READING WITH YOUR K-2 CHILD # 4- THE WORD CHUNK GAME – Advice from a Teacher

Perhaps the most important game ever is the Word Chunk Game. I can’t tell you how many children can’t read a word because there is a set of letters that walk and talk together and the child hasn’t learned their sound. As a teacher, I always like to make learning fun and I encourage you to do the same. The sillier you are in teaching word chunks the better for your child. You can come up with all kinds of silly stories to introduce word chunks… my favorite is the ING family. Example:

There once was a family of letters who lived in the Town of Chunks. This family had a Dad named I and a Mom named N and a baby named G. They all made their own sounds, (say the sounds) when they were in their home they all made their own sounds, but when they went walking as a family they made one sound so everyone would know they belonged together, that sound was ING. When the TH couple walked by, they would say “th” and the ING family would say “ing.” When the EST family said hello, they would say “est” and the ING family would say “ing.”

 

How to learn word chunks with your child:

• Using sticky notes, write the following chunks from the list on their own note square
• Together make up stories to go with each chunk pairing, please note the examples below each pairing  to correctly say the sounds)
• Once you have talked about the sounds, choose one book from the Interest Books and follow these directions:
  • Each of you gets one piece of paper with lines
  • Open the book.
  • On the first page each of you looks for words with chunks.
  • Write all the words you find with chunks on your paper. As a parent, go slowly and demonstrate how you are looking line by line for a chunk word. Once your child understands how to do it. Pull back and slowly look for words, letting your child find a few before you do. (Build confidence)
  • Once you have finished the page, compare the words you have found. Don’t be surprised if you miss a few yourself, it’s okay to show your child you are not perfect!!
  • Go over the words, sounding them out and sorting them by chunks
  • Continue on with the pages. Remember, do not go over 17 min. as the attention span of young readers is growing. We don’t want your child to get discouraged.
  • Once you are done, take the sticky note words and build a wall of words in your hallway in a crazy snake like design. Encourage your child to read the snake every day as he/she walks by.

 

 

• WORD CHUNKS CHART  ( Found on Mrs. Wrong’s Teacher website)

 

TH with the brother mother Rathan Katherine SH she show wash ship

CH chicken Chinese choose watch WH who what where when GH light fight laugh enough bought PH Phil telephone graph

• R SISTER

ER sister father other reader IR shirt dirt girl twirl	UR curl fur furry purple OR orange for word motorcycle AR car far cart jar
OW! down now brown flower OU! out about shout sourt		OW SAYS LONG O know snow show row

 

AY Kaylin play day Sunday BOSSY E like bike ride fire	ALL ball fall all hall INK pink think wink sink
OO cook book look shook OO cool pool school food	ING thing ring running playing ONG song long  Wong

 

VOWEL Y SAYS I Ryan Nyla cry by VOWEL Y SAYS E Emily Ashley happy