**How do you move from "basic" connections to showing students connections that are really more meaningful? (move from "I have a dog" to "My dog acts that way when he isn't feeling well too.")
It is often more difficult to "unteach" than to teach new. Once children have been able to make superficial connections and have been told that they did a good job, it seems they arrive in third grade and we have to undo what has come before. We focus on the "feeling" in the connection rather than the connection itself. I introduce all three types of connections at once and then give the children time to explore through the texts I choose to read aloud. This year I read the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers and initially the children didn't see how they could possibly connect, but eventually they connected to how it feels to do something challenging/daring or to be proud of an accomplishment. That seemed to be a turning point with their ability to make meaningful connections. However, once kids get the hang of it, the conversations about their "connections" seem to overtake their views on the book as a whole. This is the difficulty I have with strategy instruction. Isn't it possible for students to read a book and not make any connections? Leslie - Grade 3 [email protected] _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
