"How we need storytellers, writers, and dramatists to offer fresh approaches to connect with reality that are rooted in God’s story. Yet each of us who longs to be faithful to the gospel and effective in connecting with postmodern listeners needs what A.W. Tozer calls a “sanctified imagination.”
In his essay The Value of the Sanctified Imagination Tozer observes:
"The value of the cleansed imagination in the sphere of religion lies in its power to perceive in natural things shadows of things spiritual. It enables the reverent man to ‘See the world in a grain of sand and eternity in an hour.’ " (quoted from an article by Stuart McAllister, vice-president of training and special projects at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; A. W. Tozer, Born After Midnight)
I am always glad to hear that a student has "read for 1/2 hour each day" or that he "brought a bag full of books home from the library". Reading, obviously, is a good thing. Reading with "connection" is a better thing and it needs to be modeled and taught (rather than assumed).
What is Reading with Connection?
Good readers make three kinds of connections: text to self, text to text and text to world.
A student begins making t-s (text to self) connections, when an adult, reading aloud, asks, "Do you remember when you...?" or "What would you do next?" Suddenly the student becomes engaged with the author in a dialogue. The book is not happening on the page, but in his imagination, in his experience. That doesn't 'just happen" but needs to be given voice. Many a reluctant reader has never learned to make text to self connections and so an estranged relationship exists between reader and author.
As students become familiar with the idea of text to self, it times to branch out to text to text and text to world. You could model these connections first by sharing an excerpt of a book you are reading (you ARE reading I hope!) and reading parts that show your connections to the text. Wouldn't your children enjoy shared reading a bit of your book as you model how to infer information from the text? Do your children know that adults make connections to text when they are reading? or do they think that only happens in written novel studies which adults impose on children?
Making text to text connections is the obvious place to make connections from the story to Scripture. Every author has a world view, a Big Picture which is being shared with his reader. Helping students discover that picture, to compare and contrast with God's Big Picture is an essential part of growing Thinking Readers. It is not enough to say, "We don't read Harry Potter because it's bad!" It is not enough to say, "We only read the classics." We are charged with the responsibility to teach our children to engage mind, heart, faith, Truth in their reading choices. Obviously, middle school age children read many more books than you could possibly pre-read. How do you know what world view is being taught, what connections your child is making? Writing a book report is not the exclusive answer! Post-it notes provide a great way for students to demonstrate connections.
First you need to model how to write connections on post-it notes and how to code them, i.e. t-t, t-s, t-w. (Please - a FEW for a chapter! The idea is to engage the author, not kill the story!) Write a Reader's Journal of 3 or 4 sentences to summarize thoughts, record ideas, ask the author questions, make predictions every three or four chapters. See the thinking and engagement and comprehension flourish!
In his essay The Value of the Sanctified Imagination Tozer observes:
"The value of the cleansed imagination in the sphere of religion lies in its power to perceive in natural things shadows of things spiritual. It enables the reverent man to ‘See the world in a grain of sand and eternity in an hour.’ " (quoted from an article by Stuart McAllister, vice-president of training and special projects at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; A. W. Tozer, Born After Midnight)
I am always glad to hear that a student has "read for 1/2 hour each day" or that he "brought a bag full of books home from the library". Reading, obviously, is a good thing. Reading with "connection" is a better thing and it needs to be modeled and taught (rather than assumed).
What is Reading with Connection?
Good readers make three kinds of connections: text to self, text to text and text to world.
A student begins making t-s (text to self) connections, when an adult, reading aloud, asks, "Do you remember when you...?" or "What would you do next?" Suddenly the student becomes engaged with the author in a dialogue. The book is not happening on the page, but in his imagination, in his experience. That doesn't 'just happen" but needs to be given voice. Many a reluctant reader has never learned to make text to self connections and so an estranged relationship exists between reader and author.
As students become familiar with the idea of text to self, it times to branch out to text to text and text to world. You could model these connections first by sharing an excerpt of a book you are reading (you ARE reading I hope!) and reading parts that show your connections to the text. Wouldn't your children enjoy shared reading a bit of your book as you model how to infer information from the text? Do your children know that adults make connections to text when they are reading? or do they think that only happens in written novel studies which adults impose on children?
Making text to text connections is the obvious place to make connections from the story to Scripture. Every author has a world view, a Big Picture which is being shared with his reader. Helping students discover that picture, to compare and contrast with God's Big Picture is an essential part of growing Thinking Readers. It is not enough to say, "We don't read Harry Potter because it's bad!" It is not enough to say, "We only read the classics." We are charged with the responsibility to teach our children to engage mind, heart, faith, Truth in their reading choices. Obviously, middle school age children read many more books than you could possibly pre-read. How do you know what world view is being taught, what connections your child is making? Writing a book report is not the exclusive answer! Post-it notes provide a great way for students to demonstrate connections.
First you need to model how to write connections on post-it notes and how to code them, i.e. t-t, t-s, t-w. (Please - a FEW for a chapter! The idea is to engage the author, not kill the story!) Write a Reader's Journal of 3 or 4 sentences to summarize thoughts, record ideas, ask the author questions, make predictions every three or four chapters. See the thinking and engagement and comprehension flourish!
