Making Connections - Detailed
Reviewer
What is Making Connections?
Making connections is a strategy to enhance reading comprehension by linking text to
personal experiences, other texts, or world events. These connections deepen
understanding, aid memory, and increase engagement.
The Three Types of Connections
Text-to-Text: Connects ideas between different texts, such as books, songs, or genres. These
connections reveal themes, authorial styles, or similar character traits.
Text-to-Self: Links the reader’s personal life to the story. This connection is personal,
allowing readers to engage by relating the text to their own feelings, experiences, and
memories.
Text-to-World: Relates the text to real-world events, societal issues, or cultural contexts.
This can involve ideas from news, history, or global themes, allowing a broader
understanding of the text.
Making Insightful Connections
Peeling Layers: Engage with the text in three layers:
- Layer One: Fact-based questions, which are knowledge-level and involve simple recall
(e.g., 'Who, What, When, Where?').
- Layer Two: Analytical questions requiring synthesis and interpretation, combining
multiple text parts to form conclusions.
- Layer Three: Applicative questions, where readers use knowledge gained to answer 'Why'
or 'How' questions that explore deeper meanings and implications.
Detailed Connection Examples
A. Text-to-Text Connection Questions:
Questions: What does this remind me of in another book I’ve read? How is this similar or
different to other texts?
Purpose: Develops critical thinking, improves writing skills, and enhances comprehension
by connecting themes, styles, and literary elements across texts.
B. Text-to-Self Connection Questions:
Questions: Can you relate to any characters or events? Did it remind you of something in
your own life?
Purpose: Deepens learning by relating emotions and personal experiences to the text,
creating an active reading process and a personal bond with the material.
C. Text-to-World Connection Questions:
Questions: How does this relate to real-world events or issues?
Purpose: Broadens understanding by linking text with societal themes or issues, providing a
comprehensive view of text relevance.
Literary Examples
The Landlady by Roald Dahl
Theme: Appearance vs. Reality—Danger may lie behind a seemingly harmless facade.
Foreshadowing: Hints like the guestbook, stuffed animals, and tea scent subtly reveal
hidden threats.
The Empty House by Algernon Blackwood
Theme: Character Rebirth—Rebirth through fear and mystery.
Literary Focus: Emphasizes mood and psychological terror over plot, engaging readers in a
unique sensory experience.
The Pardoner’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
Theme: 'Greed is the root of all evil'—illustrated through moral lessons.
Foreshadowing and Irony: Use of irony shows characters’ doom, as greed blinds them.
The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs
Theme: Accepting destiny, and the dangers of desire.
Symbolism: The monkey’s paw symbolizes unchecked human desire and its consequences.
If— by Rudyard Kipling
Theme: Personal resilience and integrity amid challenges. Each verse presents ideals of
patience, strength, and humility, aiming for the ultimate goal of becoming 'a Man.'
All the World’s a Stage by William Shakespeare
Theme: Life’s Stages—Life as a journey through 'seven ages' (from infancy to old age).
Symbolism: Each 'act' of life represents phases we all encounter, embodying the cyclical and
universal nature of human experience.
Why Making Connections Matters
Text-to-Text Connections: Improves reading and writing skills.
Text-to-Self Connections: Enhances memory and emotional engagement.
Text-to-World Connections: Encourages critical thinking and a broader societal perspective.
