Download - Making Connections Poster Set - Really Good Stuffpage.reallygoodstuff.com/pdfs/157322.pdf · meaningful connections: Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World. Ask volunteers

Congratulations on your purchase of this ReallyGood Stuff® Making Connections Poster Set—atool for helping students better understand thetext they are reading by teaching them to makemeaningful connections.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• Making Connections Posters, laminated• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide

Displaying the Making Connections Poster SetBefore displaying the Making Connections PosterSet, make copies of this Really Good Stuff® ActivityGuide and file the pages for future use. Or, downloadanother copy of it from our Web site atwww.reallygoodstuff.com. Hang the Posters wherestudents will be able to see them easily. Postersmay be displayed as a group or individually,depending on student level and lesson focus.

Introducing the Making Connections Poster SetExplain to students that text is easier tounderstand when readers are able to connect whatthey are reading to their own knowledge andexperiences. Ask students to describe what wouldhappen if they tried to use an electrical appliancewithout plugging the device into an outlet. Studentsmight respond with such answers as “Nothing,” “I’dbecome frustrated,” “I might get confused,” or “Theappliance wouldn’t be worth anything.” Indicate tostudents that as they read, “plugging in to” orrecalling their own knowledge and experience is asimportant as remembering to plug a cord into anoutlet. Pointing to the Posters, tell students thatthey have three “power sources” to plug in formeaningful connections: Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text,and Text-to-World. Ask volunteers to read eachPoster aloud. Pause between each Poster to answerquestions and to give or ask for examples thatsupport each statement.

Create a Connection DisplayMake copies of the Getting in Shape Reproducibleand cut out the blank shapes. Share the shapeswith students and explain that the personrepresents Text-to-Self connections, the bookrepresents Text-to-Text connections, and the globerepresents Text-to-World connections. Keep a supplyof each shape readily available for students to writeabout connections they make while they are reading.Be sure to give students time to share theirconnections with classmates, then displaycompleted shapes around each correspondingPoster, perhaps using string to “connect” theshapes to the corresponding Poster.

Book ItCopy and distribute the Book It Reproducible. Havestudents fill in the name, title, and authorinformation before they begin to read and tell themto keep track of any connections they make to thetext while reading. Because the bookmarks allow onlyfor brief key-word reminders of the connections, urgestudents to share their bookmarks with the class,elaborating on each connection they noted. Remindstudents to refer to the Posters as they read andcomplete their bookmarks.

Connection SelectionCopy the reproductions of the three Posters andcreate enough question strips for your class bycutting apart the questions on each reproduction,perhaps laminating the strips for future use. Placethe strips in a container and instruct students toselect one. Instruct students to read, reflect, andwrite a one-paragraph response to their selectedquestion. You may also want to use the questionsas a regular part of your reading program and havestudents keep a Connection Selection Journal inwhich they record their responses throughout the year.

Making Connections Poster Set

Helping Teachers Make A Difference® © 2008 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #157322

All activity guides can be found online:

Getting in Shape Reproducible


Book It Reproducible


Text-To-Text Connections Reproducible


Text-To-Self Connections Reproducible


Text-To-World Connections Reproducible
