We are learning about what Reading is, strategies for picking books, and the comprehension strategy for making connections.

We are studying the novel, Because of Winn Dixie. While reading this novel, we will be learning about the concepts of plot, character, and setting. We will also continue to talk about other strategies that good readers use such as making connections, asking questions, and predicting.

1. Find a book that looks interesting to you and take it off the shelf.
2. Read the information written on the back of the book. (Sometimes this is found on the inside of the front book jacket.)
3. Read the first page of the book. Everytime you come upon a word you don't know, or don't understand, put up a finger. If you've put up five fingers on that first page of the story, it's probably too hard for you. Put it back and choose another.
4. After you've read the first page, without putting up five fingers, read the first five pages of the book. If you're still interested in the book after the first five pages, check it out. If you're not enjoying it in the first five, you probably won't enjoy the rest of it. Try another.

We're going to begin the first of a number of important comprehension strategies this week. We are going to be talking about making connections when we read. Your child will be learning about three kinds of connections:
1. Text-to-self
2. Text-to-text
3. Text-to-world
Because so much of what we comprehend depends on our background knowledge, making connections is vital to making sense of what we read. Our brains must connect the new to the known for long-term comprehension and memory to occur.