Pictures and Stories

Grade: 1

Duration: 45 minutes

Class Size: 25 students

Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)

Topic: How Do Pictures Help Us Understand a Story?

---

Common Core State Standards Addressed

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7

• Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1

• Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

---

Learning Objectives

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

1. Identify how pictures in a story give information about characters, settings, and events.
2. Explain how pictures help them understand what is happening in the story.
3. Participate in a group discussion expressing ideas about story images.
4. Use pictures to make simple predictions about the story.

---

Materials Needed

• A large picture book with rich illustrations (e.g., "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle or a similar book with colorful pictures)
• Chart paper and markers
• Individual student whiteboards and dry erase markers
• Printed worksheets with images from the story (one per student)
• Sticky notes (1 per student)
• Projector or document camera (optional for displaying pictures large scale)

---

Lesson Procedure

1. Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Greet students and create excitement about reading with pictures.
• Ask: "Have you ever looked at pictures in a book? What do the pictures tell you?"
• Show a large picture from the story without revealing the title or text. Prompt students to describe what they see and guess what might be happening.
• Explain: "Today, we will be detectives who use pictures to learn about a story!"

2. Interactive Read-Aloud (15 minutes)

• Read the selected picture book aloud to the class, showing each illustration clearly.
• Pause at strategic points to ask:
  • "What do you notice in this picture?"
  • "How do the pictures help us understand the story?"
  • "Can you tell me who is in the picture?"
  • "What do you think might happen next, based on the picture?"
• Encourage students to turn and talk to a partner about their observations to promote verbal processing.

3. Guided Group Discussion & Chart (10 minutes)

• Create a T-chart on chart paper labeled:
  • Left column: "What Pictures Show Us"
  • Right column: "How Pictures Help Us Understand"
• Invite students to share ideas. For example:
  • Pictures show characters (e.g., a caterpillar)
  • Pictures show where the story happens (setting)
  • Pictures show feelings (happy, sad)
  • Pictures help us think about the next part of the story
• Write their responses on the chart.
• Model using a picture to describe a character or event, linking images to story meaning.

4. Independent/Pair Activity: Picture Clues Worksheet (10 minutes)

• Distribute worksheets with 3 different images from the story without text.
• Ask students to write or draw (depending on ability) what the picture shows and what they think is happening.
• For students who need support, allow them to dictate their answers to a partner or teacher.
• Walk around to provide guidance and encourage elaboration.

5. Sharing and Closure (5 minutes)

• Invite a few students to share their worksheet ideas with the class.
• Reinforce the idea that pictures tell us important parts of the story and help us understand better.
• End with a prompt on sticky notes: "My favorite picture shows..." Have students write or draw and stick it on a classroom poster titled "Our Picture Detectives."

---

Assessment

• Formative: During read-aloud and discussion, listen for students’ ability to connect pictures with story details.
• Worksheet Review: Check for understanding in student responses about what pictures show and how they help.
• Exit Ticket: The sticky note favorite picture activity provides insight into students’ grasp of the role of images.

---

Differentiation Strategies

• For students needing extra support:
  • Provide sentence frames like "This picture shows ___."
  • Use partner reading and discussion.
• For advanced students:
  • Encourage making predictions using picture clues before reading the text on a page.

---

Reflection and Extension Ideas

• Invite students to create their own illustrated story pages using simple text and pictures.
• Display storybooks with fewer words and strong pictures for independent exploration.
• Use digital storytelling apps in future lessons to combine drawing and writing, reinforcing text-image connections.

---

This lesson integrates visual literacy with foundational reading skills, meeting key first-grade Common Core standards while engaging young learners actively and creatively.