Making connections definition: "Readers relate what they read to personal experiences (text-to-self), to information from other text (text-to-text), and to information about the world (text-to-world) in order to enhance understanding of self, text, and life." (Reading.ecb.org, 2014) Students make transactional or transmissional connections. Transactional is where students connect the message from the author with a previous personal experience. Transmissional is where students understand the author's message without a previous personal experience to connect it with.
Making connections research: "Research shows when one has read a text with understanding, one is said to have comprehended it. A group appointed by National Academy of Sciences supported with research formal instruction in both word recognition comprehension is important during the early school years so students can make connections." (Rice, 2013)
How you may use it: A teacher can use this strategy by reading a text aloud and then showing students a sentence stem. A teacher will model by using the text and personal experiences to explain their thinking. Some sentence stems include "I remember when" "That reminds me of" "An experience I have had like that" "If I were that character I would". Give students the complete set of sentence stems. Pair students up and have them use the connection stems to facilitate discussions. A teacher can also use this strategy by providing students with a double-entry journal or providing them one. The teacher will model how to use the journal and make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections. Have students read a part of a text. Have students to select a key idea, word, quote, or concept to record in the journal. In the right column, have students write connections and explain their responses. Teacher can use journals for large group discussion.
How it will benefit student learning: Making connections with benefit student learning because while reading a student will more likely only understand the text if he or she can make a connection to text, self, or world. A teacher should choose individual books for students based upon their interests and what the teacher knows about that student. The teacher is also making connections thinking what does he or she know about that student's personal background that they can relate to in this book. Students get excited when they make connections because something they read reminds them of something. This is great because a student is likely to remember information, details, and concepts if they can make a connection to some way or another.
Writing component of the strategy: W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Writing is tied into this strategy because a teacher could ask students to write a short summary or essay about a connection they made with a text or article.
2 videos with short summary: The first video discusses how students can make connections. It gives an example that students can make connections by using post it notes. The lady explains what the three connections are that students make. This is engaging for students because the teacher can pause the video and assess the class asking students to raise their hand to give text-to-text, self, or world connection examples. This will get students to be active and participating.
The second video is students singing a song about connections. I think it's very engaging to show to sixth graders because it's fun and catchy. Students will learn about making connections in a fun, musical way. It's great for instruction because it is an exciting hook for students to be reeled into making connections concept. It's also active learning for students to sing and do the actions.