Making Text Connections

When you read a story, your brain is always looking for matches. Maybe the story reminds you of your own birthday party. Maybe it reminds you of another book you read. Maybe it reminds you of something you saw on the news. These matches are called text connections, and finding them helps you understand stories much better.

A text connection is a link between what you are reading and something you already know. Good readers make connections all the time, even without stopping to think about it. When you notice a connection, you are using your own memories and ideas to make sense of new words on the page.

There are three kinds of text connections. Each one links the story to a different place: your own life, another book, or the world. Learning to name each type helps you use connections on purpose, not just by accident.

A text-to-self connection links the story to something in your own life. If you read about a dog getting lost and you have a pet, you might think about how scared you would feel if your pet got lost. That feeling helps you understand the character in the story.

To make this kind of connection, ask yourself a simple question while you read: "Has this ever happened to me?" If the answer is yes, you have made a text-to-self connection.

A text-to-text connection links the story you are reading to another story or book. If you read two books about kids starting a new school, you can compare how each character feels. You might notice both characters feel nervous on the first day.

To make this kind of connection, ask yourself, "Does this remind me of another book?" Comparing two stories can show you how authors use similar ideas in different ways.

A text-to-world connection links the story to something happening in the real world. This could be a fact you learned in class, something you saw on television, or an event in your town. If you read a story about a big storm, you might think about a storm you heard about on the news.

To make this kind of connection, ask yourself, "Does this remind me of the world around me?" This type of connection often uses facts, not just feelings.

Here is a simple picture that shows how one story can connect in three different ways at the same time.

When you make a connection, the story feels more real to you. You are not just reading words, you are matching the words to pictures and feelings already in your head. This makes it easier to remember the story and to guess what might happen next.

Connections also help you talk about books with your classmates. When you share your connection, other readers might think of their own, and everyone understands the story a little better.

Text Connection: A link between a story and something you already know.

Text-to-Self: A connection between the story and something from your own life.

Text-to-Text: A connection between the story and another book you have read.

Text-to-World: A connection between the story and something happening in the real world.

Prediction: A smart guess about what will happen next, based on a connection you made.

Related lessons

• Activating Prior Knowledge Text Connections