Making Connections

Text-to-Text THIS IS OUR INSIGHT! THIS IS

Text-to-Self HOW WE EXTEND AND EXPAND
OUR ANSWER TO CONNECT TO
Text-to-World MEANINGFUL INSIGHT

Text-to-Media
What are Text Connections?
• Making connections will allow us to better relate and
understand ways in which reading connects to:

– your own life and experiences

– other forms of literature
– society and the world
– film, theatre, television, radio and music

• Making connections elicit (BRINGS OUT or ENHANCES)

thinking skills such as: comparing and contrasting, cause and
effect, recalling, inferring, synthesizing, and evaluating.
 How Will Making
Connections Help?
• Recognizing connections stimulates our cognitive
(knowledge and thoughts) and affective (feelings
and emotions) perception. This increased awareness
makes reading more relevant and meaningful.

– You will become more involved, engaged, and

invested in reading and viewing an abundance of
different forms of literature.

– You will “dive into” what you read, making it your

own, and, in doing so, become proficient in the
process of reading and comprehending.
Activating Prior Knowledge
• Also known as activating schema, this skill is simply
using what we have already absorbed from reading
other texts, our lively experiences, watching
movies, and observing the world on a day to day
basis. Prior knowledge is what we already know.

• When making text connections between what we

already know and what we are reading, we will build
a stronger base of knowledge and be better
equipped to understand and comprehend.
 Cognitive Connections
• Cognitive connections stimulate our thought
processes and works with our prior
knowledge as we recall concrete facts and
our tactile experiences.

• When making these types of links we are

using our reasoning skills.
Affective Connections
• Affective connections
stimulate our emotions and
feelings and can cause our
moods to change.

• We are activating past

experiences that were
happy or sad, exciting or
boring, painful or soothing.
Connections Improve
Comprehension!
 4 Types of Text Connections
• Text-to-Self (TS) - in this instance, we make personal connections
with events or characters in the text; they remind us of people we
know, things we did, places we have been, experiences we have had,
etc.

• Text-to-Text (TT) - this is when we connect events or characters

we are reading about with other texts we have read.

• Text-to-World (TW) - This is when we connect events, characters,

or concepts in a book with real life events, people, or issues. This
includes: social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural issues,
as well as race relations and class systems, conflicts, and wars. This is
a connection to a historical time period, a historical figure, or an event
in history. This can also be a current event that is happening NOW in
our WORLD.

• Text-to-Media (TM) - this is when we connect events or characters

we are reading about with a television show, a movie, a
play, a radio show, or music we have viewed or listened to.
 Making Connections

Text-to-Text (T-T) Text-to-Self (T-S)

Text-to-World (T-W) Text-to-Media (T-M)

 Text-to-Self
• The easiest connection to understand is text-to-self. This category
represents the personal connections we develop between a specific
written text and our own experiences.

• When we say, “This story reminds me of my grandfather who took

me to the beach. Similar to my main character, grandpa taught
me…….” Here we are expressing a text-to-self connection.

• Making a connection between a story helps us better understand the

tale. You should make a connection to a previous experience,
memory, lesson you learned, or emotion you felt just as your main
character does. It can also connect to anything the author indicates
in his/her writing.

• Text-to-self connections help us in visualizing a scene, sympathizing

with a character, or predicting possible meanings of unfamiliar
vocabulary.
 Text-to-Text
• Text-to-Text connections can be made across:
– themes
– literary elements, features, devices, and techniques
– fiction and nonfiction genres
– paired reading selections
– vocabulary
Genres (a type of literature)

- Fiction: fable, tall tale, legend, myth, realistic fiction, historical

fiction, play, adventure, science fiction, fantasy, mystery

- Nonfiction: informational article, biography, autobiography, diary,

journal, magazine article, news story, book review, persuasive essay,
editorial, interview

Effective readers think within the text.

Effective readers think beyond the text.
Effective readers think about the text.
 Text-to-World
• We all have ideas about how the world works that go far beyond
our own intimate personal experiences. We encounter the world
vicariously, through newspapers and the nightly news.

• We observe others as they relate their personal experiences. We

form ideas from our observations of and interactions with these
people.

• This is when we connect our answer/response to a person in history,

a time in history, or a specific event in history. This could also
include a current event that is happening in our world.

• Text-to-World connections are greater connections we make to

events, issues, and concerns in society. What message or universal
themes can we learn from the text? Does any of the situations
relate to what’s happening in the world today? Is history repeating?
What’s going on in the news?
 Text-to-Media
• Film, television, theatre and music provide visual and
auditory enhancement of many forms of literature.

• As we read we will find that we can make connections to a

plethora (several or many) of movies or plays we have seen.

• A character from a novel is more likely to come to life if we

can link their personalities to that of our favorite actor or
entertainer. When we make these connections we are
strengthening our understanding of the text.
4 Types of Text Connections
 Introductory Phrases for
Connections I
I have experienced a similar situation as………………………….

I have shared an experience with……............

 
I can relate to………………………….because….……..........
 
I have also experienced……………………………………………………………….
 
I have undergone the same trials and tribulations as………

There is a connection between myself and………….…because

 Introductory Phrases for
Connections II
A similar connection can be made to…
…brings to mind…
…relates to…
…provides a direct connection between…
…is a contrast/correlation/comparison to…
…is the epitome (best example) of…
…is the antithesis (opposite) of…
 More “Lead-In Lines”
• THE AUTHOR PROBABLY FEELS THIS
WAY BECAUSE……..
• THE CHARACTER PROBABLY ACTS
THIS WAY BECAUSE…….
• THIS ALSO REMINDS ME OF…………
• MANY PEOPLE FEEL THIS WAY
BECAUSE……
• WE SEE THIS IN SOCIETY WHEN…….