Schema

.  First, schema is prior knowledge.  Schema can be knowledge about topic of text, general world knowledge about social relationships and casual structures, and knowledge about the text’s organization.  Additionally, schema can be used in many ways.  For example you can use schema to make predictions, ask questions, make inferences, or understanding what your reading. 

 Activating your schema is not all about just making connections.  The connections you make must be relevant.  You must ask yourself if the connections is true, accurate, and if it is helping you understand what you are reading.  In addition, there are three types of connections that you can use to activate your schema.  The first connection is text to text.  In text to text you connect what you are reading to other books or media like a television or a song.  Moreover, the second type of connection is text to world.  These connections may be hard to make if you are not that informed of what is going on in the world.  To make text to world connections you connect what you are reading to something going in then world like a war.  In conclusion, the last type of connections is text to self.  Text to self connections are fairly easy to make.  In text to self connections you connect what you are reading to something that has happened to you or background knowledge. 

   Just making connections will not help you build your schema either.  You must be aware of what is going on in your head while you are reading.  When you finish reading a paragraph stop and ask yourself what thinking went on while you were reading.  When making a connection do not just write down, “What I read reminds me of……”  Instead elaborate on your thinking write down things stating your thinking more clearly.  For example, you could write, “When I read [the text that make you think], it reminded me of….”  Furthermore, to build your schema more you must be able to explain what thinking goes on in your head aloud.  In conclusion, doing all these things will help you build your schema.  The more you practice it the more easier it will be for you to make connections and explain your reading.