Let’s face it—getting students to connect deeply with a text can sometimes feel like trying to get them to connect with their math homework on a Friday afternoon. But when they do make those connections? That’s when reading becomes real, personal, and powerful.
In this post, I’m sharing three free lessons that help students make meaningful connections—between the text and themselves, other texts, the world around them, and even their favorite movies or songs. These lessons are low-prep, high-impact, and come with everything you need to get started.
📥 Before we dive in, go ahead and grab the free printables. You’ll get everything you need for three print-and-go lessons, plus links to editable Google Slides.
✨ Lesson 1 – Understanding & Remembering
This lesson introduces students to the four types of connections:
- Text to Self – “This reminds me of something in my life…”
- Text to Text – “This reminds me of another book I’ve read…”
- Text to Media – “This reminds me of a movie, show, or song…”
- Text to World – “This reminds me of something happening in the world…”
Start by modeling each type of connection using sentence frames and examples. Then, guide students through a class discussion using prompts (included in the handout) to help them make their own connections.
🖍️ Want students to start making connections independently?
- Use the included Graffiti Notes organizers! These visual tools combine drawing, writing, and color to activate both sides of the brain. They’re interactive, notebook-friendly, and come in both color and black-and-white versions.
Choose from
- a 3-connection version (for more traditional text-to-text/self/world)
- a 4-connection version (great if you want to include media like songs or video games)
✨ Lesson 2 – Applying & Analyzing
Now that students have a grasp of the different types of connections, it’s time to put that knowledge to use! In this lesson, we’ll dive into a classic fable, a favorite novel, and some real-world data to help students explore these concepts even more.
What’s Included:
- a short version of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
- excerpts from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Venn diagrams for character and story comparisons
- a handout with statistics about wealth in America
Students will:
- make connections to the fable using sentence prompts
- compare themselves to a character using a Venn diagram
- analyze similarities between the fable and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- use real-world data to make text-to-world connections
It’s a great way to blend literature, writing, and even a little social studies—all in one lesson.
✨ Lesson 3 – Evaluating with Aladdin
Time to bring in a little magic. In this final lesson, students read a three-page version of The Adventures of Aladdin (included and public domain—yay!). It’s perfect for upper elementary or middle school, with a readability level around grade 6.
What makes this lesson shine:
- Vocabulary and idioms are built in.
- Students make connections as they read.
- You can compare the text to a modern film version, such as Aladdin (2019), for a fun text-to-media activity.
This story is perfect for sharing out loud or for independent reading by students! It sparks engaging discussions and encourages thoughtful connections.
Grab the Free Resources
All three lessons come with:
- printable handouts
- editable Google Slides
- graphic organizers
- discussion prompts
- and everything you need to make “making connections” a breeze
Final Thoughts
Helping students make meaningful connections is one of the most powerful ways to deepen comprehension—and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether they’re comparing a mouse to a chocolate-loving kid or finding themselves in a genie’s story, these lessons give students the tools to think critically and read with purpose.
Want More Reading Skill Practice?
If you’re looking to go beyond making connections and build a strong foundation in comprehension, check out my Reading Skills Bundle. It includes 12 complete units covering:
- Text Structure
- Story Elements
- Main Idea & Details
- Cause & Effect
- Compare & Contrast
- Inference
- And more!
Each unit comes with printables, graphic organizers, and engaging activities that make reading skills stick.
2 comments
The graphic says that it is a freebie. I would love to have a copy. How do I get one?
Author
Here is the link: http://www.bookunitsteacher.com/blog/may2017/connections.pdf