Reading Power

A template based on Understanding by Design

Title of Unit

Grade

Learning to Connect

Level
Subject

Language Arts: Reading and Writing

Time

11 Lessons

Frame
Developed By

Haley Twaites
With Reading Power by Adrianne Gear and Harneet Sidhu

Stage 1 Desired Results

Thinking
Communication

Personal and
Social

Big Idea:
- Exploring stories and other texts helps us understand ourselves and make connections to others and to the world
- Texts can be understood from different perspectives
- Connecting: creating a connection to the book by taking out memories and experiences from our brain, and
connecting a story from our lives to the story in the book
- Connecting is a strategy that enhances reading power and makes better readers

Essential Question:
- What does it mean to make connections?
- What is this text about?
- Has your connection helped you understand the text better?

What students will be able to DO

What students will KNOW
Curricular competency learning standards: Content learning standards:
- Use their background knowledge/experiences to make

- Connecting: paying attention to moments, feelings,

connections
- Exchange ideas and thoughts with peers to build
shared understanding
- Recognize the structure and elements of story
- Use illustrations and journal writing to convey
meaningful connections to the story

characters, and places in a story which trigger links to their

own feelings, characters, and places in their life story
- Reading strategy: you can use your background
knowledge/past experiences to create a
memory/connection in your mind as you listen/read
- Metacognitive strategy: by listening and communicating
with peers, you can get a better understanding of
words/the text
- Literary elements: understand that pictures and words
convey meaning
- Elements of story: the characters, setting, plot

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Formative Assessments
- During each reading, I will
observe and listen to see which
connections the students are
making. I will consider if
students are making deepthinking connections, and
support them in doing so.

Summative Assessments
- I will look at the students
reading journal entries and
assess the progression in their
connecting skills.

Self-Assessment / Peer
Assessment
- The last day of their
reading journals will have a
section for self-assessment
based on their thoughts
about their effort in class,
and their connections.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Should be Differentiated
Potential Barriers to Success / Areas to Differentiate:

Might include: engagement, motivation, organization, language ability, exceptionalities, reading level, etc.
- students who are not engaged or paying attention to the story as I read-aloud
- students with lower reading levels or exceptionalities who may not understand the story (specific words)

Giving students voice and choice: how you will adjust for differentiation needs

- before reading a story, I will go over a vocabulary list to ensure that all of my students are able to comprehend what
the story is about
- during my reading, I will allow students to raise their hand to ask questions for clarification about a word
- since I will read each story twice (once to hear and think of connections, and the second time to indicate their
connections), students will have two opportunities to hear the story. Therefore, those who were not paying attention
the first time have a second opportunity to do so.

- for students with exceptionalities that would not be able to understand the text (i.e. MID), I will have them focus on
the pictures in the story and make connections to those
- as students work on journal writing or worksheets, I will support students who require it by engaging in conversation
about the story, whether about the text or pictures, to help them think about connections
Integrating Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives:
- Aboriginal perspective: learning is embedded in memory, history, and story
- students use this perspective as they learn through making connections from their personal story (life experiences)
to that in the text
- Learning takes patience and time: Giving the students enough time to get work done, to make connections, and to
establish meaningful experiences with the literature.

Sequence of Lessons: The basics of what you plan to do in each lesson of the unit. The first one will be how
will you engage students at the beginning of the unit? (motivational set your hook it could be accessing their
background knowledge in some way)
#

Lesson
Title

1
Introduci
ng the
Power of
Connecti
ng

Lesson Activities (Learning Experiences)

To introduce the students to this unit, I will start with a fun and engaging
lesson that will hook them into the power of Connecting. When
introducing the students to the strategy of connecting, I will begin with a
belief statement that is outlined in Adrienne Gears Reading Power:
(The following is a template in Reading Power that I have tweaked to fit my
own teaching style- it will also act as a general template for the way that I
will introduce Connecting)
My life is a story and your life is a story. They may not be written down on
paper but, nevertheless, they are stories. Lets pretend for a moment that I
did write my story down on paper. How big would it be? It might be this
big. (show with hands) And what would be in this life story? Well, in my life

Assessm
ent and
Core
compete
ncy
T, C, PS
Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g

Resource
s

Rondo in C
by Paul
Fleischman

story will be everything Ive done, places Ive been to, adventures I had,
people Ive met, things that Ive learned. Are all the chapters in my life
story happy? Will some be sad? Surprising? Funny? What about if my
grandmother, who is 83 years old, wrote her life story down on paper- how
big would her book be? What about if youre in Grade 7? What about if you
are in Kindergarten? If you are in grade 1 and 2, your life story might not
be very big right now- but everything you do in your life, you add another
chapter.
In real life, people dont usually write their entire life stories down on
paper- so where do they keep them? In a desk? Under the bed? Where?
Our life stories are stored in this amazing place called the brain. Now my
brain is probably about this big. (show with hands). Isnt it amazing to think
that my whole life story is stored in that small place? When we read,
something remarkable happens: something from the story in the book can
trigger a memory from the story in our lives. When this happens, it is
connecting- the joining of two stories, one from the text and one from our
lives.
Then, I will have the students sit on the carpet for story time. I will read
Rondo in C by Paul Fleischman. During my reading, I will make some
connections to my personal life story by thinking out loud. After reading, I
will ask the students, Why is it, in this book, when everyone in the room
was listening to the same piece of music, everyone was thinking of
something different? We will discuss how even though everyone was
listening to the same music, each person was thinking about different
things because each person has a different life story or different
experiences.
Next, we will discuss how this is what happens when we read. When we
read, everyone makes different connections because everyone has a
different life, different memories, and different experiences stored in our
brains. I will explain that the story of our lives help us understand the story
we are reading.

Activities in this lesson: post-reading discussion on creating connections as

we read
For lesson number two, I will model a read-aloud/think-aloud with the book

T, C, PS

Some

Model
Your
Thinking
2 lessons

Some Things Are Scary by Florence Parry Heide. First, I will let the students
know that when they make connections to the story, they can do a quiet
thumbs up but raising their thumb. This allows me to see how many
students are making connections. Then, using sticky notes, I will mark my
connections with a C for Connect. While reading, I will pause on a page,
insert my sticky note, and model using this language: This part of the
story reminds me of
As a follow up to the second lesson, I will do the same type of lesson, but
with the book What Are You So Grumpy About? by Tom Lichtenheld. This
time I will ask the students to make different connections based on text-toself, text-to-text, and text-to-world methods.
I will explain each of the methods and ask the students to give me any
examples that they can come up with on the spot. I will ask for volunteers
for this portion.
During my reading, I will make connections on:
Text-to-self: by saying, This book reminds me of something that happened
to me
Text-to-text: by saying, This book reminds me of another book Ive read
Text-to-world: by saying, This book reminds me of something that doesnt
just affect me personally, but affects other people in the world (e.g.
bullying)
-

Make sure that I talk to them about how it is okay to not have a
connection to every book that we read

During my reading, when students make connections, they can do a quiet

thumbs-up and I will model making connections to the story, pictures,
characters, and a feeling.
I will make sure that while I am reading I am making connections to a part
of the story, a picture/image, a character and a feeling that the character
or myself feels.
Post-reading activity: journal writing about the connections made to the
book (for students with exceptionalities, they can draw a picture about a

Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g

Things Are
Scary by
Florence
Parry
Heide
What Are
You So
Grumpy
About? by
Tom
Lichtenhel
d
Individual
reading
journals

connection that was made, and/or write some words that stuck out to
them)
3
Group
Connect

In this lesson, students will begin sharing their connections with others
from what they remember from last classes book. I will ask the students to
think-pair-and share their thoughts with each other. Then I will read the
book Once Upon An Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton, and have
students listen to the book and think about any connections that they
could make. Next, I will read the book again and have each student write a
connection on a sticky note. Once the book is finished I will start at the
beginning and flip through the book asking while asking the students who
connected with each page. I will ask the students to raise their hand once I
get to the page they connected with. I will continue modeling by placing
my own sticky note. I will say, I put my sticky note on the page where
This reminds me of

T, C, PS
Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g, reading
journals

Individual
reading
journals

Then, I will have students pair up and share their connections out loud with
a partner. When partners are sharing, I will circulate the room and listen for
all connections. If time permits, I will have students share their connections
to the whole class.
Post-reading activity: journal writing about the connections made to the
book (for students with exceptionalities, they can draw a picture about a
connection that was made, and/or write some words that stuck out to
them). Expectations for this journal entry will be greater, as students will
have practiced connecting a few times by now.
4
Expandin
g
Connecti
ons
2 lessons

I will create a large chart called Expanding Your Connections, with columns
for The story, a picture, a character, and a feeling. I will explain to the
students that when we read, we can connect to each of these parts of the
book.
Once again, I will give the students some sticky notes and ask them to
write their name on them. I will read the story The Red Tree by Shaun Tan,
and have students listen for all their connections. I will read the story one
more time so that the students have enough time to listen and think for
their best connection. Prior to reading it for a second time I will tell the
students to listen for one connection that they feel is very meaningful to

T, C, PS
Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g, reading
journals

The Red
Tree by
Shaun Tan
Individual
reading
journals

them. They should write that connection on their sticky note for after.
Once I have finished the book for the second time I will instruct the
students to place their sticky on the chart, under the column where they
made their connection. I will begin by modeling by placing my sticky note
under a column and explaining my thinking.
For the next lesson, I will introduce the idea of quick connections and deep
thinking connections. Quick connections may include things such as my
cousin has a dog like that, and deep thinking connections may include
this reminds me of the time that I slipped and fell in front of my class in
kindergarten and got really embarrassed. I will model examples of these
so that students learn to differentiate between the two, and so that they
can expand their thinking.
I will have the students discuss their thoughts in partners, and come up
with connections to the book that we read in the last class.
Post-reading Activity: Have the students write down four connections from
the story we read. Two quick connections, and two deep connections.
5
Choosing
a Book
2 lessons

In this lesson, students will begin you do with independent practice.

Students will choose their own book from the library (possibly done prior to
this lesson during library exchange). Each student will have sticky notes
where they will write down their name along with their connections. I will
have students read silently and mark their connections with the sticky
notes they were given. When students are finished reading and marking
down their connections, they will pair up and share their connections with a
partner.
Post-reading activity: Have the students write a journal entry about the
connections that they were able to make. I want the students to elaborate
on their most meaningful connection.
The next class students will switch books with their partners before talking
about their connections. Once they switch books, they mark their own
connections with sticky notes in the partners book. Then, the students can
compare their connections with each others. They may find that some

T, C, PS
Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g, reading
journals

Individual
reading
journals

connections are similar, whereas others are different. Once done, students
can share their individual connections and shared connections with the
class as a whole.
Post-reading activity: Have the students write a journal entry about the
connections that their partner and them came up with. The students
should start with the connections that they made themselves and then
write down some connections that their partners made.
6

Expandin
g
Connecti
ons
Through
Writing

Explain how each sticky note represents a chapter of a students life. I will
model this by choosing a book that we have already read together and
taking my connections that I made to that book. With these connections I
will expand my connections on the white board by writing out details like
names, settings, and feelings.
Using the book that they chose two classes ago I will ask the students to
choose one or two connections to expand on. Students will have the
opportunity to read their books again to ensure that they have made the
deepest connections that they can. Their connections should be
meaningful, and they should be able to explain their thinking. They should
do their writing in their reading journals. If students like they can draw a
picture to go along with their writing.

Finding
Your Own
Connect
Book

Students will have time in the library to find a connect book that they feel
they will have the deepest connection with. Once they have chosen a book
they should take out their reading journals and write about the following;
1. Give a brief summary of the story
2. Use examples that show how they connected to the book through the
storyline, pictures, characters, and/or feelings
3. Explain whether they made text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-toworld connections
4. Explain what makes that book special to them

Reflectiv
e Journal

As a final entry to their reflection reading journal I will ask the students to
write about how connecting while they read, or while they listen to a book
as helped them understand the story better. I want them to explain their
thinking and show me using words and pictures their understanding of
connections, and how those connections relate to their lives.

T, C
Formative

observatio
n,
questionin
g, reading
journals

T, C
Summati
ve part
one

T, C
Summati
ve part
two

Individual
reading
journals

Individual
reading
journals

Individual
reading
journals

Self-Assessment: Comment on their participation in class

- Engagement
- Meaningful connections

Selfassessme
nt