Activity Overview
| Text Connections | |
|---|---|
| Text to Text | Connection that reminds you of something in another book or story |
| Text to Self | Connection that reminds you of something in your life. |
| Text to World | Connection that reminds you of something happening in the world. |
Making connections is a very important skill to acquire and perfect. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa is a great story for students to connect to on many different levels. In this activity, students will be making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Students should choose which connection they want to make first and work to write a narrative for that. Once all three connections have been made, students can work on their illustrations.
TEXT TO TEXT
- Text - This story introduces the duo of Cocoa and Cowgirl Kate and their adventures. One adventure is when Kate has a surprise for Cocoa.
- Text - This reminds me of another Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa book, Horse in the House. Kate wakes up to Cocoa in the house and has to get him out before her parents come home.
TEXT TO SELF
- Text - Cowgirl Kate is very responsible and takes very good care of Cocoa.
- Self - This reminds me of how I am responsible for taking care of my cat, Hazel.
TEXT TO WORLD
- Text - In the story, Cocoa says he is a "cowhorse". What he means is he is a horse meant for herding cattle.
- World - On the news, they talked about a dog that herds sheep.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows connections you have made with Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Identify parts of Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa that you connect with.
- Parts from the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa go on the left side. The connections you make go on the right side.
- Create an image for each connection using scenes, characters, items, and text boxes.
- Write a description of how the text relates to another text, the world, and you.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Connections | Student made and labeled all three text connections correctly. | Student made and labeled two text connections correctly. | Student made and labeled one text connection correctly. |
| Examples of Connections | All examples of connections support understanding of text. | Most examples of connections support understanding of text. | Most examples of connections do not support understanding of text or are difficult to understand. |
| Illustration of Examples | Ideas are well organized. Images clearly show the connections student made with the text. | Ideas are organized. Most images help to show the connections student made with the text. | Ideas are not well organized. Images are difficult to understand. |
Activity Overview
| Text Connections | |
|---|---|
| Text to Text | Connection that reminds you of something in another book or story |
| Text to Self | Connection that reminds you of something in your life. |
| Text to World | Connection that reminds you of something happening in the world. |
Making connections is a very important skill to acquire and perfect. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa is a great story for students to connect to on many different levels. In this activity, students will be making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections. Students should choose which connection they want to make first and work to write a narrative for that. Once all three connections have been made, students can work on their illustrations.
TEXT TO TEXT
- Text - This story introduces the duo of Cocoa and Cowgirl Kate and their adventures. One adventure is when Kate has a surprise for Cocoa.
- Text - This reminds me of another Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa book, Horse in the House. Kate wakes up to Cocoa in the house and has to get him out before her parents come home.
TEXT TO SELF
- Text - Cowgirl Kate is very responsible and takes very good care of Cocoa.
- Self - This reminds me of how I am responsible for taking care of my cat, Hazel.
TEXT TO WORLD
- Text - In the story, Cocoa says he is a "cowhorse". What he means is he is a horse meant for herding cattle.
- World - On the news, they talked about a dog that herds sheep.
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows connections you have made with Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Identify parts of Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa that you connect with.
- Parts from the Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa go on the left side. The connections you make go on the right side.
- Create an image for each connection using scenes, characters, items, and text boxes.
- Write a description of how the text relates to another text, the world, and you.
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Connections | Student made and labeled all three text connections correctly. | Student made and labeled two text connections correctly. | Student made and labeled one text connection correctly. |
| Examples of Connections | All examples of connections support understanding of text. | Most examples of connections support understanding of text. | Most examples of connections do not support understanding of text or are difficult to understand. |
| Illustration of Examples | Ideas are well organized. Images clearly show the connections student made with the text. | Ideas are organized. Most images help to show the connections student made with the text. | Ideas are not well organized. Images are difficult to understand. |
How Tos about Making Connections to Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
Engage students with a classroom discussion before making text connections
Start your lesson by gathering students for a brief, engaging discussion about their favorite stories, real-life experiences, and things happening in the world. This helps activate background knowledge and makes it easier for students to form meaningful connections with Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa.
Model how to find a text connection using a think-aloud
Read a short excerpt from Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa and think out loud as you make a text to text, text to self, or text to world connection. Show students your thought process so they can see how connections are made. This makes the strategy concrete and relatable.
Provide sentence starters to support student writing
Offer sentence starters like “This reminds me of…”, “I have felt…”, or “In the news, I saw…”. These scaffolds help all learners express their connections confidently and stay focused on the task.
Encourage partner or small group sharing of connections
Ask students to share their connections in pairs or small groups. This promotes discussion, builds confidence, and allows them to hear multiple perspectives before illustrating or writing independently.
Display sample storyboards as visual guides
Show completed examples of storyboards or T-Charts with clear text connections. Visuals provide concrete expectations and inspire creativity while guiding students’ own work.
Frequently Asked Questions about Making Connections to Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
What are text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections in reading?
Text-to-text connections relate a story to another book or story. Text-to-self connections link the story to your own life. Text-to-world connections compare the story to real-world events or issues. Making these connections helps students understand and relate to stories more deeply.
How can students make connections to Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa?
Students can make connections to Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by identifying moments in the story that remind them of other books, their own experiences, or things happening in the world. They can then create a storyboard or write a narrative explaining each connection.
What is a simple activity for teaching text connections using Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa?
A simple activity is to have students create a T-chart or storyboard. On one side, they list scenes from Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa; on the other side, they write their text-to-text, text-to-self, or text-to-world connections, and add illustrations to show their thinking.
Why is making connections important for young readers?
Making connections helps young readers comprehend stories more deeply, relate new information to what they already know, and build critical thinking skills. It encourages engagement and personal investment in reading.
What are some examples of text connections students can make with Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa?
Examples include relating Kate’s responsibility to caring for a pet (text-to-self), comparing another Cowgirl Kate book (text-to-text), or connecting Cocoa’s herding role to real animals that herd in the world (text-to-world).
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Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
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