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. Henry and Mudge: The First Book is a great story for students to connect 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: In Henry and Mudge: The First Book, Mudge likes to smell everything. "He smelled his lemon hair. He smelled his milky mouth. He smelled his soapy ears. He smelled his chocolate fingers."
- Text: In Henry and Mudge: The Starry Night, Mudge likes to smell. "Mudge loved to hike and smell. He smelled a raccoon from yesterday. He smelled a deer from last night. He smelled an oatmeal cookie from Henry's back pocket.”
TEXT TO SELF
- Text: Mudge likes Henry's bed. He likes to climb in with him. "But mostly he loved Henry's bed. Because in Henry's bed was Henry. Mudge loved to climb in with Henry. Then he loved to smell him."
- Self: My cat Hazel loves to cuddle with me in my bed.
TEXT TO WORLD
- Text: Mudge gets lost. Henry is very sad and looks for him. Finally, they are reunited.
- World: On the news there was a story about a young boy who was reunited with his dog after it was missing for a whole year.
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 Henry and Mudge. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Identify parts of Henry and Mudge that you connect with.
- Parts from Henry and Mudge 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. Henry and Mudge: The First Book is a great story for students to connect 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: In Henry and Mudge: The First Book, Mudge likes to smell everything. "He smelled his lemon hair. He smelled his milky mouth. He smelled his soapy ears. He smelled his chocolate fingers."
- Text: In Henry and Mudge: The Starry Night, Mudge likes to smell. "Mudge loved to hike and smell. He smelled a raccoon from yesterday. He smelled a deer from last night. He smelled an oatmeal cookie from Henry's back pocket.”
TEXT TO SELF
- Text: Mudge likes Henry's bed. He likes to climb in with him. "But mostly he loved Henry's bed. Because in Henry's bed was Henry. Mudge loved to climb in with Henry. Then he loved to smell him."
- Self: My cat Hazel loves to cuddle with me in my bed.
TEXT TO WORLD
- Text: Mudge gets lost. Henry is very sad and looks for him. Finally, they are reunited.
- World: On the news there was a story about a young boy who was reunited with his dog after it was missing for a whole year.
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 Henry and Mudge. Include a connection for text to text, text to world, and text to self.
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Identify parts of Henry and Mudge that you connect with.
- Parts from Henry and Mudge 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 Henry and Mudge - Connections with the Text
How to facilitate a rich classroom discussion about text connections
Encourage students to share their text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections aloud. When students discuss their connections, they deepen comprehension and learn from peers’ perspectives.
Set clear expectations for respectful listening
Model active listening and remind students to listen without interrupting. This ensures everyone feels valued and builds a positive classroom community.
Prompt students with open-ended questions
Ask questions like “Can anyone relate to that connection?” or “Has anyone read a story with a similar event?” These prompts help students think critically and connect more deeply with the text.
Use visual aids to support discussion
Display a T-Chart or storyboard for students to reference. Visuals help students organize thoughts and participate more confidently in class discussions.
Celebrate diverse perspectives
Acknowledge different types of connections and praise unique ideas. This boosts student confidence and encourages richer, more meaningful discussions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Henry and Mudge - Connections with the Text
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 text, text-to-self connections link the story to your own experiences, and text-to-world connections tie the story to real-world events or situations. These strategies help students deepen comprehension and relate personally to what they read.
How can I teach students to make connections using Henry and Mudge?
Start by reading Henry and Mudge: The First Book together. Ask students to find examples that remind them of another book, their own lives, or something happening in the world. Guide them to write or draw their connections using a T-chart for clarity.
What is a simple activity for teaching text connections to 2nd or 3rd graders?
Have students use a T-chart to list scenes from Henry and Mudge on one side and their own connections (to another text, themselves, or the world) on the other. Let them illustrate each connection to make the lesson engaging and visual.
Why is making connections in reading important for young students?
Making connections helps young readers better understand stories, retain information, and develop empathy. It encourages active reading and makes learning more meaningful by linking new ideas to what they already know.
Can Henry and Mudge be used for SEL or social-emotional learning lessons?
Yes, Henry and Mudge stories are great for social-emotional learning. They explore friendship, empathy, loss, and reunion, giving students opportunities to reflect on their feelings and relate them to the characters' experiences.
More Storyboard That Activities
Henry and Mudge: The First Book
Testimonials
“By using the product, they were so excited and they learned so much...”–K-5 Librarian and Instructinal Technology Teacher
“I'm doing a Napoleon timeline and I'm having [students] determine whether or not Napoleon was a good guy or a bad guy or somewhere in between.”–History and Special Ed Teacher
“Students get to be creative with Storyboard That and there's so many visuals for them to pick from... It makes it really accessible for all students in the class.”–Third Grade Teacher
© 2025 - Clever Prototypes, LLC - All rights reserved.
StoryboardThat is a trademark of Clever Prototypes, LLC, and Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
