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Great Readers make CONNECTIONS as they read!

Text-to-self connections are highly personal connections that a reader makes between a piece of reading material and the readers own experiences or life. An example of a text-to-self connection might be, "This story reminds me of a vacation we took to my grandfathers farm."

Text-to-self:
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?

Sometimes when reading, readers are reminded of other things that they have read, other books by the same author, stories from a similar genre, or perhaps on the same topic. These types of connections are text-to-text connections. Readers gain insight during reading by thinking about how the information they are reading connects to other familiar text. This character has the same problem that I read about in a story last year, would be an example of a text-to-text connection.

Text-to-text:
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?

Text-to-world connections are the larger connections that a reader brings to a reading situation. We all have ideas about how the world works that goes far beyond our own personal experiences. We learn about things through television, movies, magazines, and newspapers. Often it is the text-to-world connections that teachers are trying to enhance when they teach lessons in science, social studies, and literature. An example of a text-to-world connection would be when a reader says, "I saw a program on television that talked about things described in this article."

Text-to-world:
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?

How can making connections help readers become a better reader?

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.

On the Road to Becoming a Great Reader

by MI Dept. of Ed.

Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness is the understanding that language we speak and hear is composed of units of sound called phonemes. These sounds may be a single syllable sound as in the word “full.” Or they may be a single syllable sound in words with many syllables, like the words /ham/-/mer or /but/-/ter/-/cup. Phonemic awareness, a part of phonological awareness, is the understanding that these

syllables are made up of even smaller sounds or phonemes. For example the word “pie” has two sounds; the word “stop” has four sounds.

Why does my child need this skill?

Children need to be able to hear the separate sounds that make up words before they try to read or write them. In fact, there are three kinds of phonological and phonemic awareness:

Rhyming— Children need to hear and make rhymes so they can make new words from words they already know. For example: If a child knows the word “fun,” then s/he can make the word “run.”

Blending— Phoneme blending helps children connect sounds in words.

Segmentation—Segmentation helps children learn to separate sentences into words and words into sounds. This will help a child to write the words s/he hears.

Phonics

Although related to phonological awareness, phonics is different. Phonics activities can help a child connect the sounds s/he hears to the printed words s/he sees. These activities include recognizing letters and the sounds they make; hearing and writing down the sounds buried within words; and developing strategies to “decode” unfamiliar words.

Why does my child need this skill?

Children need to be taught the sounds individual printed letters and groups of letters make. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and “decode” new words.

Comprehension

Comprehension strategies help children understand, remember and communicate what they read. They also help children to link what they are reading to what they already know.

Why does my child need this skill?

To become independent readers and thinkers, children need lots of practice at predicting what is coming next, and then checking to see if s/he was right. They need to think about ideas and information, ask questions, and solve problems. Children need to know the steps good readers use to make sure they understand text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become more purposeful, active readers.

Reading comprehension skills and strategies are practiced when good readers connect what they know with what they are reading. They wonder if the events in a story have ever happened to them or if they know somebody like a character in the story  (text-to-self connections), they make connections to other texts read (text-to-text connections), and they make connections to the text and the world around them (text-to-world connections).  They think about what’s going to happen and make predictions based on what they know and what they have read. Good readers ask themselves questions like: What is the author saying? Why is this happening? Does this connect with what I’ve already read? Good readers stop to think about their reading and know what to do when they read something they don’t understand. They think about how the story is organized and what it’s about and what have they learned, and whether anything is making sense. Good readers try to picture what is happening while they read and draw it in their mind (visualize). Good readers also identify the most important ideas and restate them in their own words. They ask themselves what the story is mainly about and try to figure out the author’s most important ideas.

Effective reading comprehension skills and strategies are used throughout the process of reading. Good readers self monitor, apply appropriate strategies, retell information accurately, make personal connections, use prior knowledge, identify the main idea and supporting details, ask questions, make and revise predictions based on outcomes, evaluate and express opinions, draw conclusions, visualize and use sensory information, summarize information, analyze story elements, and analyze story problems and solutions. A strong understanding and usage of all of these skills allow readers to connect better with the text.

Fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately and quickly. Several skills help children read fluently: paying attention to punctuation, grouping words into meaningful chunks, and using expression. Fluency also requires children to use strategies to figure out unfamiliar words and to know a lot of sight words that can’t be “sounded out.”

Why does my child need this skill?

Children who read words smoothly and accurately are more likely to enjoy reading and to understand what they read. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. When fluent readers read aloud, they read effortlessly and with expression. Readers who are weak in fluency read slowly, word by word, focusing on decoding words instead of understanding the meaning of what they read.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary development is learning to use and understand many words, and to use them correctly in sentences.

Why does my child need this skill?

Children will read and write better when they actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used.

Lifestyle Literacy Learning

Helping your child learn to read and write doesn’t have to take a lot of extra time or money. Here are

some easy ways to build literacy skills, at home, in the sun, or on the run.

At home

• Talk about what you read and write so your child can hear. Say: “I don’t have time to look through this whole book for the recipe I need. I’ll check the table of contents.” “I’m not sure I spelled this word right. I’d better check the dictionary.” “I’m asking Dad a question in this note, so I’d better use a question mark.” (Comprehension; Attitudes)

• Create a quiet, special place in your home for your child to read, write and draw. Keep books and other reading materials where your child can easily reach them. (Sets stage for success.)

• Post a large sheet of paper or wipe-off board on your refrigerator. Whenever your child finds or hears a compound word (word made upof two smaller words) write it down. See how many you can find before school starts in the fall. (Vocabulary; fluency)

• Leave little messages around the house for your child to read. Make sure you ask questions so they will write back. (Writing; Fluency; Comprehension)

In the sun

• Lie on the ground and describe the shapes of the clouds. (Oral language & Vocabulary)

• When you hike through the woods or park, take an empty shoe box and let your kids collect things they find. Also take paper, pencils and crayons so they can draw pictures or write descriptions of things they can’t take home. Talk about how these things are the same; how they are different. Encourage your child to describe what s/he collects. (Vocabulary)

• Have kids “paint” word families or sentences with water on a hot sidewalk, then watch the letters disappear! Have kids guess how long it takes for their words to evaporate, then time it. Have children record all guesses and results, (Vocabulary; phonics)

• Read aloud books with outdoor or adventure themes. When you play outdoors, compare the scenes in the book with the kind of community and climate you live in. Read books in the great outdoors for variety and to show that reading can be done anytime, anywhere! (Comprehension)

On the run

• Got a reluctant reader? Keep joke or riddle books handy in the car. When running errands, pull the book out and ask your child to ask you some riddles or tell you some jokes. This should get your reluctant reader going.

• Encourage your child to write to the Chamber of Commerce for brochures about places you plan to visit this summer. Not going anywhere special? Get brochures from your own hometown to see what you could explore close to home!

• Keep a writer’s notebook in your car or backpack. Invite your child to be on the lookout for story ideas at the places you visit. S/he might write down interesting topics in books, favorite parts of a song, things s/he sees along the road, memories of places you visit or people you meet, lists of things s/he sees, or questions s/he wonders about. (Writing; Vocabulary; Comprehension)

• Bring along a children’s tape recorder, microphone and some favorite books on tape. The child can read along to the tape, or record his or her own story on a blank tape.