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Text to World

Another way we can connect with a text is by finding ways it relates to the real world.  Perhaps you see a movie such as The Impossible, starring Naomi Watts, which depicts the story of a family on vacation in Thailand in 2004 when the devastating tsunami hit.  Viewing the film might cause you to remember the news stories about the lives lost and damage caused by the storm that you might not have paid much attention to at the time.  Our understanding of the characters’ experiences deepens as a result of text-to-world connections.  At the same time, world events may become more real to you because you now have human stories to make them real.  Perhaps a film such as The Impossible will come to mind—the emotional struggle of the characters, and the harrowing journey they take—when you hear future news stories of natural disasters.