Exciting things are happening in our classroom! Since the start of the school year, the children have increased their reading stamina from 5 minutes of daily independent reading to 20! We are also concentrating on listening to the conversations taking place in our brains while we read. We pay attention to connections that we are making to the text that help us to better understand the text.
A text-to-self (t-s or tts)connection is one where something in the book makes a connection or reminds us of something from our own lives.
ex. The part when Oliver Button got teased by his classmates for liking to dance reminded me of a time when someone was teasing me because I like to watch Dora the Explorer. I felt sad just like Oliver did.
A text-to-text (t-t or ttt) connection is making connections between books (when one book reminds us of another book that we read).
ex. Julius: The Baby of the World reminded me of My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. In both of the stories, the brother and sister had a hard time getting along and in both stories, they all got along at the end.
A text-to-world (t-w or ttw) connection is when something from a book connects to the larger world. It can also be connecting to content (non-fiction, holidays, pop culture, current events, etc.). Though many children can and do make text-to-world connections, they are not as frequent at this age.
Why do we do this?
The purpose of making connections is to enhance the understanding of the text. Surface connections ("She has red shoes and I have red shoes, too!") don't help to deepen the understanding of the text by the reader. Other rationales:
- It helps readers understand how characters feel and the motivation behind their actions.
- It helps readers have a clearer picture in their head as they read thus making the reader more engaged.
- It keeps the reader from becoming bored while reading.
- It sets a purpose for reading and keeps the reader focused.
- Readers can see how other readers connected to the reading.
- It forces readers to become actively involved.
- It helps readers remember what they have read and ask questions about the text.
How can I help?
When reading to or with your child, think aloud and model how and when you are making your own connections.
This part reminds me of….
I felt like…(character) when I….
If that happened to me I would….
This book reminds me of…(another text) because….
I can relate to…(part of text) because one time….
Something similar happened to me when….
What does this remind me of in my life?
What is this similar to in my life?
How is this different from my life?
Has something like this ever happened to me?
How does this relate to my life?
What were my feelings when I read this?
What does this remind me of in another book I’ve read?
How is this text similar to other things I’ve read?
How is this different from other books I’ve read?
Have I read about something like this before?
What does this remind me of in the real world?
How is this text similar to things that happen in the real world?
How is this different from things that happen in the real world?
How did that part relate to the world around me?