Mini-Lesson

Make Connections

Mini-Lesson: Grades 4-6

Objective: Students will make text-to-self connections.

1. Start a discussion about making connections while reading. Explain that good readers find ways to connect what happens in a story with their own experiences. It is important for students to keep in mind that they don't need to have experienced exactly what they are reading about to make a text-to-self connection.

2. As an example, pass out the timeforkids.com news story, A Big Day for Gymnastics. Point out that even though most students aren't competitive gymnasts, it's still possible for them to make connections with the story. Read aloud the first three paragraphs. Then model making a text-to-self connection. For example: Even though I'm not a competitive gymnast, I can still find a connection with Paul Hamm's experience. In fourth grade, I was on my school's basketball team, but then for two years, I didn't play at all. In seventh grade, I decided to try out for the middle school team. At try-outs, I was so nervous that my hands were shaking, but I pulled through and made the team. I felt relieved that I could still play well. Thinking about that experience helps me to understand how Paul Hamm must have felt. As students read the rest of the article, challenge them to come up with at least two text-to-self connections.

3. Have students share their connections. Encourage them to distinguish between those that help them to understand a story better and those that do not. For example, it does not help to point out that their name starts with the letter P just like Paul Hamm's. The goal is to come up with more meaningful connections.