Sept. 27, 2026

How to Teach Text to Self | Writing About Reading Series

How to Teach Text to Self | Writing About Reading Series
How to Teach Text to Self | Writing About Reading Series
The Education Connection with Robin Wilson
How to Teach Text to Self | Writing About Reading Series

How do you teach text-to-self connections in first grade in a way young readers can really understand?

In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson continues the Writing About Reading Series with a simple, classroom-tested approach to teaching text-to-self connections.

Learn how to introduce the strategy with a Book → Me anchor chart, model your own connection, and help students connect events and feelings in a story to experiences from their own lives. Robin also shares how she moves first graders from reading and talking to drawing and writing about their connections.

Because if they can say it, they can write it!

You'll also hear how to help students move beyond random or surface-level connections and begin making connections that actually help them understand what they're reading.

🎁 FREE Text-to-Self Connections Printable

A free printable that goes along with this lesson is available on the First Grade Love blog. Use it as a visual reminder to help students think about meaningful connections between a book and their own lives.

Get the FREE printable here:

[ADD TEXT-TO-SELF BLOG LINK]

📚 Text-to-Text, Text-to-Self & Text-to-World Connections

Want ready-to-use student response sheets for all three types of reading connections?

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Text-to-Text-Text-to-Self-Text-to-World-Connections-1736887

💌 Join First Grade Love

Get teaching ideas, freebies, and new Writing About Reading resources delivered to your inbox:

https://winning-founder-891.kit.com

In the next episode, we'll finish our three-part look at making connections with Text-to-World Connections.

📖 Scripture: James 1:22

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…”

When we read, the words on the page can connect to something beyond the page, and sometimes they can connect directly to our own lives.

Happy teaching!