Making connections

Making Connections

When we make connections, we link what we know or have experienced with new ideas and experiences. Connections make new things less scary and easier to try! 

When you read, your brain connects information, ideas, and images to other information that you already know. One way to make connections is to ask questions, just like the questions you ask when you read something.

Let's practice together

Let's make connections to the word shelter using what we know. Begin by asking these questions...

-What is a shelter?

-How do you build a shelter?

-Where to do you find materials to build a shelter?

-Why do you need shelter?

Now you try

Now that we made connections to the word shelter, let's used what we learned about shelters to complete the 8.02 research graphic organizer. Read Huts in Tanzania then choose one of the tribes you are most interested in: Inuit, Massai, or Wa-arusha. Your research question should focus on the type of shelter your selected tribe built. Why did the ________ tribe live in ________ for shelter?

Research Question

Stay focused by keeping your research question in front of you at all times. The first step in staying focused is writing your research question down.

Sources

Don't forget to write down the sources where you found your information. Record the name of the source and the author in the Source section. By writing down your sources, you can prove to others that you didn't make up your information. Also, you will know where to look later if you need more information.

Vocabulary

As you are researching, you may come across words that you've never seen before. You can find the meaning of the new words in a dictionary or in the glossary of the text. It's a good idea to write those new words into the vocabulary section.

Facts

When you research, you will discover many interesting facts. Should you write all of them down? No way! How do you decide which facts to write down? Ask these questions to help you decide:

• Does it provide information that helps you understand your topic?

• Does it give a fact, example, or explanation that helps to answer your research question?

Notes

The Notes section gives you space to take the information you have learned from the text and rewrite it in your own words. This is important. When you write, never copy directly from the text where you found the information. Always rewrite it in your own words.

Making connections

ELA lesson 8.05

Introduction

First, we have to write a hook to introduce our topic and grab the reader's attention. Then we will share some information from our organizer and answer the research question.

Body Paragraph

Next, move to the body paragraph. Write a topic sentence for the paragraph. Turn your notes into complete sentences. Include facts and explain how they answer the research question.

Conclusion

Finally, move to your conclusion paragraph where you restate the research question and the controlling idea in different words. Give the reader a sense of closure in your last sentence

Sloppy Copy

Remember it is not suppose to be perfect on your sloppy copy. Go back and read your writing and look for mispelled words, missing punctuation marks and incomplete sentences.