1. Reading Strategy Making Connections compiled by M.Siwak

2. Making connections “To every text, a reader brings his/her personality, present mood and memories, making each person’s experience of text almost as unique as a fingerprint.” Laura Robb

3. Brain Research The brain is wired to connect new information with old information that already exists. Connecting text to your own experiences and existing knowledge allows you to understand more.

4. Open the door to your brain and bring all your life experiences to the text that you are reading.

5. Text to self Text to text Text to world Three ways to connect to text

6. Connect to the image Text to self This is a creepy tree. Sometimes at night trees can look really spooky. Once I was walking through a park at about 9.00pm and the trees had frightful shadows in the moonlight. Text to text It reminds me of the trees in Snow White and The wizard of OZ. Text to world There are a lot of trees in the world and this one is rather unusual. Trees are not normally like this one.

7. Text to self My dad was busy painting the side fence a nice shade of forest green. I was only little and I thought it would be kind of cool to help dad. I dipped the brush into the paint and splatted it against the fence. Suddenly, dad was called away for a moment and I was left to my own devices. Not realising the consequences of my actions I happily and eagerly began painting the garage door, the concrete path and to everyone’s horror, the dog. Cindy, an army trained German Shepherd was not at all impressed with my efforts.

8. Text to self What does this remind me of in my life? What is this similar to in my life? How is this different from my life? Has something like this ever happened to me? How does this relate to my life? What were my feelings when I read this? What did I see and hear?

9. Text to text Understand your new reading material by making connections to a book, article, picture or movie that you have read or viewed. Once upon a time there was a lion cub that lived in the heart of Africa. The lion cub was destined to be king.

10. Text to text You already know lots about reading. So begin to make connections. Is the text fiction or non- fiction? What events or problems are likely to happen? Who is the intended audience? What other stories does it remind you of? How is the text similar to other things you have read or seen?

11. Text to world Make connections between what you are reading and what you may have read, seen or heard about in a class, at home, in a newspaper, on television or on the internet.

12. Text to world What does this remind me of in the real world? How is this text similar to things that happen in the real world? How is this different from things that happen in the real world? How did that part relate to the world around me?