Minds On
Connecting to texts
There are many different ways to make connections.
We can make connections to the books or texts we read. (A text is another way of saying “book” or something that we read.)
Let's explore a book with Boomer and the Book Hungry Bears called Scribble by Ruth Ohi.
Connections
Connecting to the story
As you explore the story, consider the following questions:
- Have I read about something like this before?
- How is this book similar to other things I have read?
- How is this book different from other books I have read?
Record your responses in a notebook or another method of your choice.
Video
Explore this video to discover Scribble.
Action
Three kinds of connections
What you have practiced is called making text-to-text connections!
As we’ve learned, making connections is a reading strategy that we can use to better understand what we are reading. There are three ways we can make connections:
- text-to-self
- text-to-world
- text-to-text
To refresh your memory about these types of connection, explore the following images:
Kite in tree
Text-to-Self Connection: “This story reminds me of the time my kite got stuck in a tree, just like the main character.”
Sitting in front of a screen
Text-to-World Connection: “This part of the book makes me think of the year 2020 schools closed so that people could stay safe during the pandemic.”
Thinking of a butterfly
Text-to-Text Connection: “I once read a book similar to this one that explained the life cycle of a butterfly.”
Student-friendly definitions
We have now explored three different ways to make text connections! Come up with definitions for the different text connections we can make. We can use these definitions to help us make connections whenever we read!
Complete Definitions: Three Kinds of Connections in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document. You can record your connections any way you like. For example, you could write, draw, use speech-to-text, software, or make an audio recording.
| Definitions | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Text-to-self |
Text-to-world |
Text-to-text |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Definitions: Three Kinds of Connections.
Practise making connections
Think of the stories that you have recently read that remind you of another story that you have read.
This is called a text-to-text connection.
Use these sentence starters to help you make text-to-text connections:
- This book reminds me of another book I’ve read because…
- This book is similar to another book I’ve read because…
- This book is different from another book I’ve read because…
Record your ideas in a notebook or another method of your choice.
Consolidation
Now you choose the book!
Choose a book or an audiobook that you like.
Complete Making Text-to-Text Connections in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document. You can record your connections any way you like: by writing, drawing, using speech-to-text, software, or making an audio recording.
Be sure to also describe or draw the part of the story that you are making a connection to!
|
Book title: (Blank)(Blank)(Blank) Author: (Blank)(Blank)(Blank) |
|
|---|---|
|
The story This part of the book… |
The world Reminds me of… |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Making Text-to-Text Connections.
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
If possible, share your text-to-text connection with a partner. A great way to practice making connections is to share connections!
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.