Summertime evokes images of popsicles, sprinklers and endless days of childhood magic. But for teachers, especially those who work with students who have fought hard to make gains this school year, the image we see is a slide. Slides sound like fun. Bright and colorful, one of childhood's quintessential playthings. But the slide that I envision is a far more sinister one.....the summer slide. 

The summer slide is a term used to describe the learning loss that occurs during the summer vacation. And it is a very big deal. Struggling students are particularly at risk for losing ground in their quest to become a fluent reader, as are students from lower socio-economic groups. 

Last time, I introduced text-to-self connections. Today, I would like to introduce the other two types of connections: text-to-text connections and text-to-world connections. 

At its most basic, text-to-text connections are when you compare one book with another book that you have read. It can refer to plot, character, writing style, use of language, point of view or any number of literary elements. It is a particularly valuable tool when reading multiple books by the same author or books of the same genre by different authors. These are the conversations we have with book reading friends over a cup of coffee.

An example of a text-to-text connection is when one notices: "This is a similar problem to one the character faced in another book I've read." or "This story takes place in the same time period as another book I've read." 

You can model and have these types of conversations with your children and build a deeper understanding of literature and a culture of literary discussion by asking questions like: 

What does this remind me of in another book I've read? 

How is this text similar to other things I've read? 

How is this text different from other things I've read? 

Have I read or seen something like this before?