Making Connections 1: Developing Reading Comprehension Skills

'Making Connections 1' is the first in a series of reading comprehension classes. 

Students can record their responses if they wish, but the emphasis is on discussion rather than writing. 

Reading an extract from a story, we'll start by investigating any unknown vocabulary. 

Through discussion, we'll make connections between the text and what we already know, in order to gain a greater understanding of the content. We'll ask ourselves questions such as  "Have we ever been to a place like the one in the story?", "How is this text similar to any other stories we've heard or read?" and "Does the text remind us of anything that's happening in the world today?" 

We'll complete sentences beginning with "I wonder what...", "I wonder how...", "I wonder why...", "I wonder if...", followed by a discussion of each other's ideas. 

We'll make predictions based on what we've read and discussed. 

We'll summarize the text. 

Students will be shown how these strategies can be applied to their future reading.