FOR-PD’s Reading Strategy of the Month

 

"Standing back from a book to reflect on images as we stand back from a painting permits us to create an amalgam-the conclusion we draw, the interpreation we create-is our very personal rendition of the text."
~Keen & Zimmerman, Mosaic of Thought

Rationale:

Within our daily lives we are provided with an abundance of visual images from a variety of sources. From daily television shows and commercials, to the billboards seen on the way to school or work, to the illustrations provided in our students' textbooks; imagery surrounds us. Yet, the images we are shown are not always the images we personally would arrive at had they not been presented to us. If we could not see the images of our favorite TV show, but could only read the script, would the images we visualize match those of the ones provided? Or would our thoughts furnish us with a different picture? Perhaps it would be more personal and reflective, as we made connections with what we read and what we personally know about the topic.

Visualization is the ability to build mental pictures or images while reading. It is evident that our own visualizations, when reading the script, would greatly depend upon our prior knowledge and engagement with the topic (Manning, 2002; Keene & Zimmerman, 1997). However, if we are able to construct any mental image from what we read, it is likely that our understanding of the material will be greater than had we not (Gambrell & Jawitz, 1993). Better yet, if we are able to combine the ability to generate mental imagery (visualization) and attend to illustrations provided in a text, there is greater effect on the understanding of the material and enhanced comprehension (Gambrell & Jawitz, 1993).

Helping our students gain visualization skills is an important way to foster greater comprehension when reading. It allows students the ability to become more engaged in their reading and use their imagery to draw conclusions, create interpretations of the text, and recall details and elements from the text (Keene & Zimmerman, 1997). Struggling students' ability to monitor and evaluate their own comprehension is enhanced by mental imagery (Gambrell & Bale, 1986). When a breakdown in comprehnesion occurs, and a mental image cannot be visualized, students will become aware of the need for a fix-up strategy.

Keene and Zimmerman (1997), in their book Mosaic of Thought, offer some key ideas on why teachers should help their learners evoke images when reading. They include:

How to Use the Strategy:

Visualization can be developed through a variety of activities and lessons. A first step is to provide a model and explanation about generating mental images for the students. Choosing a piece of text to read aloud to students that is short and descriptive can be useful. If the text has pictures, it is important to conceal the pictures until the end of the lesson.

Before beginning the actual read aloud/visualization mini-lesson, the teacher may want to suggest that students close their eyes and listen carefully as the story is read. The teacher may also want to share how the pictures that she makes in her mind help her better understand what she reads. For example, she may say:

"When we read we can often make pictures in our minds about what is happening in the story. Pictures of the setting, the characters, and what is happening can help us understand and remember what we read. When I think about what is going on in the story, I make a personal connection to the picture in my mind." (Johns & Lenski, 2001)
During the mini-lesson, the teacher should read a short part of the given text, and complete a "think-aloud." The think-aloud needs to be very specific as the teacher discusses how the images are produced in his/her mind. The teacher should describe in detail how the words from the text remind her of something in her own life and develop into an image. The teacher can discuss incidents, emotions, and new understandings. Having students listen for adjectives can also be helpful. Thinking aloud about what it may look or feel like to be "hot and sticky" or "so happy I could fly away" will be helpful to struggling students. The first mini-lessons designed for modeling the strategy of visualization should be almost completely teacher directed (Keene & Zimmerman, 1997).

As students become more accustomed to the concept of visualization and mental imagery, the teacher should gradually invite students to share and expand their own images developed during the read alouds. The emphasis during the first mini-lessons on this strategy should be the materials that are not too challenging. The goal is to help students become aware of the need to create their own images and expand on them. As the year continues, the teacher will want to increase the level of difficulty of the text. Soon students will be sharing their visualizations during read alouds and their own private time for reading.

Allowing opportunities for students to share their images with the teacher and other students is vital. Offering them help in describing their images is also an important part to the development of the strategy. As mental images are visual representations of thoughts, it is often a good idea to allow students the opportunity to draw and illustrate their own mental pictures of the stories they read or that are read to them. Sharing these and comparing them will allow for greater understanding and comprehension of the text.

The Role of Text Illustrations

As noted by Gambrell and Jawitz (1993), combining the ability to generate mental imagery and consider text illustrations will allow for greater comprehension than when either strategy is used in isolation. Struggling readers benefit greatly from illustrations provided in the text. They offer support to these readers more than non-struggling readers because poor readers tend to need confirmation about what they are reading (Hibbing & Rankin-Erickson, 2003).

However, when text illustrations do not match the story, comprehension can decrease and learning can be reduced. One way to overcome this obstacle is to allow students to become engaged in the story and critique the illustrations after analysis of the text (Hibbing & Rankin-Erickson, 2003).


Other Ideas

Creating Comic Strips (Johns & Lenski, 2001)
Allowing students to illustrate frames in comic book fashion to explain what is happening in a story is a good way to promote visualization. Students can work together or individually on the creation of a short strip of the story. Modeling how to visualize scenes from the story beforehand will be helpful to students understanding of the concept. "Talking bubbles" can be added to aid in further understanding of the story.

Using Picture Books (Hibbing & Rankin-Erickson, 2003)
Picture books are often used with younger learners to develop early literacy skills in the areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and comprehension. Providing older students with picture books will often allow them to have a greater understanding of higher level concepts by using a lower level text. Both older and younger students can be trained to use the illustrations in text to enhance comprehension and their own visualization.

Movies and W-R-W-R (Hibbing & Rankin-Erickson, 2003)
Movies provide a wonderful opportunity for students to gain background understanding to intermingle with their own visualization about a story or concept. When reading a text, the addition of a movie can help students connect to new information they may have not had background in and adapt their new thoughts, images, and feelings to the text at hand (Gambrell & Jawitz, 1993). Hibbing and Rankin-Erickson suggest using a Watch-Read-Watch-Read (W-R-W-R) method in which students will build some background of the text, make predictions, watch part of the movie, read more of the text, confirm understandings, make more predictions, watch more of the movie, and continue reading the text (2003).

Assessment:

Assessment of the visualization strategy can be in the form of teacher observation, student self-assessment, use of a mini-conference rubric, or the review of an illustration of a mental image after a read aloud. Helping students understand the concept, giving them the opportunity to practice the strategy, and giving quality feedback are important parts to helping students enhance their comprehension.


(Click above to see a Student Self-Assessment Rubric for Visualization)

(Click above to see a handout that can be used by students as a guide for visualizing.)



Resources:

Visualization: Making Mind Pictures
This document provides step-by-step instructions on how to instruct students on developing visualization. A worksheet/activity is provided on how to make mental pictures.
http://ayr.ednet.ns.ca/pdf/mindpict.pdf

Visualization for Comprehension
Using the book, The Magic School Bus Chapter Book #1: The Truth About Bats, Mandy Williamson offers a lesson on helping young learners understand the concept of visualization when working on comprehending text.
http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/explor/williamsonrl. html

Opening the Door: Teaching Students to Use Visualization to Improve Comprehension
Cathy Puett Miller provides a step-by-step technique on how to help students understand and practice the use of visualization when reading.
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev094.shtml

The Adventures of Visualization
Casey Tidwell offers us this lesson on how to help students listen to and read stories while visualizing the text.
http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba/explor/tidw ellrl.html

Teaching Shapes Using Read-Alouds, Visualization, and Sketch to Stretch
Written by Debbie Kozdras, this lesson shows how, during read-alouds, students are encouraged to use a visualization strategy to synthesize information.
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=797

The Power of Mental Images: Visualizing Literature
Stiles X. Simmons, from Mann Elementary School in Detroit, Michigan, provides this lesson plan on using visualization to construct meaning in a fun and creative way.
http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/04-1/lesson008.shtml

References:

Gambrell, L.B., & Bales, R.J. (1986). Mental imagery and the comprehension-monitoring performance of fourth- and fifth-grade poor readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 454-464.

Gambrell, L.B., & Jawitz, P.B. (1993). Mental imagery, text illustrations, and children's story comprehension and recall. Reading Research Quarterly, 28, 264-276.

Hibbing, A. N., & Rankin-Erickson, J. L. (2003). A picture is worth a thousand words: Using visual images to improve comprehension for middle school struggling readers. The Reading Teacher, 56(8), 758-771.

Johns, J. L., & Lenski, S. D. (2001). Improving Reading Strategies and Resources. Dubuque , Iowa : Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Keene, E. & Zimmermann, S. (1997). Mosaic of thought. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Manning, M. (2002). Visualizing when reading. Teaching PreK-8, 32(8), 89-90.

Go to Strategy of the Month Archive.

navigation graphic go to strategies home page

go to Adobe PDF instruction page Go to Adobe PDF instruction page.

Last Updated May 25, 2005
forpd@mail.ucf.edu | (866) 227-7261 (FL only)

FOR-PD is a project of the ITRC @ UCF College of Education and administered
under a grant from the Florida Department of Education and Just Read, Florida!