Students must activate prior knowledge to make text to text, text to self, and text to world connections.

Students

who make connections while reading are better able to understand the text they are reading. It is important for students to draw on their prior knowledge and experiences to connect with the text. Students are thinking when they are connecting, which makes them more engaged in the reading experience.

 Reading

is not to be a passive activity but rather one which gets the reader involved in the story as he connects to other reading texts, himself, or the world around him. Students are more willing to continue to read if they become active participants in the process.

 http://reading.ecb.org/downloads/mc_Maki

ngConnections.mp3

 Students

connect with the text via their own personal experiences or life. Students relate to the literature by a specific experience in their life. Students have been creating life experiences since birth, therefore it is easy for them to activate prior knowledge.

 Students

connect to the text in relation to another text. Students make connections from a previous book they have read.

 Students

connect to the text in relation to the world. They no longer connect with only personal information or experiences. Media such as television, Internet, or movies, is a great way to introduce text to world. Most students will have knowledge of similar media that will allow the teacher to connect with the real world.

Text to Self
This reminds me of I understand how the character feels because The setting makes me think about another place I experienced this myself

Text to Text
The character in this story is like the character in The setting in this story is the same as the setting in This event is like the event in These two stories are alike

Text to World
This happened in real life This is like something I heard on the news This happened when This story is similar to