Lesson Plan: Visuals in Information Texts

Visuals and Understanding

Year Level: Year 1-3 Subject: English Duration: 60 minutes Class Size: 6 students Unit: Exploring Information Texts (Lesson 6 of 10) Lesson Title: Visuals in Information Texts Lesson Description: Students will explore how visuals contribute to understanding information texts. They will engage in a hands-on activity by creating a visual chart using illustrations to represent information from a text and share their work with peers.

Australian Curriculum Links (Version 9)

English

ACELY1661 (Year 1): Use a growing bank of high frequency words and recognised text structures to read and comprehend simple information texts.
ACELY1670 (Year 1): Respond to texts by identifying characters, actions, and events.
ACELY1676 (Year 2): Use comprehension strategies to understand texts, including discussing the role of illustrations.
ACELY1681 (Year 3): Understand how visual and multimedia elements contribute to meaning in texts.
ACELY1686 (Year 3): Create texts that show emerging awareness of text structures and language features of information texts.

Cross-curriculum priorities: Literacy development, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify and describe how visuals support understanding in information texts.
Create a visual chart incorporating illustrations that represent information from a given text.
Explain their visual chart to peers, using simple descriptive language.
Develop teamwork and presentation skills through peer sharing.

Resources

Age-appropriate information text (e.g., a simple non-fiction book or text about animals, seasons, or familiar topics) with clear visuals.
Chart paper or large drawing paper for each student.
Colouring materials: crayons, coloured pencils, markers.
Visual support cards depicting icons (e.g., sun for weather, paw print for animals).
Sentence starters chart for oral explanations (e.g., "This picture shows...", "I drew... because...").
Dyslexia-friendly font versions of the text (large font, clear spacing, and dyslexia-friendly background colours).

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction: Discussing Visuals in Information Texts (10 minutes)

Gather students around and display the chosen information text.
Read aloud the text with the students, pausing to show and discuss the visuals (pictures, diagrams, charts).
Ask guiding questions:
What do you notice about these pictures?
How do these pictures help us understand the words?
Highlight the purpose of visuals in information texts (to explain, show details, or help us learn).

2. Explore & Identify Visuals (10 minutes)

Show different examples of visuals (illustrations, diagrams, photographs, charts) on a whiteboard or chart.
Involve students by asking them to name the type of visual and how it helps us understand the text.
Use simple language and support with visuals and gestures.

3. Hands-On Creation Activity (25 minutes)

Provide each student with a short information text or an excerpt that contains facts on a familiar topic (e.g., types of fruit, animals, weather).
Instruct them to:
Read or listen to the information provided (teacher support as needed).
Create a visual chart on their paper using drawings and labels to show key information from the text.
Encourage students to think about what kind of visuals would best help explain the information (e.g., pictures of animals, symbols for weather).
Teachers circulate to provide support, vocabulary, and encouragement.

4. Sharing & Explaining Visuals (10 minutes)

Each student presents their visual chart to the group.
Use sentence starters on a chart to scaffold explanations.
Encourage listening peers to ask simple questions or make positive comments.

5. Conclusion & Reflection (5 minutes)

Recap what the students have learned about the role of visuals in information texts.
Discuss how creating visuals helped them understand the information better.
Highlight how sharing helps everyone learn new ideas.

Differentiation Strategies

For diverse learners:
Provide picture prompts and sentence starters to support language development.
Use peer buddy system for collaborative drawing and explanation.
Break the task into smaller steps with check-ins for understanding.
Offer dyslexia-friendly versions of texts and provide audio versions if needed.
For English Language Learners (ELLs):
Use clear, simple language and visuals to support comprehension.
Encourage use of drawings and gestures when explaining.
For students with fine motor difficulties:
Allow use of stamps, stickers, or cut-out images for the visual chart.
For advanced learners:
Encourage students to include labels or captions with technical vocabulary.
Challenge them to incorporate different types of visuals (e.g., simple graphs or symbolic icons).
Invite them to create a more detailed explanation or write a short informational caption for their chart.

Assessment

Formative:
Observe participation in discussion and ability to identify the role of visuals.
Use a simple checklist to note students' ability to create relevant visuals linked to text information.
Listen to student explanations for understanding and use of descriptive language.
Summative:
Collect visual charts and assess for relevance, clarity, and connection to the information text.
Reflect on peer presentation skills and ability to communicate ideas clearly.

Teacher Notes

Create a positive, supportive environment encouraging creativity and risk-taking in visual expression.
Use affirming language to boost confidence during sharing.
Emphasise that visuals can look different for everyone but the key is clarity and connection to information.
Consider photographing or digitally scanning students’ visual charts to create a class display or digital portfolio.

This lesson plan aligns with the Australian Curriculum for English for Year 1 to Year 3 students, focusing on understanding information texts and the significance of visuals as specified by the curriculum’s comprehension and text creation goals. It also embraces diverse learning needs and includes dyslexia-friendly supports to enhance accessibility and inclusiveness. The hands-on, multimodal approach utilises comprehension, creativity, communication, and social skills in a balanced manner suitable for early primary learners.

Should you require more detailed prompts or templates for visuals or oral explanations, I am happy to assist.