The Human Brain

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The Human Brain
Educational Psychology 101
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The Importance of Schema and Connections for
Deeper Understanding
SCIENCE
Math
Emotions
Relationships
History
Language
Skateboarding
Cooking
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Each reading of a book is unique because readers
rely on strategies for connecting the text with
their own life experiences. Active readers use
strategies for connecting the text to what they
know and feel. While we recognize the universals
of human experience, no two people live the SAME
lives, therefore, no two people can interpret a
text exactly the same way. Visual images drawn
from the text, for example, are highly
personal. Fountas and Pinnell , Guiding Readers
and Writers
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Our job is two-fold

• Build capacity to make connections by building
  background knowledge.
• Explicitly teach students how to make connections
  and use them to increase understanding.

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Students have been getting used to monitoring
their comprehension and tracking their
thinking.Now well begin to focus in on specific
strategies that will help them understand text on
a deeper level starting with making connections.
Connections in Reading
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Connections
Background knowledge enriches everything you
need. (7 Keys to Comprehension 2003)

• Text-to-Self
• Text-to-Text
• Text-to-World
• -That reminds me of
• -It makes me think of
• -I read another book where
• -This is different from
• Is there a part of the text that reminds you of
  something in your own life or of another book?

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The Importance of Connections
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Phineas Gage

• Phineas Gage

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Water Boy
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The Cast of My Brain By Vicki Sue Parker   Today
I will wear My injuryLike a broken bone,So
everyone can See my brain Limp.Hobbling
around,Unwrapping my pain,I will wearThe
crutchesOf their compassionMy wound
willAnswer for itself,And no one need
guessWhat is wrong.
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Today I will Wear my injuryLike a tired
cloakSheltering unknowns,I huddle my
fearsUnder a soft shawl,And shield
myselfAgainst the elementsOf my lifeClutching
the cornerOf my shadow,I lift up Just enough
light To look atWhat I cannot face.
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Today I willWear my injuryTucked under all
oneBelieves they can hide.A mask parading The
streets of Mardi Gras,I will become a
deceptionBlending into a crowd Of normalityI
can be New OrleansBefore sunrise,Just to own
what is averageI have earned the rightTo be
unworthyOf a second glance. Today I willWear my
injuryLike a crownGathering up the threads Of
what I still am,
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I will weave myselfInto a Mosaic.I am a tall
pile Of jewels,Using the wealthOf my SoulTo
inlay the pathOf my survivalI am a
pinnacleReached. Today I will wearMy injuryAs
a wound Eliciting an earned sympathy, Sinking
under its own weight, Not subjected to a stare,
Serving as a city conquered. 7/18/2004
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Whats Next?

• Continue having students track their thinking
  whenever they read ANYTHING in your class.
• Students can also track thinking during a video,
  or lecture.
• Gradual Release
• Model making connections. Pass out minute read
  notes.
• Have students focus specifically on making
  connections when they read and track their
  thinking.
• Give students lots of opportunities for
  discussion centered around their reading and
  thinking. Conversation is key for students to
  build schema and make connections!!!!!!!!!!
• Talk about how connections help us understand.
  Anchor chart

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Which Doctor Do You Want As Your Doctor?
Twenty Years Ago