My Picture Dictionary

Overview

Students begin a personal picture dictionary by selecting images from magazines and catalogues, discussing what each image shows, and adding an adult-supported label. The activity develops oral vocabulary, visual meaning-making and early connections between spoken words, pictures and print. Students will continue adding pages and share one favourite picture each day throughout Week 4.

Learning intentions

• WALT talk about and name familiar objects, people, places and actions.
• WALT collect pictures that show the meaning of words.
• WALT work with an adult to add labels to our pictures.
• WALT share one favourite picture and explain why we chose it.

Success criteria

• I can choose a picture and say what it shows.
• I can listen for and repeat the word for my picture.
• I can help an adult write or attach a label.
• I can show my favourite picture and say something about it.

Curriculum links

• English Foundation: creating and responding to multimodal texts using images, spoken language and early print.
• English Foundation: building vocabulary through conversations about familiar people, objects, places and experiences.
• English Year 1 progression: creating and re-reading short multimodal texts, using topic-specific vocabulary and editing with adult guidance.
• English Year 2 progression: creating and editing short informative texts for familiar audiences, using appropriate text structure and topic-specific vocabulary.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Welcome and hook. Teacher opens the picture dictionary introduction and shows a striking collection of labelled pictures, asking, “How can a picture help us remember a word?” Students look, talk with a partner and name any pictures they recognise.

2. 7–15 min · Model the task. Teacher demonstrates choosing one clear image from a catalogue, saying its name, placing it on a page and adding a label with adult support; the teacher models stretching the word, listening for sounds and checking that the label matches the picture. Students practise saying a chosen word and identifying its first sound or letter where appropriate.

3. 15–20 min · Explain safe and careful collecting. Teacher uses the choosing, cutting and labelling instructions to explain how to share magazines, use scissors safely, select one picture at a time and ask before taking an image. Students repeat the three steps: “Choose, stick, label.”

4. 20–38 min · Collect and paste. Teacher places a small selection of magazines and catalogues at each workspace, supports students to find suitable images and records each child’s spoken word if needed. Students cut or tear out images, choose two or three pictures, glue them onto the personal picture dictionary pages, and discuss where each picture belongs in their dictionary.

5. 38–50 min · Label with adult support. Teacher works with students one at a time or in pairs, writing a clear label beside each image while inviting students to say the word, identify sounds, trace over the word or attempt some letters; adults use the child’s exact vocabulary and model correct spelling without requiring independent spelling. Students help create each label, reread it with the adult and add a drawing, colour or mark if they finish early.

6. 50–57 min · Favourite-picture share. Teacher opens the sharing sentence prompt and models, “My favourite picture is a ___ because ___.” Each student shows one picture to the group and shares the word and one reason; classmates practise attentive listening and may ask, “What is it?” or “Why do you like it?”

7. 57–60 min · Pack away and continue the routine. Teacher previews the Week 4 picture-sharing routine, explains that students will add pictures when appropriate and share one favourite picture each day, then stores dictionaries safely. Students return scraps, close glue and scissors, and tell a partner which word they hope to add next.

Resources

• the picture dictionary introduction covering the hook, modelling, instructions, sharing prompt and Week 4 routine
• the personal picture dictionary pages with several large picture spaces and lines for labels
• Assorted clean magazines, catalogues and brochures
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue sticks
• Pencils, crayons and coloured pencils
• Individual folders or tubs for storing dictionaries
• Adult writing support, including a class word list or picture-word bank
• Optional tablet or classroom camera for photographing completed pages

Assessment

• Listen during selection and discussion: can each student name or describe a chosen image using familiar vocabulary?
• Observe the dictionary-making process: can each student connect an image with a spoken word and participate in creating a matching label?
• During sharing, note whether students show a picture, use its word and communicate a simple reason. Record one next step for vocabulary, oral language or print awareness.

Differentiation

• Support students with a small choice of pre-selected images, picture-word prompts, sentence starters such as “I found a ___”, and adult scribing. Offer thicker pencils, adapted scissors or pre-cut images where fine-motor skills are a barrier.
• For EAL learners, accept home-language discussion, invite families to contribute translated labels, and pair each spoken English word with pointing, gesture and a clear visual.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly access through large clear print, uncluttered pages, high contrast, a plain sans-serif font, oral instructions, repeated modelling and the option to listen rather than decode labels independently.
• Extend confident learners by finding two images beginning with the same sound, adding an adjective such as “red apple”, or making a simple sentence about one picture for an adult to record.