Overview
This lecture explains how making connections between texts and real-life issues enhances reading comprehension, emphasizing three connection types and annotation strategies for better understanding.
Making Connections in Reading
- Making connections between texts and social issues deepens comprehension.
- Your background knowledge, emotions, and past experiences (schema) shape how you understand new materials.
- Three key connection types: text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world.
Types of Text Connections
- Text-to-Self: Comparing the text to your own life, experiences, emotions, and opinions.
- Questions for text-to-self: What does this remind me of in my life? Has this ever happened to me?
- Text-to-Text: Relating the current text to another book or material you have read.
- Questions for text-to-text: How is this text similar or different to others I have read?
- Text-to-World: Connecting the text to real-world issues or events beyond your direct experience.
- Questions for text-to-world: How does this text relate to real-world events or situations?
Examples of Connections
- Relating yourself to Cinderella’s character is a text-to-self connection.
- Comparing "Cinderella" to "Princess Sarah" is a text-to-text connection.
- Discussing real-life issues using "Cinderella" is a text-to-world connection.
Annotation Strategies for Better Reading
- Annotating means marking the text purposefully to improve understanding.
- Benefits: increases engagement, slows reading for better focus, aids comprehension, and stores evidence for future use.
- Annotation tips:
- Circle unfamiliar words and define them.
- Use question marks for unclear parts.
- Mark important themes or turning points with stars or exclamation points.
- Track new characters and their traits.
- Write notes in the margins, on sticky notes, or in a notebook.
- Summarize each chapter in a few sentences.
- Record questions for future discussion.
- Use a color-coded system if helpful.
- Give each chapter a unique title after reading.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Schema — Your background knowledge, experiences, and emotions that help you understand new information.
- Text-to-Self — Connections between the text and your personal life.
- Text-to-Text — Connections between the text and another text you have read.
- Text-to-World — Connections between the text and issues or events in the broader world.
- Annotating — Marking text with notes and symbols to improve comprehension.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice making text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections while reading.
- Use annotation strategies on your next reading assignment.
- Summarize and title chapters after reading for better retention.