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Lesson
6-1
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Lesson: Harry's Brain
==> Bring out the poster of Harry (with the puzzle brain- see Reading Power by A. Gear) Today we are going to add text
to self connections to Harry's brain. It's another one of the wonderful strategies that reader's use to make meaning of text.
It's a part of the reading power puzzle. Briefly explain that when we read something and it reminds us of something we
are making connections.
==> We are going to have a lot of fun as we learn this new strategy.
==> I'm going to read you a story today to get us ready for this unit of study. It's called Aunt Flossies Hats. I
just love this book. It's all about memories. All those wonderful, exciting, funny, scary, and even sad things that we experience
and find their way into our hearts are our memories. Memories are a very important part of this unit. We'll learn more about
it tomorrow.
==> Right now let's enjoy this book together.
==> After reading talk about memories.
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Lesson
6-2
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Lesson: Introducing Text to Self Connections
==> Bring in an old shoe with bubble gum stuck to the bottom and a shirt with a coffee spill on it. Show the items
to the children and ask them if they have ever had "one of those days" when everything went wrong. Sometimes we
have those days when we step in gum... or even worse, dog poop, spill on our favorite shirt and get our head stuck in the
rungs of a chair.
==> The book I'm going to read you today is called Alexander and the Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. When
I read this title my schema started going bing, bing, bing, bang like a huge alarm going off inside my head. I kept thinking...
Oh I know just how he feels.
==> Then I realized that this is a perfect book to teach you guys another reading strategy that great readers use when
they read books. It's called text to self connections... explain the strategy.
==> As I read this book to you today I am going to model this strategy. I'm going to think aloud so that you can see
what my brain is doing as I read. I want you to watch closely so that when I'm done reading we can talk about what you noticed.
==> Read the story, modeling with think aloud.
==> After reading have a group chat about what they noticed you doing.
==> As you read today I want you to be metacognitive and listen to what is going on inside your brain as you read.
We'll talk more about it later.
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Lesson
6-3
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Lesson: Text to Self connections- giving it a try
==> Review from yesterday's lesson about connections
==> Reread Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. This time as you read, pause to allow children
to share their thinking and connections.
==> You guys really made some connections today. What do you think I mean when I say text to self connections? We
know that the text is the words and self is us right?
==> Let's look at this CD player. It has a plug. When we connect it (plug it) into the outlet it can make music.
That's kind of what happens when we read. As we read things in the book remind us of things that have happened in our own
lives and we make the connections and the book really comes to life for us.
==> Today as you read I want you to listen to what is going on inside your head again. What are you thinking as you
read. We'll come back together later to talk and share about our experiences today.
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Lesson
6-4
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Lesson: Tracking our Connections with Sticky Notes
==> It's so exciting to see all of you with busy brains, reading and making text to self connections.
==> Today I'm going to show you how to use sticky notes to track your thinking and connections as you read. Show the
children the sticky notes and how to gently remove the top note.
==> Today as I read, when I have one of those bing, bing, bing moments and I make a connection I'm going to make a
short note on a sticky note and put it on the page where I made the connection. I will write T-S in the top corner to remind
me that it is a text to self connection. I will also write the page number and then a short note about my connection. I
do not need to write a sentence, just a note to remind myself of my thinking.
==> Read a story and model the use of sticky notes as you read.
==> Give each child their own pad of sticky notes to keep in their book bin. Make a big deal of it.
==> Your job today is to give it a try- track your connections with your sticky notes. Be ready to share.
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Lesson
6-5
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Lesson: Text to Self Connections tied to our hearts
==> Read The Relatives Came- modeling text to self connections and pausing for the children to share their thinking
as well.
==> As the children share their connections make notes on chart paper (be sure to include the stems they use such as:
this reminds me, this is like, this makes me think of, I remembered)
==> Let's look at this chart that I made of your text to self connections. What do you notice? Our memories are coming
out.
==> When we make text to self connections it's like we are tying the words in the text to our heart. The words stir
up our feelings inside because they stir up our memories.
==> I'm going to give you each a little ribbon to tie onto your reader's notebooks to remind you that great readers
make text to self connections when they read. (Hole punch a small hole in the corner of each reader's notebook to tie the
ribbon through.)
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Lesson
6-6
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Lesson: Spinner the Spider Spins a Web
==> Bring out the spider puppet and introduce him to the kids. This is Spinner. He is an expert web spinner. What
do you know about webs?
==> Let's look at this picture of a web. Do you see how all the strands are connected? Each strand connects to another.
Some strands are connected to several other strands. This is kind of what happens when we read. As we read the text it
reminds us of something that has happened to us in our lives and we weave a strand between the two. Sometimes when we read
we weave a whole web of connections. Spinner will remind us to have a busy brain and to build connections between the text
and our lives.
==>
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Lesson
6-7
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Lesson: Readers Make Meaningful Connections
==> Today as we read Amazing Grace I'm going to record your connections on the chart paper. (If you can have a volunteer
do the writing for you on this lesson it would probably help.)
==> As you read Amazing Grace record ALL of the children's connections.
==> I've been noticing that some connections help us understand the story better and some connections don't really
help us understand at all.
==> Let's look at our list. As we read each one let's put a check mark next to the ones that help us understand the
story better and an x next to the ones that don't. (I call these the just for fun connections.) Be sure to listen to the
kids thinking behind their responses.
==> Take time to talk about meaningful connections with the children.
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Lesson
6-8
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Lesson: Reader's Explain their Connections
==> Reader's, today I want to teach you something very important. It is important that readers explain their connections.
We need to add "because" to our connections to make them complete.
==> Show the kids model car without wheels (derby type). Boy scouts participate in a derby race each year. Each boy
builds a car. What's wrong with this car? It isn't complete. It's missing it's wheels.
==> Our connections need to be complete too.
==> When I am reading about a dog and I make a connection, I need to think about my connection. Instead of just saying
this reminds me of my dog, I need to say this reminds me of my dog because my dog likes to play with a tennis ball just like
that dog. Adding the because phrase completes our connection.
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Derby Car
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Lesson
6-9
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Lesson: Reader's Make Connections to Understand the Characters
==> When we read we think about the characters and we think about people we know who remind us of the characters.
==> Many of the characters in the pooh stories remind me of people I know. One of my daughters reminds me of Tigger.
She is always bouncy and energetic. Whenever I read one of these stories I think of my daughter.
==> Today I'm going to read you a story about a little mouse named Owen. Owen reminds me so much of my brother. As
I read the story, I kept thinking "wow, my brother was just like that. I know just how Owen feels."
==> Read the story and pause periodically to think aloud.
==> There's another character in the book that reminds me of a neighbor I used to have. She was always kind of nosey.
==> After reading hold up several familiar books and ask if any of the characters remind anyone of someone they know.
==> Thinking about people we know who are like the characters in a book can really help us understand the characters
better, how they think and why they act the way they do.
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Lesson
6-10
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Lesson: Readers Make Connections to Understand the Story
==> Making connections helps us understand what is happening in a story. Show a fruit that only some of the kids will
have tried before (kiwi, mango, star fruit). Who can tell me about this food? Discuss how the kids who have tried the fruit
before can better describe it because they have experienced it. In reading it is much the same.
==> Has anyone here ever had a nightmare? When I was a little girl I had a terrible nightmare. I can still remember
it. I still remember how I felt. I still remember crying and calling out for my mom.
==> This experience will help me understand this story better. I know how the character feels. I know what it's like
to have a nightmare. It would probably be harder to understand if I'd never had a nightmare before. As we read today think
about how your experiences can help you understand this story better.
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Lesson
6-11
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Lesson: Reader's Stay Focused on the Story, Not the Connection
==> I have a dog named Buddy. Sometimes when Buddy is outside he gets distracted and he wanders off. Pretty soon he
is halfway down the block and we have to run after him.
==> Sometimes our connections distract us and take us away from the story. When this happens we need to refocus and
come back to the story just like Buddy needs to come back to the yard.
==> Give some examples of how this happens. For example, I might be reading a story about a cat who likes to hunt
for mice. This reminds me of my cat who loves to hunt. But pretty soon I am thinking about how I need to go to the grocery
store to buy food for my cat.
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Lesson
6-12
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Lesson: text to text connections
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Back to reader's workshop mini lessons- click here
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