Activity Objective

The goal of Mind Pictures: Promoting Comprehension through Visualization is to promote students' use of the comprehension strategy, visualization, to improve their understanding of what they read.

What You Need

Prep Time:

10 minutes
- Select a story to read aloud
- Gather student material

Task Time:

30-40 minutest
- Teacher and students discuss how to make a mind picture
- Teacher reads aloud story
- Students complete illustrations

Materials Required:

Teacher:
- Selected story

Students:
- Writer's workbook
- Coloring materials
- Pencils

What You Do

Teacher Role:

Facilitator:
- while the class discusses how to make a mind picture

Direct instruction:
- while reading aloud

Consultant:
- while students complete illustrations

Student Grouping:

Whole class:
- during discussion and read aloud

Individual:
- when students complete illustrations

Assessment Ideas:

- Use a tracking sheet to check for understanding of the important events of the story

Quick Tips

Activity Extensions:

- Repeat this activity each month during the year and compile students' visual representations in a book

- Display the illustrations and descriptions on the wall to retell the main events of the story

- Create a classroom book retelling the story using students' illustrations and descriptions

- Have students role play the event from the story that they illustrated

- Return to the story 2-3 more times and have students think about their mind pictures to help them recall the events
      a. Invite students to describe what their mind pictures look like before rereading the story

Additional Comments:

- Although students are not actually "reading" the books themselves at this stage, this is a comprehension strategy that can later be applied to their reading.

- Milling to music uses music and movement to brainstorm ideas related to a selected topic.

- Encourage all students to participate in the whole class discussions by including a think-pair-share. First, have students think about a question or topic of discussion to themselves. Next, have students turn to their nearest neighbor to discuss their thinking. Finally, open the discussion to the whole class. This short activity provides students whose confidence might still be developing with an opportunity to share their ideas.

- Visualization can also be described as creating mental images. Help students understand this comprehension strategy by comparing it to a motion picture or movie. Tell students that as they read they should try to make a movie in their mind and visualize the events taking place in the story.

- Promote the use of this comprehension strategy when making predictions. Visualizing what might happen next will help students develop a clear connection to what they are reading.

Other Adaptations/Modifications:

- Provide an example of your visual representation and written description