Standard: K.RI.7 – With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
Grade level: Kindergarten
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Reading: Informational Text
Teacher Overview
This standard focuses on helping kindergarten students understand the relationship between illustrations and the accompanying text. It is crucial because it lays the foundation for visual literacy, which is an essential component of reading comprehension. By learning to describe how illustrations relate to the text, students begin to develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the material. Students should already recognize that pictures and text both convey meaning and be able to identify simple words and images.
After mastering this standard, students will be able to analyze more complex relationships between text and illustrations, enhancing their overall reading comprehension skills.
Common Misconception 1
Some students may think that illustrations are merely decorative and do not contribute to understanding the text. This misconception arises because they might not have been taught to look for information in pictures.
Intervention 1
To address this, teachers can use guided reading sessions to discuss how illustrations provide additional information and context to the text. Asking questions about the illustrations and how they relate to the story can help reinforce this understanding.
Common Misconception 2
Another common misconception is that all illustrations directly match the text word-for-word. Students might not realize that illustrations can provide broader context or additional details.
Intervention 2
Teachers can engage students in activities that involve comparing and contrasting text and illustrations. This helps students understand that while illustrations support the text, they can also offer extra information or a different perspective.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should be familiar with basic concepts of print, such as understanding that pictures and text convey meaning, and recognizing simple words and images.
Subsequent Knowledge
Students will develop the ability to analyze more complex relationships between text and illustrations, including understanding how illustrations can enhance or clarify the meaning of the text.
Instructional Activities
- Picture Walk: Before reading a book, go through the illustrations and predict what the story might be about.
- Illustration Detective: Have students find specific details in the illustrations that support the text.
- Story Mapping: Create a map of the story using both text and illustrations.
- Character Match: Match characters from the text to their illustrations.
- Illustration Description: Describe what is happening in an illustration and how it relates to the text.
