TEXT CONNECTIONS

 TEXT CONNECTIONS

Connections can be made with the text in a number of ways.

1.      Text-to-text: making connections between/among texts

2. Text-to-self: how does the text remind you of your life

3. Text-to-world: how does the text you remind you of what happens in the world at large.  

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WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TEXT CONNECTIONS

VVIDEO 1

     Excerpt

: Once upon a time, in a small village nestled between rolling hills and meandering streams, there lived a curious young girl named Lily. Every morning, Lily would wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She would leap out of bed, eager to explore the world around her.

Text-to-Self Connection: "I'm like Lily because I also love waking up to the sound of birds. It makes me feel happy and excited for the day."

Text-to-Text Connection: "Lily reminds me of the character from another book we read last week. Both of them are adventurous and love exploring nature."

Text-to-World Connection: "Lily's village sounds like the one in the story my grandma told me about her childhood. Even though it was a long time ago, some things about villages are still the same."

    

Read the excerpts below and try to figure out the answers to the questions.

1. Text-to-Text Connection:

Passage: Tommy loved reading adventure stories. He was currently reading a book about a brave knight who went on a quest to rescue a princess from an evil dragon. The knight faced many challenges along the way, but he never gave up. Tommy couldn't wait to find out if the knight would succeed in saving the princess.

Questions:

1. What kind of stories does Tommy love to read?
2. What is the knight trying to do in the story Tommy is reading?
3. Have you ever read a story about a brave hero like the knight?
4. Can you think of another book that is similar to the one Tommy is reading?
5. Why do you think Tommy is excited to find out what happens next in the story?

2. Text-to-Self Connection:

Passage: Emily felt nervous on her first day at a new school. She didn't know anyone and worried about making friends. Just like the character in her favorite book, who also felt scared when starting at a new school, Emily tried to be brave. She remembered how the character eventually made friends and felt better.

Questions:

1. How does Emily feel on her first day at the new school?
2. Can you think of a time when you felt nervous like Emily?
3. What did Emily do to try to be brave?
4. Have you ever started at a new school or a new activity?
5. How do you think Emily felt when she remembered the character from her favorite book?

3. Text-to-World Connection:

Passage: Sara read an article about endangered animals in her science class. She learned about how pollution and habitat destruction were threatening the existence of many species. Sara felt sad because she loves animals and wants to help protect them. She decided to organize a neighborhood cleanup to help reduce pollution in her community.

Questions:

1. What did Sara learn about in her science class?
2. Why did Sara feel sad after reading the article?
3. Can you think of other ways pollution might harm animals?
4. How do you think Sara's neighborhood cleanup will help protect animals?
5. Why is it important for us to take care of the environment for animals?

These passages and questions aim to engage third-grade students in thinking about connections they can make between what they read and their own experiences or the world around them.

FOLLOW UP PRACTICE EXERCISES

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY PASSAGE

ACTIVITY

Activity 3 Read the paragraph below and complete the task that follows.

David loves sports day at his school. He prepares his sporting gears from the night before sports day. The actual sports day he runs, shouts and cheers for his winning house. He enjoys watching the children on the track. His most exciting part of sports day is the cheer leading event.

Task

Now make three text connections from the passage.

1. Text-to-self

2. Text-to-text

3. Text-to-world

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Subject: English Language Arts

Strand: Comprehension

Objective: Students will make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections through a series of activities and discussions.

Materials Needed:

• Chart paper
• Markers
• Sticky notes
• Copies of short texts or excerpts from various books (fiction and non-fiction) related to the curriculum or grade level
• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheets for evaluation
• Projector
• Teacher’s blogsite
• Chromebooks

Duration: 60 minutes

Engage (10 minutes):

1.       Introduction: Begin by asking students what they think it means to make connections while reading.

2.       Discussion: Guide students to understand that making connections involves relating what they read to their own experiences (text-to-self), to other texts they have read (text-to-text), and to events or concepts in the world around them (text-to-world).

3.       Activity: Show students a short excerpt from a familiar story and ask them to silently read it. Then, ask them to share any connections they can make to themselves, other texts, or the world around them.

Explore (15 minutes):

1.       Text-to-Self Connection: Provide each student with a sticky note. Ask them to write down a brief personal connection they have with the text they just read. It could be a similar experience, feeling, or thought.

2.       Text-to-Text Connection: Provide another short excerpt from a different book or text. Ask students to read it silently and then discuss with a partner or small group how it connects to the first text they read. Encourage them to find similarities, themes, or characters that overlap.

3.       Text-to-World Connection: Present a third text or excerpt that relates to a broader concept or issue in the world. After reading silently, discuss as a class how this text connects to real-world events, issues, or phenomena.

4.       Listen to a video clip from teacher’s blog which explain more about text connections.

Explain (15 minutes):

1.       Class Discussion: Lead a discussion about the different types of connections students made during the exploration phase. Use the chart paper to categorize and record their responses under text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world.

2.       Modeling: Provide examples of each type of connection using texts relevant to the curriculum or grade level. Model how to identify and articulate these connections using specific examples from the text.

Elaborate (15 minutes):

1.       Group Activity: Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with a different short text or excerpt. In their groups, students should identify and discuss various connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) they can make with the given text.

2.       Creation: Each group should create a poster or visual representation showcasing their connections. Encourage creativity and thorough explanations.

3.       Gallery Walk: After completing their posters, hang them around the classroom and conduct a gallery walk. Students should walk around, examine each group's work, and discuss the connections they see.

Evaluate (5 minutes):

1.       Worksheet: Distribute a worksheet with a few short passages and questions prompting students to make connections. They should identify the type of connection (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) and explain their reasoning.

2.       Discussion: Review the worksheet as a class, allowing students to share their answers and reasoning. Provide feedback and reinforcement as needed.

3.       Complete exercises on their Chromebooks from teacher’s blogsite.

Closure: Summarize the importance of making connections while reading and how it enhances comprehension and understanding. Encourage students to continue making connections as they read independently.

 

Excerpt

: Once upon a time, in a small village nestled between rolling hills and meandering streams, there lived a curious young girl named Lily. Every morning, Lily would wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She would leap out of bed, eager to explore the world around her.

Text-to-Self Connection: "I'm like Lily because I also love waking up to the sound of birds. It makes me feel happy and excited for the day."

Text-to-Text Connection: "Lily reminds me of the character from another book we read last week. Both of them are adventurous and love exploring nature."

Text-to-World Connection: "Lily's village sounds like the one in the story my grandma told me about her childhood. Even though it was a long time ago, some things about villages are still the same."

This excerpt provides opportunities for students to make connections based on their own experiences, other texts they've read, and broader concepts in the world around them.

Top of Form

1. Text-to-Text Connection:

Passage: Tommy loved reading adventure stories. He was currently reading a book about a brave knight who went on a quest to rescue a princess from an evil dragon. The knight faced many challenges along the way, but he never gave up. Tommy couldn't wait to find out if the knight would succeed in saving the princess.

Questions:

1. What kind of stories does Tommy love to read?
2. What is the knight trying to do in the story Tommy is reading?
3. Have you ever read a story about a brave hero like the knight?
4. Can you think of another book that is similar to the one Tommy is reading?
5. Why do you think Tommy is excited to find out what happens next in the story?

2. Text-to-Self Connection:

Passage: Emily felt nervous on her first day at a new school. She didn't know anyone and worried about making friends. Just like the character in her favorite book, who also felt scared when starting at a new school, Emily tried to be brave. She remembered how the character eventually made friends and felt better.

Questions:

1. How does Emily feel on her first day at the new school?
2. Can you think of a time when you felt nervous like Emily?
3. What did Emily do to try to be brave?
4. Have you ever started at a new school or a new activity?
5. How do you think Emily felt when she remembered the character from her favorite book?

3. Text-to-World Connection:

Passage: Sara read an article about endangered animals in her science class. She learned about how pollution and habitat destruction were threatening the existence of many species. Sara felt sad because she loves animals and wants to help protect them. She decided to organize a neighborhood cleanup to help reduce pollution in her community.

Questions:

1. What did Sara learn about in her science class?
2. Why did Sara feel sad after reading the article?
3. Can you think of other ways pollution might harm animals?
4. How do you think Sara's neighborhood cleanup will help protect animals?
5. Why is it important for us to take care of the environment for animals?

These passages and questions aim to engage third-grade students in thinking about connections they can make between what they read and their own experiences or the world around them. 

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