Visualizing!

1. Visualizing! By David, Mallory, and Jennifer

2. What is visualizing? *Visualizing=When a reader creates mental images of what they are reading. • Does not require higher level thinking • Allows the reader to place themselves in the images they create • Ability to flesh out and give dimension to the reading(s) • Visualization helps readers engage with text in ways that make it personable and memorable

3. Common Core • Reading Standards 4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. 4.a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

4. DAY ONE • Sketch-to-Stretch Children rest with eyes closed and heads down on their desks. Teacher reads aloud a descriptive expert from a story such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Where the Wild Things Are. Students are then asked to draw a picture that represents what they visualized when listening to the reading.

5. DAY TWO • Mind-to-Classroom • Students grab their drawings from the day before and meet in small, diverse learning groups (different artistic abilities, boys and girls, etc). • Students share their visual representations of the text, focusing on points written on board: • Why did you use these colors? • Why did you draw these characters? • What descriptive language do you remember hearing?

6. DAY THREE • Scary Creature Students work in pairs! Each generates a list of adjectives and descriptive words describing the scariest creature ever. Then, their partner draws a visual representation of that creature. After the creature is created, students write a short story paragraph of where their creature lives. Students then share pictures and stories in larger group collaboration.

7. DAY FOUR • My Charlotte’s Web Students read (to themselves) a different chapter from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Working individually, the students illustrate their chapter and write a paragraph summarizing and describing their illustration. After each student has illustrated his or her chapter, they will share with the class. After each student has shared, the class will watch the film version of Charlotte’s Web. At the end of the day, students will compare and contrast their version of the story to that of the film version in their journals.

8. Adaptations! • For our English learners • Group students into strategic pairs This way, strong and struggling readers may be paired together to ensure success. • Students take turns reading a page, part of a page, or a sentence This puts minimal pressure on language learners and allows them to gain more from hearing the book read aloud. • Show cover of book to students to spark visualizations • Especially on Day 1, show cover of book to students so that they get a visual preview of what types of descriptions they are about to hear

9. Adaptations! • For our students with IEP’s • Pictures may be collages or drawn with stencils • For students with fine motor needs, pictures may be drawn using circle stencils for peoples’ heads, straightedge for lines, and all that jazz • Word bank for adjectives, Day 3* • Possible scary creature adjectives listed for students to choose from May even scatter word list with distracters (words that don’t fit) • Charlotte’s Web book on tape for Day 4* Emerging readers may listen to passage on tape while creating illustration *May be used for all emerging readers. The intent of the lesson is visualizing, not reading for fluency!