Connections

This week, as classes listened to stories or chapters of books, we learned about the mental connections good readers make as they read. Sometimes a book reminds the reader of a personal experience - this is called a text-to-self connection. Often a story reminds the reader of another book. This type of connection is called text-to-text. Finally, the reader may be reminded of something that has gone on in the town, the country, or the world. This is a text-to-world connection.
Younger children listened to a story called The Messiest Desk by New Hampshire author Marty Kelley. It's the story of a student whose desk was so messy and gross that he got lost inside it! There were many text-to-self connections as children shared about messy bedrooms or closets or desks at school. There were text-to-text connections between this book and Too Many Toys by David Shannon, the story of a boy with so many toys that his whole house is messy! Finally, there was a text-to-world connection between The Messiest Desk and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - both were huge messes!
As you read a book or listen to a story, think of and talk about all the connections you can make! It's challenging and it's fun - and it's what good readers do!