What is the purpose of making connections while reading?

Making connections while reading serves to deepen understanding and engagement with the text. By linking the content to personal experiences, other texts, and broader world contexts, readers enhance their comprehension and retention of the information presented. This process encourages critical thinking, as it prompts readers to reflect on how the material relates to their own lives or to previous knowledge. It fosters a more meaningful interaction with the text, allowing readers to draw on their own insights and experiences, which can lead to richer interpretations and discussions. This connection-making process is fundamental in literacy education, as it promotes active reading strategies, making the act of reading not just about decoding text, but about synthesizing information and ideas in a way that resonates with the individual reader.