Words and Pictures Connect

Overview

In this third lesson of the five-lesson unit “All About Me at School,” students explore how illustrations and printed words work together in a simple patterned school text. Through shared reading, matching, echo reading, and sequencing, students build on earlier practice with book handling, listening, and classroom routines.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to identify the cover, title, pictures, printed words, and spaces between words.
• Students will be able to track print from left to right and from top to bottom during shared reading.
• Students will be able to connect an illustration with the meaning of a sentence or story moment.
• Students will be able to answer questions and retell three story events in order.
• Students will be able to recognize and produce a simple rhyming word during a brief review.

Success criteria

• I can tell the difference between a picture and printed words.
• I can follow along as the teacher reads.
• I can connect a picture to what is happening in the story.
• I can retell events in the correct order.

Curriculum links

• Understanding the organization and basic features of print
• Following words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page
• Describing how illustrations relate to moments in a story
• Asking and answering questions about key details and recognizing rhyming words

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Carpet routine and hook. Teacher seats students in a clearly marked carpet space, reviews “eyes watching, ears listening, body still,” and opens the introduction and picture hook showing a school picture with a short printed sentence. Students turn and talk: “What do you notice in the picture? What might the words tell us?”

2. 5–12 min · Book and print features. Teacher introduces a teacher-created patterned text such as I Can Learn at School, displaying the book-feature slides alongside the enlarged text. Point to the cover and title, explain that pictures show meaning while printed words can be read, and model identifying the first word, last word, spaces, and the reading direction. Students help locate the cover, title, a space, and the first word using verbal responses or pointing.

3. 12–22 min · Shared and echo reading. Teacher reads the text aloud once, tracking each word with a pointer from left to right and page by page. Reread the repeated line, inviting students to echo one short phrase at a time; return to the shared-reading slides for the repeated sentence and pause to ask, “What is happening here?” Students follow the pointer, echo-read repeated lines, and use the illustrations to explain what each page means.

4. 22–30 min · Picture-to-print matching. Teacher models matching one picture card to its corresponding word or patterned sentence, thinking aloud: “I look at the picture, then check whether the words tell the same thing.” Pairs use prepared picture cards and tactile word or sentence cards, with the matching activity directions displayed. Students match cards, explain their choice to a partner, and listen for a classmate’s evidence. Invite two pairs to demonstrate.

5. 30–39 min · Sequence and discuss. Teacher gives each pair three picture cards representing beginning, middle, and end events from the text. Display the sequencing slides and ask, “What happened first? What happened next? What happened last?” Students arrange the pictures, then retell the story using “First… Next… Last…” Sentence frames and pointing are acceptable responses. Ask one key-detail question, such as “What did the child do at school?”

6. 39–45 min · Review and exit check. Teacher revisits the review and closing slides, briefly shows two words and asks students whether they rhyme, then conducts an individual or partner check. Each student points to a picture and says whether it shows a picture or printed words, tracks one short line with a finger or pointer, and identifies the first event from the sequence. Close with students sharing one way pictures help them understand a story.

Resources

• the Words and Pictures Connect slide deck
• the picture, print, and story-order worksheet
• Enlarged teacher-created patterned school text
• Pointer, bookmark, or craft stick for tracking print
• Prepared school-themed picture cards
• Tactile word and sentence cards
• Carpet spots or seating markers
• Pencils, crayons, and document camera
• Teacher checklist for print and retelling observations

Assessment

• During shared reading, check whether students orient the book correctly, identify the cover and title, notice spaces, and track words left to right.
• During matching and sequencing, listen for explanations connecting a picture to sentence meaning and note whether students place and retell three events in order.
• Use the final individual or partner check to record whether each student distinguishes pictures from print and follows one line of text. Collect the picture, print, and story-order worksheet if completed.

Differentiation

• For students needing support, use enlarged print, high-contrast pictures, a pointer, repeated readings, and one-step directions. Seat them near the teacher and provide a carpet spot or quiet workspace to support attention and body control.
• Pair students for echo reading and matching. Offer sentence frames such as “The picture shows ___,” “The words say ___,” and “First, ___.”
• For students not yet ready to read print, allow pointing, oral responses, and picture-based sequencing. Use tactile word cards and physically guide tracking without requiring independent decoding.
• For EAL learners and students with communication or fine-motor needs, preview school actions with gestures, accept home-language discussion or AAC/pointing, and provide larger cards or a partner to handle materials. Students ready for more challenge can identify another word or phrase that repeats and suggest a rhyming word.