Text+to+self-world-text

 **Rationale: ** I chose to use this strategy because I wanted my students to make connections to different texts, the world, and themselves **. **

** Courses Implemented: ** This strategy has been used in a first and second grade special education classroom during reading time. First grade has not made connections to the world yet but second grade has done all three connections.


** Diverse Learners: ** Students like getting to think outside the box and making connections to themselves about a book. They are engaged on that aspect because they start thinking about how the author could be talking about them. We know students always like to tell stories so it is a great time for them to make connections and tell us how they connected to the story. The visual learners see what type of connection they can make and get to write down where they found it.


** Procedure: **
 * I introduced the new strategy and each connection on a different day to avoid confusion.
 * After I introduced a connection, I modeled the connection with my own text and then as a class had the students try it on their own.
 * I modeled that when we get to a part in the text where we can make a connection to another text, the world, or ourselves we were suppose to circle the icon T-T, T-W, or T-S and put the page number of were we made that connection. This is laminated so that it may be reused throughout the school year.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 10pt;">After reading the text we then had a discussion of what type of connections we made throughout this text and how that connection was made.

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 10pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 10pt;">Potential Issues: ** Students may not have the background knowledge to make connections to a particular text. Some students may not understand what I am asking them to do in this strategy until it is modeled and practiced over and over.

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 10pt;">**<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace; font-size: 10pt;">References: **

Gabel, S., Linn, M., Meierhoff, M., & Wejman, J. (2009, March 19-21). //A collaborative approach to building a K-2 literacy program.// Paper presented at the Illinois Reading Council Conference, Springfield, IL.