Picture
This!
By
Rationale
After
students become fluent readers, it is
imperative they learn good comprehension skills which is the ultimate
goal of
reading. One of the ways students can
comprehend better is to use visualization.
This lesson will help students connect their background
knowledge to the
text to create visual images in their mind and better their
comprehension
skills.
Materials
Copies of James
and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (one for each student)
blank sheets of paper
& coloring utensils
Visualization
Journals (blank paper or composition notebooks for each student)
&
writing utensils
classroom dictionaries
1. Have class sit on the
floor in a circle around you. We
are going to travel to a place far
away. First we need to get comfortable,
close our eyes, and open our minds. I am
going to tell about the place that we are going to visit, and I want
you to
imagine that you are there. Try to
picture all of the things that I describe so that you feel that you can
really
see it. Ready? I
can hear the wind blowing as it blows
coolly against my skin. The sun is warm
and bright. It is reflecting off of each
wave as they crash onto the white sand.
A seagull is flying above us and swoops down into the water to
catch a
fish in his beak. There are two thick
palm trees and each one is rich with coconuts.
Okay, class, you can all open your eyes now.
Where did we travel? How did you
know it was the beach? What did you see? Have you been to the beach before and if so,
is that the same beach you pictured today?
Allow the class to share their visions and relate it to
other
experiences they may have had. Why
do you think some of us had slightly
different pictures in our mind than others?
Point out that people tend to visualize differently because
they
draw from their own background knowledge.
Make sure that it is clear that it is a good thing that people
have
different visualizations. Do
you think that you could draw a picture
of the beach I described? Later I will
ask you to draw a picture of something that you read.
2. One of my favorite things about reading is traveling to many
different
places. I have been to countries all
over the world in many different time periods such as Victorian England
and a war-torn
Rwanda, I have been to magical realms like Hogwarts and the Shire, and
I have
seen people and creatures that I never knew existed!
All these things are possible through my
imagination. Today we are going to learn
how using our imagination and visualizing books help us to understand
and enjoy
books.
3.
One of my favorite authors is Roald Dahl because he likes
to take his
readers on really exciting trips! Today
we are going to climb inside of a giant peach as we begin reading James
and
the Giant Peach. This book is
about a young boy who
accidentally drops some magic crystals next to an old peach tree. A peach at the top of the tree begins to grow
and grow until it is the size of a house!
When James goes inside of the peach, he meets some very
interesting
characters. We are going to read to find
out what happens to James when he is inside this giant peach.
4. Students can stay seated on the floor as you
read Chapter 1 aloud. You can
close your eyes and relax to help
you visualize the story—just don’t fall asleep!
After reading, ask students about their mental pictures. How did
you picture his house he lived in with his parents?
Did anyone see the same beach they had
pictured when I described the beach earlier?
Point out that sometimes we make mental connections of
things we
have imagined or seen before. This helps
us visualize new things. What
did the rhinoceros look like? What about
the “queer ramshackle house” his
aunts lived in? The garden? Give students the chance to share
their images. This will engage them in the
story. It will also help them develop
their own
pictures to hear other students’ visualizations.
5.
The next thing we will do is read Chapter 2 silently. When
we read
silently, it is important we don’t disturb our neighbors.
We also must make sure that we understand
what we are reading. What should we do
if we come across a word that we don’t recognize? Be
sure there are classroom dictionaries
for students to have access to. They
should be able to look up words they don’t recognize and reread the
sentences
in the story so it makes sense. In
Chapter 1, it says that there is an “ancient peach tree.”
If I didn’t know what the word ancient meant,
it would be hard for me to picture it and understand what was going on
in the
story. I might picture something
completely wrong! However, instead, I
can go and look up ancient in the dictionary.
Look it up to model for students.
It says “very old.” Now
I will reread that sentence or paragraph
to help me understand, and now, I can see the very old peach tree that
is
growing in the garden. That is probably
why the peach tree never gave any peaches—because it was so old. Do you see how understanding the meaning of
words is essential to understand the story?
6.
Students will silently
read Chapter 2. I want you to
read carefully so you can develop very clear pictures in
your head of what is happening in the story.
Then I want you to go back to your desks and draw what you see. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Remember, use your imaginations!
If Roald Dahl says “an enormous angry
rhinoceros,” you have the opportunity to create that rhinoceros exactly
as you
wish! I see him as a purplish grey beast
with an agitated face and a gigantic horn charging through an open
fence. Students
may draw a character, an action, a situation, etc.
It is important that they include as much
detail from the book as possible. Things
they might include: Aunt Sponge, Aunt
Spiker, the way that the aunts view themselves, James chopping wood. Students also need to include a description
quote from the book along with their pictures.
6. When all students are finished, have them
come back to the floor and bring their picture to share with the rest
of the
class. Why do you think a lot
of us drew Aunt Sponge the same way? Why
do you think some people drew James
chopping wood so differently? In what
ways do you think that creating these pictures in your head helps you
to understand
the story? Students should recognize
that when we visualize it keeps us engaged with the plot, it helps us
to
understand the characters, it helps us to remember specific details of
the
text, etc. Take up the pictures to
assess students’ comprehension of the text.
Each picture should have details and quotes from the book to
support
their illustrations.
7. Students can continue reading the book over a
period of time (depends on reading level and class time).
Ask them to keep a Visualization Journal to
record illustrations of all the main
characters and at least three main events from the book.
Each illustration should have cited text to
back it up. Include a few comprehension
questions that the students can answer in their journal.
How
large does the peach eventually grow to be?
What kind of friends did James have while inside the giant peach? What does the mayor give to James? This journal will be used as an individual
assessment. Students should be able to
share their
favorite images with the class.
Reference
Dahl,
Roald. James and the Giant
Peach. Penguin Group © 1961. 146 pages.
Faucett,
Lauren. Picture Yourself There! Take a
Look into Your Book!
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/faucettrl.html
Simmons,Chelsea. Picture
a TERRIFIC Pig. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/odysseys/simmonsrl.html