| Text Connections | |
|---|---|
| Text to Text | Connection that reminds you of something in another book or story |
| Text to Self | Connection that reminds you of something in your life. |
| Text to World | Connection that reminds you of something happening in the world. |
Students can easily make text-to-self connections throughout the book. In this activity, students will create a storyboard showing some of the text-to-self connections they made throughout the different stories.
The example storyboard shows one text to self connection for each story.
TEXT TO SELF
Text -"Icicles": Poppleton's house has lots of icicles.
"Poppleton was proud of them. He never knocked them down."
Self: This reminds me of my old house that used to have tons of icicles. You had to be careful, or else one could fall on you.
Text - "The Bust":
Poppleton is always creative in the winter.
"Another winter he painted stars all over his floors."
Self: This reminds me of when I painted the walls of my new room.
Text - "The Sleigh Ride": Poppleton is disappointed when he thinks all his friends cannot go on a sleigh ride.
"He sat in front of his window, feeling very sorry for himself."
Self: I feel disappointed and lonely when I have no one to play with.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows three text-to-self connections you have made with Poppleton in Winter.
Making a visual anchor chart helps students remember the types of text connections: text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world. Displaying examples and keywords makes it easier for students to identify and discuss their connections during reading activities.
Think aloud as you read a passage, sharing your own personal connection (text-to-self), a link to another book (text-to-text), and a real-world connection (text-to-world). This shows students how to notice and verbalize connections while reading.
Use sentence starters like "This reminds me of...", "I read something similar in...", or "This happens in our world when...". These prompts help students structure their thinking and share connections confidently.
Have students pair up or form small groups to discuss their text connections. Collaborative sharing builds confidence and exposes students to new ways of thinking about what they read.
Ask students to jot down their connections in reading journals after each session. This ongoing practice helps them internalize the habit and track their growth as readers.
Text-to-self connections are personal links students make between events or feelings in 'Poppleton in Winter' and their own lives. For example, remembering your own experiences with icicles or feeling lonely, just like Poppleton does in the stories.
Encourage students to relate parts of the story to their own experiences, other books they've read, or events in the real world. Using a storyboard activity helps them visualize and organize these connections effectively.
A storyboard activity asks students to identify moments in 'Poppleton in Winter,' connect them to their own lives, and illustrate each connection with images and descriptions. This deepens comprehension and engagement.
Text connections help young readers better understand stories by relating them to personal experiences, other literature, or real-world events. This boosts comprehension and makes reading more meaningful.
Examples include remembering icicles at home after reading about Poppleton's, recalling a time you painted a room like Poppleton painted stars, or relating to Poppleton's feelings of loneliness during the sleigh ride story.