Text-to-Self Connections



This week's focus book was Plaidypus Lost.   I have to admit, this book was not one of my favorites until the author, Susan Stevens Crummel, visited our school last year.  She made the book come alive when she read it to us and gave us the background behind it.
 
I used this book to teach text-to-self connections.  In the story, the little girl loses her beloved plaidypus that her grandmother made for her from her grandpa's old shirt.  However, the little girl was not responsible (a vocabulary word that we talked about with this book) and misplaced (another vocab word!) her friend in many different places.  Before we began reading the book, I asked the children to think of a time they lost something special to them; how did it make them feel?  Did they ever find it?  Did someone help them find it?  And so on...I wanted them to get a good mental image so they could good make strong text-to-self connections.

After we read the story and talked about our connections and wrote about them in our Reader's Workshop journal.  This page is from Kim Adsit's Reading comprehension pack at Teacher's Pay Teachers.

We also completed a story map together created from an example on Kim Adsit's site.
 We made a list of all the places they were in the story as well as all of the characters.  The children each signed up for one that they would like to draw and they created it for our flow map. (I'll post a picture of the sign-up chart later, I must have forgotten to snap one!)  Here are pictures of the flow chart that we created.  They children were very excited about how looonnnggg it was!  They did a wonderful job re-telling the story to help create the flow map.


We also read the book, A Platypus Probably and discussed the differences between fiction and non-fiction texts.  We talked about the most important things we learned about a platypus and labeled the parts of a platypus in our science journal. (I'll post a picture later, I forgot again!)

10 comments:

  1. I love this lesson. I don't have this book but I'm going to buy it right now! I love your new header! Lettering delights is my favorite website for letting! :)

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  2. I love your story map! I'm going to make one =) how big is yours?

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  3. Thanks! It's from Kim Adsit's site - www.adsit.net - she has lots of ideas for comprehension posters and writing anchor charts. I just used a regular size poster board.

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  4. I LOVE the story map poster! I'm going to make one today. Bought a poster board last night! A couple questions: Which font did you use and which border? I have a ton of Lettering Delights and DJ Inkers, so I may have it. If you have your words saved and don't mind could you email me a copy? If not, it won't be hard to make if I find out the font and frame or border you used. Thanks for sharing!
    Martha-Carol
    mcarpenter@scsk12.org

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  5. I just found your blog and LOVE all of your fabulous ideas. I am also wondering what font you used for the Story Map poster. I would LOVE to make one this weekend.

    Do you have a copy of the words you used? Or could you just tell me what font it is?

    Thank you so much!
    Mary
    Adventures in Kindergarten
    adventures.in.k.blog@gmail.com

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  6. I love all the ideas you posted! Especially the poster from Kim... I have seen it on Pinterest a lot lately! Anyways... I just did a blog about my favorite must have freebies for back to school... and that was one! Stop by to see!

    Empowering Little Learners!

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  7. I guess it's not a freebie but it's a must have to make for back to school!

    =)

    Empowering Little Learners!

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  8. Hi thre,
    I really am enjoying your site. I will like to create a Story Map and will like to purchase the font and border from Lettering Delights. Can you provide me with the names of each? Thank you sooo much!!
    Yolanda Ramirez
    yjc513@yahoo.com

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  9. I have read the comments and noticed that a couple people asked for the font name, could you let me know what it is too? Maybe reply to this comment because I am sure others are going to follow suit!

    LOVE THIS story board idea!!!

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    1. The font on the large story map is a DJ Inkers front, but I'm not sure the name of it...something Picket maybe....can't remember!! (I don't have those fonts on this computer!) :(

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