Making Text Connections PowerPoint

Designed for early and middle primary, this lesson guides learners through the three key types of text connections:

• Text‑to‑Self — connecting the story to their own experiences
• Text‑to‑Text — linking ideas between different books
• Text‑to‑World — relating the text to real‑life events and knowledge

This PowerPoint breaks each connection down with simple explanations, visual examples, and opportunities for students to practise making their own connections as they read.

Perfect for:

• whole‑class reading lessons
• small‑group literacy rotations
• modelling comprehension strategies
• building confident, reflective readers

Give your students the tools they need to think deeply, make meaning, and connect with texts in powerful ways.

Teaching Text Connections to Young Learners

Teaching text connections in the early years is all about modelling your thinking aloud and keeping the strategy concrete. Start by showing students how you make a Text‑to‑Self connection using familiar experiences (“This part reminds me of when I…”). Then introduce Text‑to‑Text connections by linking characters, settings or problems to books they already know. 

Finally, build Text‑to‑World connections by relating the text to real‑life events, places or facts. Use visuals, sentence stems, and shared reading moments to help students practise making their own connections, turning a simple story into a rich comprehension conversation.

Download and Teach Text Connections to the Early Years

Use this Text Connections PowerPoint with your early years students today. Use the dropdown menu to choose between the Google Slides or PowerPoint version of this resource.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and a Teach Starter collaborator.

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