Visual Storytelling Arrival

Overview

Students are introduced to the unit theme “Exploring The Arrival” through visual storytelling. They will identify themes in images, practise predicting and discussing meaning from visual and textual clues, and build confidence to interpret how structure and presentation shape understanding.

Learning intentions

• WALT understand the concept of visual storytelling and how images contribute to meaning.
• Students will identify key themes suggested by images and discuss how those images help communicate ideas.
• Students will make and test predictions about a narrative using details that are stated or implied.

Success criteria

• I can explain what “visual storytelling” means in my own words.
• I can identify at least two themes from a series of images (for example, hope, fear, belonging, journey).
• I can discuss how images help me understand the story’s meaning.
• I can give a prediction about what might happen next and justify it with evidence.

Curriculum links

• Reading – comprehension: understand what they read by identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
• Reading – comprehension: understand what they read by predicting what might happen from details stated and implied.
• Reading – comprehension: identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing.
• Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation (informal emphasis): use precise vocabulary to explain ideas about images (for example, contrast, atmosphere, perspective).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Gallery walk). Teacher displays 6–8 classroom-safe images related to a journey/arrival (no graphic content), then asks: “What story do you think these images tell?” Students look silently, jotting one feeling and one guess about the situation.

2. 5–15 min · Mini-teach: What visual storytelling does. Teacher models thinking aloud using one image: describe what is shown (details) and what is implied (atmosphere, relationships, possible motives). Students turn-and-talk to define “visual storytelling” and choose one image feature that helps meaning (colour, facial expressions, viewpoint, objects, setting).

3. 15–25 min · Theme hunt in image sequences. Teacher groups images into a sequence and asks: “Which themes appear again and again?” (e.g., uncertainty, resilience, separation, welcome). Students work in pairs to choose 2 themes and write evidence sentences using the frame: “The theme of ___ is shown when ___.”

4. 25–35 min · Predict and justify (stated vs implied). Teacher shows a “middle” image from the sequence and pauses before revealing the “next” image. Students predict what might happen next, using the stem: “I think ___ will happen because the image shows/implies ___.”

5. 35–45 min · Whole-class discussion: images + structure. Teacher leads discussion on how ordering, contrast between images, and presentation choices guide meaning. Prompts: “How does the order change what you expect?” “Where do you see contrast?” Students contribute one evidence-based comment, using vocabulary such as perspective, atmosphere, contrast, symbol, expression.

6. 45–55 min · Short response: evidence-based theme paragraph. Teacher provides a template: Topic sentence (theme) → Evidence (what we see) → Explanation (what it suggests about the story). Students write a 6–8 sentence paragraph focusing on one theme, making sure they refer to at least two specific image details.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket (quick check). Teacher asks one final question: “Choose one image detail that you think is the most important for meaning—what is it and why?” Students complete the exit ticket with one prediction or explanation, ready for teacher review.

Resources

• Set of 6–8 images on arrival/journey themes (printed or projected)
• Theme word bank (hope, fear, belonging, journey, welcome, separation, resilience)
• Evidence sentence starters and prediction stems (printed slips or board)
• Student writing template (topic → evidence → explanation)
• Exit ticket cards or paper
• Timer and display board/interactive whiteboard

Assessment

• Teacher circulates during theme hunt and checks accuracy of theme identification using evidence sentences.
• Use the discussion prompts to assess students’ ability to justify meaning from implied details.
• Collect exit tickets to confirm students can explain one key image detail and connect it to meaning.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters (“The theme of ___ is shown when ___.” / “I think ___ because ___ implies ___.”) and a partially completed template for the response paragraph.
• Support: pair visuals with a brief caption for students who need extra scaffolding (e.g., “A journey begins…”), then ask them to replace the caption wording with their own.
• Challenge/Extension in-lesson: ask advanced pairs to identify a “turning point” image and explain how contrast in presentation shifts expectations.
• EAL/SEN: allow oral rehearsal before writing; offer a word bank with synonyms for feelings and explanation verbs (suggests, implies, indicates, contrasts).

Extension (optional)

• For students ready to stretch further: create a simple visual story plan from a personal experience using 4 panels (thumbnail sketches). Students add 2–3 caption lines that match the themes they identified in class and write one “implied detail” per panel (what the reader should infer, not what is explicitly shown).