Pictures Support Words by Working Together!

Contributor: Jennifer Blanchard. Lesson ID: 13897

Have you ever read the words in a picture book but just quickly skipped past the pictures? Pictures are just as important as words! This lesson tells why!

categories

Comprehension, English / Language Arts

subject
English / Language Arts
learning style
Auditory, Visual
personality style
Golden Retriever
Grade Level
Intermediate (3-5)
Lesson Type
Quick Query

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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  • Have you ever heard the saying that a picture speaks a thousand words?
  • What do you think that means?

Take a look at this picture.

Tat Kuang Si Waterfalls

  • What are some of the thousand words that come to your mind?

Type a few of them here!

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Let's see how this idea can make you a better reader!

The whole point of reading is to understand the text.

Pictures in a text help you to understand the story even better, so it is important to learn how to look at those pictures!

  • Do you remember how the picture above told you so much?

The same thing happens whenever there are photographs or illustrations, otherwise known as pictures, in any of the books you read.

You need to look very closely so you can get all the information you can from both the words AND the pictures!

  • What should you look for when looking at an illustration?

Details

  • What do you see?

Don't just quickly look. Look at every single thing the illustrator thought was important to include!

Colors

  • What feelings or moods do the colors make you have?

Characters

  • What can you see about the people or animals in the story?

Setting

  • What can you tell about where the story takes place?

Action or Plot Events

  • What is happening?

Review one of the above terms you will often hear in this lesson.

  • What is mood?

Maybe this word makes you think of how people say they're in a good or bad mood. The mood is the feeling that the story has or makes the reader feel.

Think of how a mystery story might have a spooky or unsure feeling or mood, whereas a birthday party story would have an upbeat and happy mood.

Now you know the five things to look for in pictures within a text.

  • So why should you look for these things?
  • They build upon the words and tell you more.
  • They help you picture, or see in your head, the words already say.
  • They help to tell a story.
  • They help you to focus on what's most important.
  • They help to create the mood.
  • They tell you more about the characters.
  • They tell you more about the setting.

You are ready to practice in the Got It? section!

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