Using Visual Aids

Year Level

Year 1–3

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

6 students

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Unit Context

This lesson is Lesson 5 of 15 in the unit "Mastering Procedural Texts". Focus: Understanding and creating visual aids (diagrams, pictures) that support procedural texts written in previous lessons.

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Australian Curriculum Links

Australian Curriculum (v9) – English, Years 1–3

Strands:

• Language
• Literacy
• Literature

Content Descriptions:

• ACELY1660 (Year 1): Understand that a simple procedure has a sequence of steps and that correct sequencing is important for success.
• ACELY1670 (Year 2): Understand how texts vary in content, structure and language depending on the purpose and context.
• ACELY1680 (Year 3): Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features.

Achievement Standard Highlights:

By the end of Year 3, students:

• Understand the elements of procedural texts, including the use of diagrams and illustrations to aid comprehension.
• Create simple procedural texts and include visual elements to support meaning.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Explain how diagrams and pictures help readers understand procedural texts.
2. Identify and discuss different types of visual aids used in procedural texts.
3. Create simple and clear visual aids to support their own procedural writing from the previous lesson.
4. Collaborate with peers to share ideas and give feedback on visual aids.

Aligned with Australian Curriculum, students will develop:

• Understanding of text structure and language features of procedural texts.
• Skills in creating multimodal texts combining written instructions and visuals.
• Ability to communicate clearly for a specific audience.

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Resources Needed

• Example procedural texts with diagrams and pictures (printed or displayed)
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
• Drawing paper, coloured pencils, crayons, or markers
• Previous lesson's procedural writing samples from students
• Visual aid templates (optional) – e.g., step boxes, arrows, labelled diagrams
• Dyslexia-friendly fonts and paper for reading samples
• Digital devices/tablets (optional) for creating digital visual aids

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction and Warm-up (10 minutes)

• Begin with a short group discussion: Ask students, "Have you ever followed a recipe or instructions? Did pictures or drawings help you?"
• Show 2–3 simple procedural texts (e.g., how to make a sandwich, plant seeds) with and without pictures.
• Guide discussion using questioning:
• What do the pictures show?
• How do they help you understand the steps?
• Highlight that visual aids can make a procedure easier to follow.

Differentiation:

• Use concrete, relatable examples to engage all learners.
• For dyslexic students, provide text samples in dyslexia-friendly fonts and paired with clear pictures.

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2. Explore Visual Aids in Procedural Texts (15 minutes)

• Explicitly teach the purpose of common visual aids:
• Diagrams
• Step-by-step pictures
• Arrows to show sequence
• Labels and captions
• Use a shared text or chart paper to annotate these features with the class.
• Invite students to identify the parts of the visuals and what information they provide.

Differentiation:

• For students who need extra support, co-construct a simple diagram as a class using drawing and labelling.
• Encourage advanced learners to think about how visuals can be improved for clarity or creativity (e.g., adding colour, humour, or symbols).

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3. Hands-On Visual Aid Creation (25 minutes)

• Provide students with their own procedural texts written in the previous lesson.
• Instruct students to create visual aids that match each step of their procedure. This can be:
• Drawings or diagrams
• Pictures cut out and pasted
• Simple flowcharts
• Encourage students to use arrows or numbers to show sequence clearly.
• Circulate to support, prompt elaboration, and challenge advanced students to add detail or include labels.

Extension for Advanced Learners:

• Create digital versions of their visual aids using tablets or computers if available.
• Add captions or speech bubbles to explain pictures further.
• Design a class booklet combining everyone's procedures and visuals.

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4. Sharing and Feedback (8 minutes)

• Each student briefly presents their procedure with visual aids to the group.
• Encourage peers to give positive feedback and suggest one thing they liked or one idea for improvement.

Differentiation:

• Allow students who find oral presentations challenging to share with the teacher or in pairs instead of the whole group.
• Provide sentence starters for feedback, e.g., "I like how you drew...," "Maybe you could add..."

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5. Reflection and Conclusion (2 minutes)

• Recap the lesson’s key ideas: visual aids help explain steps in a procedure and make instructions easier to follow.
• Explain that next lesson will focus on revising both text and visual aids for clarity.

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Assessment

• Formative: Observe students’ participation in discussion and ability to identify visual aids and their purposes.
• Product: Review students’ created visual aids alongside their procedural texts for:
• Clarity and relevance of drawings/diagrams to the written steps
• Use of sequence indicators like arrows or numbers
• Effort and creativity
• Peer feedback will serve as a supportive assessment of communication and listening skills.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide dyslexia-friendly reading materials and font colours for procedural texts.
• Use multimodal instruction (oral, visual, hands-on) to support varied learning needs.
• Scaffold visual aid creation with templates or guided drawing steps for students needing extra help.
• Allow advanced students to extend into digital multimodal text creation or more detailed labelling.
• Pair students heterogeneously to support peer learning and confidence.

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Dyslexia-Friendly Tips

• Use clear, sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Comic Sans) for any printed text.
• Present instructions both verbally and in writing.
• Include plenty of white space on worksheets and visual aid templates.
• Use consistent and simple colour coding (e.g., blue for titles, red for arrows) to clarify information.
• Allow extra time to process instructions and create visual aids.

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Extension Activities

• Create an interactive "How To" class book or digital slideshow compiling all students’ procedures and visuals, sharing with another class or parents.
• Encourage students to include symbols or emojis as visual aids for steps to relate to modern multimodal texts.
• Challenge advanced learners to explain why visual aids are important and how they might change depending on the audience (for example, younger children vs. older readers).

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This lesson plan centers on developing explicit understanding and skills in integrating visual aids with procedural texts. It respects the Australian Curriculum’s emphasis on multimodal literacy and clear communication for young learners. Differentiation and engagement strategies make it accessible and challenging for all students in Years 1-3, supporting literacy growth in line with national standards.