Teacher background

Comprehension Reading Strategy: Making Connections
The Wisconsin Literacy Education and Reading Network Source offers background information and lesson plans on Making Connections.

Student Activity Sites

Webbing Tool
The Webbing Tool provides a free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to explore connections in post-reading activities.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Packing the Pilgrim's Trunk: Personalizing History in the Elementary Classroom
This lesson helps students discover connections between their own life experiences and those of the Pilgrims, making history interesting, meaningful, and relevant.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Guided Comprehension: Making Connections Using a Double-Entry Journal
Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson introduces students to the comprehension strategy of making connections. Students learn the three types of connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world) using a double-entry journal.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

A Schema-Building Study with Patricia Polacco
This lesson uses Chicken Sunday and Rechenka's Eggs to teach second- through fourth-grade students new words while deepening their comprehension, encouraging text-to-self and text-to-text connections, and helping them study characters.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Radio Research
In this student interactive, from a ReadWriteThink lesson, students visit several Web sites to learn about old-time radio shows. Students make connections to Avi's novel "Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?" as they answer questions about each Web site.
From Read-Write-Think, the International Reading Association

Geometry in the World of Art
If you would like to explore how making connections can deepen students understanding in areas besides reading, here's an idea for you. In this lesson, students make a connection between mathematics and art. They use their knowledge of geometry to create paintings in a geometric style, and use art to reflect their understanding of geometry.
From Illuminations, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics