in a graphic organizer, which you may want to prepare in advance.

Step 2: Review Reading Strategies

Before having students work on paraphrasing the text, it is helpful to go over specific decoding strategies. You may want to post the following “reading reminders” on the board:

• Circle words that are unfamiliar.
• Use context clues to help define these words.
• Look up the meaning of unknown words.
• Write synonyms for these new words in the text.
• Underline important places and people and identify them.
• Read aloud.
• Read multiple times.

Step 3: Chunk the Text

“Chunking the text” simply means breaking the text down into smaller parts. Sometimes teachers chunk the text in advance for students, especially if this is the first time students have used this strategy. Other times, teachers ask students to chunk the text. Students can work on chunking texts with partners or on their own. Depending on students’ reading level, the lengths of chunks can vary. A struggling reader may work with phrases rather than sentences. A stronger reader can often work with longer chunks.

Step 4: Students Paraphrase Meaning

Students should rewrite “chunks” in their own words. By the end of this activity, students should have a paraphrased version of the original text.

Step 5: Assess and Share

The paraphrased text can be used to evaluate students’ understanding and reading ability. You can also have students compare their versions of the text. This step often leads to interesting discussions about interpretation – how people can often find different meaning in the same words.