Minds On

Text-to-world connections

As readers, we can deepen our understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to the world around us.

Before we practice making these connections, create a definition of text-to-world connections.

What are some questions or sentence stems you could use to help you make text-to-world connections as you read?

For example:

  • Question: What does this remind me of in the real world?
  • Sentence stem: What I just read makes me think about… (an event or issue in your community, nation, or world) because…

Record your definitions and questions and/or sentence stems using a method of your choice.

Action

Making connections

Let’s practice making text-to-world connections!

Explore a news story about the baby rhinos that were born at the Toronto Zoo.

How do the events or ideas in this text relate to your community, nation, or the larger world? Use the following questions to guide you. Record any text-to-world connections that you make using a method of your choice.

Questions to consider:

  • What does this remind you of in the real world? Why?
  • How did your knowledge of an event or issue in the world help you to understand this text better?
  • How are the events in this text similar to things that happen in the real world? Explain.
  • How are the events in this text different from things that happen in the real world? Explain.

To make these connections we can ask these types of questions:

  • What does this remind me of in the world around me?
  • How is this text like events that are happening in the world or have happened in the world?
  • How is this text different than events that are happening in the world or have happened in the world?
  • How did my knowledge of an issue or event in the world around me help me understand this text better?

Record your connections using a method of your choice.

Choosing a text

Making text-to-world connections tends to work best with a text that relates with your own experiences as well as content that you have learned about before. For this reason, this time, practice making text-to-world connections using a nonfiction text of your choice.

That said, if baby animals and wildlife rehabilitation are topics that interest you, explore the article, Tillsonburg’s Skunk Lady taking the stink out of skunks.

Press TVO.org to access Tillsonburg’s Skunk Lady taking the stink out of skunks.

TVO dot org (Opens in a new tab)

Record your text connections using the Text-to-World Connections template below or another method of your choice. For each text connection be sure to include:

  1. Your text-to-world connection
  2. Evidence from the text
  3. How the connection helps you understand the text

Complete the Text-to-World Connections template in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Text-to-World Connections template.

Consolidation

Bringing it all together

Use the following questions to reflect on the text connections that you made in the “Choosing a text” section in Action.

  1. How did making text connections deepen your understanding of the text?
  2. Describe an event or issue from the text. How has what you have learned from the text changed your understanding of the issue or event? How could you apply this learning in your community, nation, or larger world?
  3. How could making text-to-world connections deepen your understanding of a fiction text? If possible, provide an example of a fiction text and the connections you made.

Record your responses using a method of your choice.

Reflection

As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel...

Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.