Chunking is not simply “breaking content into smaller parts.” It is the deliberate design decision to present new information in digestible bites that students can process, organize, and retain.

In the Marzano Academies framework (Design Area III), effective chunking includes:

• Determining what students already know
• Chunking based on if it is declarative or procedural content
• Using worked examples
• Engaging students in processing between chunks

Here is what that looks like in practice.

1.  Start with What Students Already Know

Chunking is only effective when the size of the chunk matches students’ background knowledge. If students know very little, chunks must be smaller. If they know a great deal, chunks can expand.

Use-it-tomorrow strategy:
Before introducing new content, ask the students 3–5 quick questions:

• What do you already know about ___?
• What vocabulary do you recognize?
• What questions do you have?
• Where have you seen this before?

You can:

• Use a quick Google Form
• Have students respond on whiteboards
• Use a simple show-of-hands scale (0–4 confidence)
• Use a personal tracking matrix or the proficiency scale and have students annotate it accordingly.

In a proficiency-scale classroom, this aligns naturally with reviewing Level 2.0 content (foundational vocabulary and details) before teaching toward Level 3.0 outcomes.

2.  Chunk Declarative Content: Stop at Logical Boundaries

Declarative knowledge is information: facts, concepts, generalizations.

Effective chunks:

• Group ideas that logically belong together.
• Stop at natural conceptual boundaries. Avoid the urge to rush through the delivery of content to get to the processing. If you overload their working memories, they will not have the information to process, so the thinking is minimal at best.  
• Avoid mixing unrelated details in one segment.

Use-it-tomorrow structure for a 20-minute lesson:

(Please note the times are provided for reference. Please do not set your timer. Know the content and the appropriate breaking points.)

Chunk 1 (5–7 minutes):
Introduce Concept A
→ Stop
→ Students summarize in one sentence.

Chunk 2 (5–7 minutes):
Add related detail or sub-concept
→ Stop
→ Students generate one clarifying question.

Chunk 3 (5–7 minutes):
Introduce application example
→ Stop
→ Students explain how it connects to Chunk 1.

Between chunks, students must process. Without processing, chunking loses its power. So we have provided the examples of summary, question, and connection. There are other processing strategies. Refer to the Marzano Academies Instructional Impact guide for Element IIIb – Processing. (Learning Lab)

Other simple processing prompts include:

• What was most important?
• What stands out?
• What is still unclear?
• How does this connect to what we learned earlier?

3.  Chunk Procedural Content: Teach in Steps That Belong Together

Procedural knowledge is step-by-step performance: solving equations, writing an essay, conducting a lab, reading a complex text.

Before chunking a procedure, identify the full process.

Then:

1. Group steps that naturally belong together.
2. Model each group of steps.
3. Pause and have students practice just that segment.

Use-it-tomorrow example: Writing a paragraph

Instead of teaching the entire writing process at once:

Chunk 1:

• Craft a clear claim. Students practice writing only the claim and receive feedback on that element only

Chunk 2:

• Add evidence. Students practice adding one strong piece of evidence and receive feedback on the strength of evidence only.

Chunk 3:

• Explain reasoning. Students practice writing an explanation and receive only on their reasoning.

Only after mastery of individual chunks do you combine them.

This mirrors how proficiency scales isolate foundational procedural skills at 2.0 before expecting full performance at 3.0. What is important is the pace at which you put the items back together. You must know your learners as individuals and their working memory load capacity. Some will move through the chunks faster, while others will require a bit more processing. That is why we say you must plan for adaptive execution of your lesson plans.

4.  Use Worked Examples Before Independent Practice

A common mistake is asking students to perform a full procedure before they have seen it modeled in digestible segments.

Use-it-tomorrow strategy:

• Present a worked example.
• Stop at key decision points.
• Ask students:
• Why did I do that step?
• What would happen if I didn’t?
• What is the rule guiding this move?

Then provide a partially completed example and let students complete the next chunk.

This reduces cognitive overload and strengthens transfer.

5.  Design Processing Between Every Chunk

Chunking without processing is incomplete.

Between chunks, students should:

• Summarize
• Ask clarifying questions
• Make predictions
• Generate if/then statements
• Collaborate in small groups

Use-it-tomorrow processing structures:

Option A: 60-Second Summary
Students write the most important idea in 20 words or fewer.

Option B: Collaborative Processing
In small groups:

• Summarize the chunk
• Ask one clarifying question
• Predict what comes next

Option C: Reciprocal Teaching
One student leads the discussion:

• What did we learn?
• What questions remain?
• What might be next?

Processing makes the chunk “stick.” We will review chunking in an upcoming Theory blog, followed by a follow-up Use-It-Tomorrow blog.

6.  Align Chunks to Proficiency Scale Levels

Chunking becomes especially powerful in a proficiency-scale classroom.

Think of it this way:

• 2.0 content → Smaller, foundational chunks (vocabulary, simple processes)
• 3.0 content → Larger conceptual chunks
• 4.0 tasks → Integration and extension beyond the lesson

Use-it-tomorrow application:

Before teaching, look at your scale and ask:

• Which bullet at 2.0 am I addressing in this chunk?
• Does this chunk move students closer to the 3.0 outcome?
• Is this too much for one segment? Do I need to chunk the Scale Level 2.0 using the strategies discussed above?

If students struggle, reduce the chunk size, not the cognitive engagement.

7.  Chunk Reading and Video Deliberately

Never assign long reading or video without planned stopping points.

Use-it-tomorrow structure:

For a 15-minute video:

• Stop at 3–4 strategic moments.
• Provide 2 reflection questions at each stop.
• Require written processing before moving on. You want that artifact of thought to be able to tell what your learners are thinking.

For reading:

• Pre-determine section breaks.
• Assign reflection questions for each section.
• Require students to summarize before continuing. Again, make sure the artifact of thought is reviewed. That is your evidence for what your learners are thinking.

Students should be able to explain why you had them stop when you did.

8.  Adjust Chunk Size in Real Time

At higher levels of implementation (Applying and Innovating), teachers vary chunk length based on student understanding.

Watch for:

• Confused faces
• Surface-level summaries
• Weak processing conversations. Never sit when students start talking. Grab your clipboard, circulate, and record evidence of individual learners’ progress in acquiring foundational knowledge and understanding.

When needed:

• Shorten the next chunk.
• Insert a worked example.
• Re-teach using a different representation.
• Group students strategically.

The goal is not covering content.
The goal is ensuring students can process each segment.

A Simple Planning Template You Can Use Tomorrow

Element IIIa is the first step in proactive planning because you need to think through the appropriate chunks you will help learners acquire and encode. It happens before teaching. To plan properly, answer:

1. What is the 3.0 learning outcome?
2. What 2.0 knowledge must students have?
3. Where will I stop?
4. What processing task will students complete?
5. How will I know if they understood this chunk?

If you cannot answer those questions for each teaching segment, the lesson likely needs clearer chunking.

Final Thought

Chunking is not about slowing instruction down. It is about pacing learning in a way that respects cognitive load, promotes processing, and ensures progression toward proficiency.

When done well:

• Students actively engage between segments.
• They can explain why the instruction was paused.
• They demonstrate understanding at each stage.
• They build toward complex performance with confidence.

Tomorrow, try one lesson where you intentionally:

• Reduce chunk size.
• Increase processing time.
• Align each chunk to a specific scale level.

You may find that students learn more. This is not because you said more, but because you structured it better.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of generative learning within the Marzano Academies Instructional Model, consider exploring one of the Learning Hub’s Badging Experiences or subscribing to the Learning Lab for access to research folios, strategy guides, and a professional community focused on competency-based practice.