**How long do you spend explicitly teaching each different type of connection?
I'm not sure it is important to explicitly teach each different type of connection. Once my students make a connection, we discuss how they are connecting to the book and then talk about which of the three types of connections it is. It is more important to me that they are connecting at all, than naming the type of connection they are making. It is all about thinking more deeply about the text. **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.") Whenever my students make a connection, we have a discussion about their connection. We also "rate" the connections based on whether or not it invovlves a deeper meaning when thinking about the text. I like your suggestion about using "The Man Who Walked Between Towers." I have also used this book to make text-to-world connections as this is the most difficult for me to explain to my students. What do you do for making students accountable for looking for connections in text? Once I teach the strategy - using a combination of Debbie Miller and Strategies that Work - I ask students to make connections to a central text so they are all using the same language. Once they have done this, they use sticky notes and reading journals to record their connections during SSR time. I conference with them about their notes and journals. I also utilize the strategies in literature circles. Melissa Beaudre - Grade 5 On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 9:29 AM, Stewart, L<[email protected]> wrote: > **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. > > _______________________________________________ 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.
