Chunking & Charting

Chunking & Charting the Text

What: Chunking the text refers to readers breaking down the text into smaller parts and paragraphs, making the text less overwhelming. Charting the text is when a reader determines what the author is saying (the what) and what the author is doing (how a text is crafted and its related impact).

Why effective? By getting at the macro and micro-structures of texts, students construct a deeper understanding of the text and also recognize the structure and craft of the writing. By deconstructing a text, students understand what to look for when reading similar text formats, as well as how to craft their own writing in similar formats. Chunking and charting the text builds schema for how texts with different purposes are constructed and their unique features and increases reading comprehension.

Resources & Activities:

• Chart the Text from AVID - Overview and description of how to chart the text
• Text Structure - Resources and classroom ideas from AdLit.org
• Why we stayed up until midnight finishing this editorial - A graphic organizer that helps students chunk and chart an op-ed piece from The New York Times student editorial contest.
  • Op-Ed - Why we stayed up until midnight finishing this editorial (New York Times)

References

Dickson, S. V., Simmons, D. C., & Kameenui, E. J. (1995). Text organization and its relation to reading comprehension: A synthesis of research. Eugene, OR: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386865.pdf

Meyer, B. J. (2011). Structure strategy interventions: Increasing reading comprehension of expository text. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 4(1), 127-152. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1070453.pdf