Thought Unit (T-unit) Analysis
One way to analyze a student’s oral language or written expression is through a Thought Unit (T-unit) analysis. A T-unit analysis looks at the number of words in a complete thought and is one measure of the complexity, detail and descriptiveness of a student’s expression (oral or written).
Let’s look at an example. The following is a writing sample based on the writing prompt: What did you do this weekend?
We went to the fair ystrday. I had fun. I rode on the big wheel that turns around and I got sick. Then I got better and rode some more rides. We ate hotdogs cottn candy and ice crem. We went home when it was dark. Mom said we can go again next year.
To begin the analysis, you first count the number of sentences. In this example there are 7 sentences.
Next, you count the number of thought units (or complete thoughts).
The thought units are broken down as follows:
1. We went to the fair ystrday.
2. I had fun.
3. I rode on the big wheel that turns around
4. and I got sick.
5. Then I got better and rode some more rides. (note: this is not two thought units because “rode some more rides” is not a complete thought/sentence. This is a positive because the sentence as written, shows more complex sentence combining skills rather than stating: “Then I got better and I rode some more rides.”)
6. We ate hotdogs cottn candy and ice crem.
7. We went home when it was dark.
8. Mom said we can go again next year.
So, in this example, there are 8 T-units. You can compare the number of sentences to the number of T-units. If there are many more T-units than sentences, it is an indication of run-on sentences.
Next, count the number of words. In the example, there are 55 words. Note: count contractions as two words. In oral language, don’t count utterances such as “umm” or repetitions.
You then divide the number of words by the number of T-units (words/T-units). In the example, there are 6.8 words per T-unit (55/8 = 6.9). The more complex, descriptive and detailed the writing or oral expression…… the more words there will be per T- unit.
The following chart contains general guidelines for words per T-unit expected at each grade level. It is important to note that the chart does not indicate the overall grade level of the writing sample, rather it indicates only the grade level for the words per T-unit. As you know from reading the text chapter, assessment of student writing is complex and multi-faceted. Words per T-unit is one of the areas you can assess when assessing student writing. By progress monitoring a student’s words per T-unit, you can document his/her growth in the use of details, descriptiveness and sentence complexity.
The written expression in the example (6.8 words per T-unit) falls below what is expected in the 3rd grade.
In addition to analyzing the written expression for T-units, you can also count the number of grammatical errors, spelling errors (using the procedure outlined in the text), and punctuation errors. These errors can be recorded, charted and monitored for progress. You can also count the number of descriptive words and details which can then be recorded, charted and monitored also.
Practice
Analyze the following writing sample by calculating words per T-unit and noting systematic errors.
Ysturday was my brthday. I was ten years old. I had a party at the park near my house. All of my frends come. We played and played. I got a lot of good stuff. My mom and dad gave me a bike that I like to ride. It is red with a blue strip and it has a blue seat. I had a good brthday.
Check your analysis.
Number of sentences = 9
Number of T-units = 10
1. Ysturday was my brthday.
2. I was ten years old.
3. I had a party at the park near my house.
4. All of my frends come.
5. We played and played.
6. I got a lot of good stuff.
7. My mom and dad gave me a bike that I like to ride. (not 2 T-units because the clause is dependent).
8. It is red with a blue strip
9. and it has a blue seat.
10. I had a good brthday.
Number of words = 66
Words per T-unit = 6.6 (below 3rd grade level)
Systematic errors – spelling errors involving medial vowels, 1 grammatical error (come instead of came), 89% of sentences grammatically correct (number of sentences with grammatical errors / total number of sentences).