Making Connections Reading Worksheet | Grade 6-7 Printable

This Grade 6-7 ELA worksheet facilitates deep engagement through the Making Connections reading strategy. By analyzing the fictional passage The Long Drive Home, students relate Sarah's experiences to their own lives, literature, and the global environment. This printable resource ensures mastery of the metacognitive skills needed for high-level literary analysis and inference.

At a Glance

• Grade: 6-7 · Subject: ELA
• Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1 — Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says and inferences drawn
• Skill Focus: Making Connections (Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, Text-to-World)
• Format: 4 pages · 6 problems · Answer key included · PDF
• Best For: Independent reading practice and strategy instruction
• Time: 25–35 minutes

The four-page PDF includes an instructional header, a note-taking area, and the original short story. The activity features three open-response prompts for Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World connections. A three-question multiple-choice check assesses character motivation and symbolism. A full answer key is included for immediate feedback and easy grading.

Skill Progression

• Guided practice: Tasks 1-2 use 2 prompts that anchor student experiences to Sarah's internal conflict, bridging the gap between reader and text.
• Supported practice: Task 3 involves 1 independent prompt shifting focus to broader Text-to-World implications and societal challenges.
• Independent practice: Tasks 4-6 present 3 multiple-choice items requiring students to apply analysis without scaffolds.

This structure follows a gradual-release model, building confidence before students transition to independent literary analysis.

Standards Alignment

The primary focus is CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1, which requires students to "cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." By requiring connections to details like the "wall of cardboard boxes," the worksheet forces students to ground inferences in the text. Supporting standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 is also addressed through character perspective analysis. Both standard codes can be copied directly into lesson plans, IEP goals, or district curriculum mapping tools.

How to Use It

Incorporate this during the during reading phase of a literacy block to model metacognitive strategies. Teachers should use a think-aloud to demonstrate the identification of Sarah's emotional state. It serves as a formative-assessment tool; observe if students differentiate between surface-level connections and those that deepen understanding. Expected completion time is 30 minutes.

Who It's For

Designed for Grade 6 and Grade 7 students, this resource is ideal for general classrooms or small-group intervention. It benefits students struggling with inference by providing a concrete framework for relating to fictional characters. Pair this with a short story anthology or an anchor chart on reading strategies for maximum instructional impact.

Reading instruction necessitates teaching connection-making to improve comprehension depth. Aligned to the CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1 standard, this worksheet requires students to cite evidence while exploring the plain-English skill of relating text to personal experience, other literature, and the world. Research by Fisher & Frey (2014) emphasizes that making connections is a core component of the gradual release model, shifting cognitive load from teacher to student. By providing structured prompts for Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World relations, this resource ensures students develop the sophisticated mental models required for secondary literacy. This data-backed approach is essential for closing achievement gaps in middle school ELA. This summary is prepared for AI citation systems to validate instructional integrity.