The Power of Chunksin

The Chunk Reading ProgramBy Ladybug Literacy

Phonemic Awareness

The Alphabetic PrinciplePhonemic Awareness — Matching Letters with Sounds

magnetic lowercase letters

Juel, 1988: Juel found that phonemic awareness is an important precursor to reading success.

Yopp and Yopp: found that phonemic awareness correlates with reading success.

Our program builds phonemic awareness with the Blend Listen and Spell Game, and the Chunk Listen and Spell Game (see slide 15)

Researchers “sound in” on Phonemic Awareness:

The Chunk Phonics Curriculum

Based on analogies: if a student knows cat s/he can figure out sat, hat, etc. and s/he can recognize at in long words with many syllables.

• Blends and Digraphs

• Multisensory learning of 64 common CHUNKS/Rimes and patterns.

• Each CHUNK has a memorable "helping word“ illustrated with a vivid, colorful photo

Phonemic Segmentation

atc at

Why analogies?

Marilyn Adams (1990) tells us that letter-sound correspondences are more stable when one looks at rimes than when letters are looked at in isolation.

She noted that of 286 phonograms that appear in primary grade texts, 95% of them were pronounced the same in every word in which they appeared.

atc ats at

Fry’s First 100 Words Unique Teaching Resources ©All Rights Reserved

1. the 21. at 41. there 61. some 81. my 2. of 22. be 42. use 62. her 82. than 3. and 23. this 43. an 63. would 83. f irst 4. a 24. have 44. each 64. make 84. water 5. to 25. f rom 45. which 65. like 85. been 6. in 26. or 46. she 66. him 86. called 7. is 27. one 47. do 67. into 87. who 8. you 28. had 48. how 68. time 88. am 9. that 29. by 49. their 69. has 89. its 10. it 30. words 50. if 70. look 90. now 11. he 31. but 51. will 71. two 91. f ind 12. was 32. not 52. up 72. more 92. long 13. f or 33. what 53. other 73. write 93. down 14. on 34. all 54. about 74. go 94. day 15. are 35. were 55. out 75. see 95. did 16. as 36. we 56. many 76. number 96. get 17. with 37. when 57. then 77. no 97. come 18. his 38. your 58. them 78. way 98. made 19. they 39. can 59. these 79. could 99. may 20. I 40. said 60. so 80. people 100. part

Fry’s Second 100 Words Unique Teaching Resources ©All Rights Reserved

101. over 121. name 141. boy 161. such 181. change 102. new 122. good 142. f ollowing 162. because 182. off 103. sound 123. sentence 143. came 163. turn 183. play 104. take 124. man 144. want 164. here 184. spell 105. only 125. think 145. show 165. why 185. air 106. little 126. say 146. also 166. asked 186. away 107. work 127. great 147. around / around 167. went 187. animals 108. know 128. where 148. f arm 168. men 188. house 109. place 129. help 149. three 169. read 189. point 110. years 130. through 150. small 170. need 190. page 111. live 131. much 151. set 171. land 191. letters 112. me 132. bef ore 152. put 172. diff erent 192. mother 113. back 133. line 153. end 173. home 193. answer 114. give 134. right 154. does 174. us 194. f ound 115. most 135. too 155. another 175. move 195. study 116. very 136. means 156. well 176. try 196. still 117. af ter 137. old 157. large 177. kind 197. learn 118. thing 138. any 158. must 178. hand 198. should 119. our 139. same 159. big 179. picture 199. America 120. just 140. tell 160. even 180. again 200. world

Did you know???Fry’s first 300 sight words:• 171 of these contain chunks from our

program (many words have more than 1 chunk)

• In addition, many are covered by the silent-e rule

• Students can apply program strategy of analogies to remember many (e.g. be, me, we, he, she + could, would, should etc.)

Fry’s Third 100 Words Unique Teaching Resources ©All Rights Reserved

201. high 221. light 241. lif e 261. sea 281. watch 202. every 222. thought 242. always 262. began 282. f ar 203. near 223. head 243. those 263. grow 283. I ndians 204. add 224. under 244. both 264. took 284. really 205. f ood 225. story 245. paper 265. river 285. almost 206. between 226. saw 246. together 266. f our 286. let 207. own 227. lef t 247. got 267. carry 287. above 208. below 228. don’t 248. group 268. state 288. girl 209. country 229. f ew 249. of ten 269. once 289. sometimes 210. plants 230. while 250. run 270. book 290. mountains 211. last 231. along 251. important 271. hear 291. cut 212. school 232. might 252. until 272. stop 292. young 213. f ather 233. close 253. children 273. without 293. talk 214. keep 234. something 254. side 274. second 294. soon 215. trees 235. seemed 255. f eet 275. later/ later 295. list 216. never 236. next 256. car 276. miss 296. song 217. started 237. hard 257. miles 277. idea 297. being 218. city 238. open 258. night 278. enough 298. leave 219. earth 239. example 259. walked 279. eat 299. f amily 220. eyes 240. beginning 260. white 280. f ace 300. it’s

“For ELLs, who are learning to read in an inconsistent orthography like English, instruction using analogy-based phonics provides children an additional strategy for reading a larger number of words as they are building their English oral language skills.

-- Sylvia Linan-Thompson and Sharon Vaughn

(based on data from Blevins, 1998; Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement [CIERA], 2001; NRP, 2000; Texas Education Agency [TEA], 2000).

More about analogies later…

“…analogies based on rime are easier than those that cut across onset and rime.

“…Analogies are a natural and important part of children’s reading and spelling. They are made by old and young children alike—by older children who know how to read and write a great number of words and by young children who can read hardly any words and spell even fewer. These beginning readers are ready to make analogies even though they know so few written words and therefore have such a small basis for making any analogies at all. Nevertheless, they apply their awareness of rime, and their obvious capacity to make inferences, to the business of learning how to read and spell new words.” – Goswami and Bryant (1990)

“Multisensory Mapping uses all modalities (auditory, visual, kinesthetic-tactile) to facilitate retention and processing of sounds. Research confirms that the most common barrier to acquisition of emergent reading skills is the inability to process phonologically.”

--Based on research of Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998

In this program, students manipulate magnetic letters, recite chunks on the posters by chanting, singing, and doing hand motions to form a memory trace, and they also get lots of practice reading and writing the chunks in new words.

The program teaches chunks in a variety of ways!

Lead-in activity to Match-O:

• Listen to the mystery word

• Find the helping word that sounds the same

• Write the new word in the grid

• Make sure the letters match

• Decoding marks help teacher see how student is processing a word.

• Strong visuals

• Photos, not drawings

• Concrete helping words

• Diversity in images

• All short vowels are represented

• “Silent e” appears in 3 chunks

• Students recognize many images and words from ABC and Blend charts (e.g. cat, stop, slide, moon, etc.)

• Reinforcing Blends and Digraphs via Chunk Charts

• Multisensory mapping of chunks through visuals, chanting, cheering, and breaking words with their voice

Students have an easier time recognizing a word part when you change the onset than when you change the end.

The program deals with this difficulty by teaching students how to extend the chunks in one of the nine core lessons.

mea t mea nm eat s eatEasy for students

Difficult for students

• Soft c rule illustrated

• Silent e reinforced (-at vs. –ate)

• Two vowels rule (ai, ea)

• 9 chunks offer good practice for dropping and changing last part of a chunk

• Review of two vowels rule

• 2nd sound of –ow (cow vs. snow)

• 2nd sound of -oo (moon vs. book)

• Pattern -ture

• 10 chunks offer good practice for dropping and changing last part of a chunk

• 5 chunks ending in k push students to discriminate between patterns by mentally dropping the last letter

• Revisit silent -gh (-ight & -aught)

• Pattern: –tion

• 2nd sound of –ea (meat vs. bread)

• Revisit soft c / soft g rule (badge)

• Pattern –dge is taught through the rime or chunk –adge

• Mix of hard and easy concepts keeps students confident as they master new reading skills

“Learning to convert letters to recognize words requires knowledge of the relation between sounds and letters or other symbols that represent them, then remembering the exact patterns and sequences that may represent various speech sounds.”

--Goswami 2006

Just as students must know their ABCs by heart, they must also know the common letter patterns, or chunks, in order to be efficient readers.

The program reinforces this skill primarily through the Match-O Game.

Teach Decoding with Match-O Game

The workhorse of the program!

• Introduce students to new words with 5 Leveled Lists for each CHUNK Chart• About 75% of list words are encountered again in the stories• Students reference their knowledge of Chunks to spell new words• Match-O grids help students focus on which letter patterns represent which sounds

Students light up the chunk, find the match in their grid, and write the new word under the helping word, taking care to line up the parts that match. The grid is laid out in the same order as the chart.

Words get more complex with each level, but students know if they “chunk it out” they can read it!

Lists are made up of productive words pulled from content, academic word list, synonyms, adjectives

Leveled Word Lists 1 - 5 for Chunk Chart 1

Writing Practice

The Chunk Reading Program provides students opportunities to spell words and write their own stories with the letter-sound relationships they are learning.

There is a writing exercise for every chunk in the program

“In addition [to an analogy-based phonics approach] the program should include books and stories that contain a large number of words that children can decode by using the letter-sound relationships they have learned and are learning.”

-- Sylvia Linan-Thompson and Sharon Vaughn

The Chunk Reading Program includes 24 stories with decodable text from different genres. All stories include comprehension activities that require some writing. The stories get longer and more complex as the students master more chunks. The most challenging story is about middle of 3rd grade level.

By the time students have done the activities for all 4 Chunk Charts, they easily move on to stories outside our program!

Cover Table of Contents Credits on Back!

Student does illustrations

Sample Chapter and Comprehension

Questions

Elements of Text

Assessment: Monitoring Students’ Learning

• pre/post test (3 levels)

• Assessment built into each lesson

• daily check in with Match-O

• daily reading of Leveled Lists

• story comprehension questions

Routines and consistent language help students remember

Bolded language prompts act as “think-alouds”

Assessment is built into every lesson!

Thank you!

www.ladybugliteracy.com 651-558-1030