STAR Connections

The Teacher:

• models thinking processes

(thinks aloud) when making

connections

• teaches thinking strategies

through content

• relates lesson to prior

learning

• demonstrates connections to

personal or real world

Schema theory explains how our

previous experiences, knowledge,

emotions and understandings

effect what and how we learn

(Harvey & Goudvis, 2000).

Schema is the background

knowledge and experience readers

bring to the text. Good readers

draw on prior knowledge and

experience to make connections.

Struggling readers often move

directly through a text without

stopping to consider whether the

text makes sense based on their

own background knowledge, or

whether their knowledge can be

used to help them understand

confusing or challenging materials.

By teaching students how to

connect to text they are able to

better understand confusing or

challenging materials (Harvey &

Goudvis, 2000). Accessing prior

knowledge and experiences is a

good starting place when teaching

strategies because every student

has experience, knowledge,

opinions and emotions that they

can draw upon.

z Schema Theory zRATIONALE

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Activating, Building and Revising Background Knowledge & Experiences

What: Using relevant, stored knowledge to relate unfamiliar text/learning to the learner’s general knowledge or

experiences.

Why: Background knowledge and experience about text’s topic helps the reader read with more confidence, curiosity

and commitment.

When: Before, during and after reading.

How: Explicitly teach/model how learners make connections.

The ability to connect to text is perhaps the easiest one for children to understand and master,yet it is singularly the most powerful.

Connecting creates the path for all other strategies to walk upon.Adrienne Gear

Text To Text

–Text-to-text connections occur when students read material and are

reminded of previous learning that has occurred.

–Example: Students studying the Civil War in an 8th grade history class,

may easily make connections to events from the children’s novel Shades

of Gray that they read during an earlier learning experience.

–It reminds me of when I read. . .because. . .(text-to-text)

Types Of SchemaProficient readers capitalize on different types of schema when comprehending text and learning new material. A student can draw on memories from particular experiences that shed light on the events, characters, and so on in a book (text-to-self connections). A student can also draw on specific knowledge about the topics, themes, content, structure and organization (text-to-text connections). A student can also draw on specific knowledge about the topic; general world knowledge (text-to-world knowledge).

Each type of schema permits students to monitor for meaning, pose questions, make predictions, draw conclusions, create mental images, synthesize and determine importance as they read and learn.

Text To Self

–Personal connections are the ones readers make to experiences they’ve had

in their lives that remind them of or connect them to a piece of text.

–Example: This story reminds me of the time my cousins came to visit

because we went swimming at the creek, and my youngest cousin got lost.

–It reminds me of the time I. . .because. . .(text-to-self)

Text To World

-The text-to-world connections are the connections readers bring to the text based

on experiences that go beyond their personal experiences. Students learn from

movies, television shows, magazines, and newspapers.

–Example: In a health class, students are studying the use of steroids by athletes.

One student recalls listening to ESPN and hearing a news story about baseball

player Barry Bond’s alleged use of steroids.

–It reminds me of something I heard about . . .because. . .(text-to-world)

Possible Lessons The lessons suggested below are modeled numerous times, over a long period of time, using a variety of genre.

BIG IDEA LESSONS PRINCIPLES

Launching Lessson Good readers use their schema to help them understand what they

read. Making connections also helps readers remember what they

read.

Types of Schema When readers read they use 3 types of schema.

Levels of Schema (thick or thin) Sometimes we know a little about a topic, sometimes we know a lot.

Adjusting Your Schema Sometimes our schema is off and we need to adjust it.

Building Your Schema When we learn new information we are building schema.

Reflecting On How Your Schema

Helps You As a Reader

How does your schema help you as a reader?

Prompts To Help Readers

Make Connections (taken from: Benchmark Education Flip Chart)

Text-to-Self

• This reminds me of when I ....

• I knew someone just like this when I....

• I had the same experience when.....

Text-to-Text

• This character is just like the character in....

• The plot of this story is so similar to the plot

of....

• I remember reading another book that took

place in the same setting...

Text-to-World

• If this character were alive today, I bet she

would be....

• What’s going on in this book is just like what’s

happening right now in....

STAR ConnectionsThe Student:

• practices thinking in the context of required content

• provides opinions/questions on a topic or issue

• monitors thinking and adjusts strategies

• thinks flexibly

• demonstrates metacognition

• articulates thinking strategies (during reflection)

Resources For Teaching Making Connections• Strategies That Work By Stephanie Harvey

• To Understand By Ellin Oliver Keene

• Mosaic Of Thought By Ellin Oliver Keene and Cheryl Zimmerman

• Reading With Meaning By Debbie Miller

• Comprehension Toolkit By Stephanie Harvey & Ann Goudvis

• Primary Comprehension Toolkit By Stephanie Harvey & Ann Goudvis

• Making Connections By Tanny McGregor

• I Read It, But I Don’t Get It Comprehension Strategies For Adolescent Readings By Chris Tovani

• Background Knowledge: The Missing Piece of the Comprehension Puzzle By Douglas Fisher and

Nancy Frey

• Fiction Power By Adrienne Grear

• Nonfiction Power By Adrienne Grear

• Additional resources- _______________________________________________________________

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Additional links for resources on Making Connections • http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm

Mosaic Listserv Tools includes tons of comprehension strategy tools (unit & lesson plans) developed and used by

teachers.

• http://reading.ecb.org/teacher/strategies.html

This site includes information on each comprehension strategy, including videos of teachers modeling teaching the

strategy.

Additional sites- _____________________________________________________________________