| 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. |
Making connections is a very important skill to acquire and perfect. The Story of Ruby Bridges is a great story for students to connect to on many different levels. In this activity, students will be making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Students should choose which connection they want to make first and work to write a narrative for that. Once all three connections have been made, students can work on their illustrations.
TEXT TO TEXT
This story reminded me of another story I had read called, Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni. It tells the story of the brave Rosa Parks and how she would not give up her seat on the bus. Both these texts have strong female characters that stand up for what they believe in.
TEXT TO WORLD
The angry mobs in the story reminded me of a news broadcast where I saw the employees of a grocery store on strike.
TEXT TO SELF
Eventually Ruby's school was desegregated and she went to school with all different races. This reminds me of my school. There are many races present.
(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 connections you have made with The Story of Ruby Bridges. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.
Encourage open-ended questions to invite students to share their thoughts and make personal, text-to-text, or text-to-world connections. This fosters deeper engagement and helps all students feel their ideas are valued.
Think aloud as you read by sharing your own connections to the text, your experiences, or other stories. This demonstrates the process and builds students’ confidence to do the same.
Provide prompts like “This reminds me of…”, “I felt… when…”, or “This is similar to…” to help students articulate their connections. Scaffolding supports reluctant or struggling learners.
Set ground rules for listening and responding respectfully to classmates’ ideas. This encourages students to be open and authentic with their connections.
Acknowledge and highlight different types of connections students make, relating them back to the text or overarching theme. This validates various backgrounds and experiences, enriching class understanding.
Text-to-text connections relate a story to another book; text-to-self connections link the story to your own life; text-to-world connections compare the story to real events happening in the world. Making these connections helps students deepen understanding and engagement with the text.
Encourage students to identify moments in The Story of Ruby Bridges that remind them of other books, their personal experiences, or real-world events. Ask them to write or draw examples for each type: text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world. This approach builds comprehension and empathy.
An example is connecting The Story of Ruby Bridges to the book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni. Both stories feature courageous women who stood up for equality, allowing students to compare themes of bravery and social justice.
Making text connections helps young readers relate new information to what they already know. This boosts comprehension, retention, and critical thinking, making reading more meaningful and memorable.
Have students create a storyboard showing one example each of text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections. They can draw scenes and write short descriptions, making the lesson interactive and accessible.