Making relevant connections should be part of every proficient reader’s strategy toolkit.
Connections help bring a reader closer to the text and stay authentically engaged as he/she builds and develops comprehension of text.
When readers are making connections they are anchoring new knowledge onto prior knowledge. Readers need to see how new information connects to prior learning and understandings.
Making connections VISIBLE for your readers will help them stay authentically engaged while developing their comprehension.
When you help readers understand the different types of connections they will have while reading, they will become more aware of the inner conversation they are having with the text.
As your readers become aware of the inner conversation they are having with text, they become more actively engaged.
The more actively engaged a reader is while reading will only deepen their comprehension.
Reading strategies are used concurrently within a proficient reader’s independent reading.
However, young readers working toward developing their own reading proficiency need time to practice a strategy and see how it works within their repertoire of reading strategies and skills.
Your readers need tools to help make reading strategies and skills more VISIBLE. Providing readers with charts or bookmarks showing the different types of text connections will give your readers a reference to which they can compare their reading thinking. Readers will be able to SEE the types of connections they are making to an independently read text.
When we draw young readers’ attention to a particular proficient reader strategy and make it VISIBLE, they are able to “see” how that strategy work helps them build an understanding and deepen their understanding of the text they are reading.
When your readers are making connections they need to pay attention to how their prior knowledge helps to bring more meaning to the text.
Making Connections Think Sheets will help your readers draw attention to the connections they are making as they read. This recording of their reading thinking will make visible the proficient reader strategy of making connections.
Young readers working toward developing their own reading proficiency need to see how the connections they are making contribute to their overall understanding of the text.
Readers must be able to examine their own connections and determine which connections are relevant and which connections do not contribute to their understanding.
Using Making Connections Think Sheets will help make your readers connections more VISIBLE and easier to analyze and determine which connections added to the text and which connections led away from the text.
Your readers will be able to SEE how making RELEVANT connections contributes to building the comprehension of a text for a deeper understanding.
Until next time...
Grab the Making Connections Think Sheets shown above right here...
