Research shows that good readers have certain habits that help them understand and enjoy what they are reading. One of the most important things good readers do is THINK. Yes, they read for pleasure, but their thinking makes their reading more enjoyable and memorable.
What do good readers think about?
A common thought is, “That reminds me of…” Good readers connect what they already know to what they are reading.
The brain doesn’t remember facts – it remembers connections. Information is only meaningful to the brain when it is connected to something else. In this way new information is contextualized, and the more thoughts an idea is associated with – the more value it has in the brain.
What do good readers think about?
A common thought is, “That reminds me of…” Good readers connect what they already know to what they are reading.
The brain doesn’t remember facts – it remembers connections. Information is only meaningful to the brain when it is connected to something else. In this way new information is contextualized, and the more thoughts an idea is associated with – the more value it has in the brain.
All that knowledge in your brain is called SCHEMA. Schema, or background knowledge, is everything you have experienced, seen, smelled, felt… It is the collection of thoughts and ideas inside your mind. When readers make connections between their schema and a book, their comprehension improves. Their brains are hard at work trying to make sense of the text by associating it with their memories.
In Reader's Workshop, we talk about three different kinds of connections that readers make to the text:
In the top picture, you can see some of the language we are using:
“When I read the words…it reminded me of…”
I modeled for this skills while reading aloud from Cynthia Rylant’s The Relatives Came. I shared my own memories of my family gatherings. Afterwards, I asked the kids to write down their own personal connections.
In Reader's Workshop, we talk about three different kinds of connections that readers make to the text:
- text-to-self (connecting the book to events in our own lives)
- text-to-text (connecting the book to other books, movies, articles…)
- text-to-world (connecting the book to world events)
In the top picture, you can see some of the language we are using:
“When I read the words…it reminded me of…”
I modeled for this skills while reading aloud from Cynthia Rylant’s The Relatives Came. I shared my own memories of my family gatherings. Afterwards, I asked the kids to write down their own personal connections.
For homework, the children are asked to use the language we are learning to write the connections they make while reading their own books.
What are some of the most memorable books you have read?
What are some of the most memorable books you have read?