04.+Impressions+Connections+Wonderings

= **Impressions-Connections-Wonderings (Drawing Inferences)** = = **(Can be during reading or after reading)** = Goal of strategy is to teach students that our understandings of the text come from not just the text, but from a coagulation of our past experiences in life and reading. This strategy is to show students that in order to develop inference and insight we must look beyond the words on the page. The long term goal is that students integrate this type of thinking as they read any kind of text. The audience for this strategy is students, and it can be adapted to any age group. The materials needed are overhead with a copy of the chart, and photocopies of the chart for students (or have them draw their own on their page). This strategy accesses students' prior knowledge in life and of texts they have read. It is a simple strategy that a novice or experienced teacher can use easily. It is also adaptable to any type of text. Source: Serafini, Frank. //Lessons in Comprehension: Explicit Instruction in the Reading Workshop//. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004. Print.
 * Impressions || Connections || Wonderings ||

B. Step-by-step description of how to implement the strategy.

[] This poem works well with this strategy. I like to have students read the poem aloud, and then complete the chart with a partner. As they read each chunk of the poem, student create a reflection under each category. I suggest that wonderings might even be questions they would like to ask the author. After students have read the poem and completed the chart, they then join another pair and share the types of connections they have made. Have they made connections to themselves, the world, other text, past experiences etc. I find that as a larger group, students enjoy sharing these types of connections: This line reminded me of... Also, students enjoy sharing "After reading __I wanted to ask the author__".

C. Extension

As students become comfortable with this type of strategy, we start to predict how the author might respond, and depending on the class, role play a discussion with the author.

As students integrate this type of thinking into their daily reading, without needing the focus of a chart, then you can have them jot down symbols on the text when they have formed and impression, made a connection, or developed a wondering. Follow up assignments?

I have had students find poems with which they could use this strategy to help them understand more about the poem, and then present the poem to a small group.

D. Controversy/Warnings in using this strategy?

Some MID students found this strategy too difficult, and it had to be adapted to just connections and wonderings. I am not sure why they had a hard time with the first column, but the EA was able to create the impression she had, and then help the MID students make connections, ie, have you ever had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning? What is the worst type of morning? etc. Students participated in the discussion answering questions such as these. How this strategy builds a love for reading:

As students learn to focus on their impressions, how they connect their reading to their lives etc, and recognize that everyone wonders about text, they will internalize these strategies and become better readers. As they internalize the skills, they will come to enjoy the text more as they can see relationships between texts and life etc. As they recognize these relationships, their understandings of the importance of literature will increase as well.