Schema: Making Personal Connections

Recently read a chapter from Reading with Meaning over Schema.  Schema is all the stuff that's already inside your head. This could be books you've read, places you've been, things you've watched or places you've been.  Using your schema is using your background knowledge to make connections to text.  Using your schema is a key strategy for any young reader. In the chapter it discusses how to get your students started in using their schema.

I see this happening in my field experience classroom. Even though the 6th grade classroom I am in has mastered this I see it happening.  Last week they were doing a social studies activity on Rome. Specifically about Roman teenagers and activities they did.  The students would make connections with the examples of the Roman teenagers. The saw how some things are similar to what they do today with their friends.  They also related the discussion and images to movies and TV shows they had seen.  I thought it was awesome to see schema in the classroom.  I knew this class had already mastered this skill but since just reading this chapter  I saw the connection.

In the article the teacher goes through multiple lessons for teaching students to use their schema.  The teacher starts by explaining schema and how relating the text to your schema helps you better understand and interact with the text.  She starts with text-to-self connections.  The teacher reads a book and while reading she stops and makes a personal connection about her childhood.  She connects to her grandparents farmhouse and the fun her whole family had there.  She mentions to the students "did you notice how much fun I was having just thinking about being with my cousins sleeping downstairs on those hot Iowa nights?'" As you continue this students become eager to share what they can connect too.  As you continue to model your connections as a teacher encourage the students to do the same.  This gives them good practice seeing you do it as well as the students doing it themselves.

Next the teacher explains using anchor charts to record the students connections.  She is trying to teach these students about making meaningful connections.  Making meaningful connections is important. After using these charts she would have the students rate with a 1 or 2 how important the statements where.  This is a way to show meaningful connections and show the difference between meaningful and less meaningful connections.

The teacher then after a few weeks starts to work on text-to-text connections.  When starting new topics always ask your students what their schema is for this?  When reading a book to your class make connections from past books that you have read to the class.  When making the connection explain that is text-to-text connection.  Then use Venn diagrams to show the connections you can make between the two texts/books.   Using a chart will make it visual and easier for students to see.  The students will also be able to contribute to making the chart.  While continuing to work you can implement text-to-world connections.

Building schema is a time consuming skill.  This will be done throughout the year and is worth it at the end. The connections students can make will make reading easier and more enjoyable.  This is done in younger school age classrooms.  I think it would be fun and very rewarding like teaching is to see the students start making connections.