Making Connections

Making connections is a reading comprehension strategy that involves linking what is being read (the
text) to what is already known (schema, or background knowledge). The strategy promotes engagement
while reading and, in turn, a deep understanding of the text. There are three main types of connections:

Text-to-Text connections involve, as the name suggests, a link between the text currently being read and
a text that was previously read. You can encourage students to make text-to-text connections by
keeping a running list of books read as a class posted in the classroom and by using guiding questions
such as Does this book remind you of any other books you have read? and How is this book similar
to/different from other books you have read?

Text-to-Self connections involve linking the text and the reader’s personal experiences. You can
encourage students to make text-to-self connections by asking students guiding questions such as Can
you relate to any of the characters in the story? or Does anything in the book remind you of your own
life?

Text-to-World connections involve linking the text to an event or phenomena that happen in the larger
world. This is the most difficult of the three types of connections, especially for younger students whose
schema is often limited to their own life and experiences. You can encourage students to make text-to-
world connections by ensuring that students have well-developed schema before beginning to read. You
can also pose questions like Does this remind you of anything in the real world? or How is this book
similar to/different from things that happen in the real world?