Reading Power: Making Visualizations

Since the beginning of the school year, we have been learning how to make meaningful connections to text, through personal or self-connections and text-to-text connections. Recently, our class was introduced to the power of Visualization. Making visualizations helps one to understand a text better. Students were encouraged to create mental images, or “pictures in their minds” when they listened and responded to a story, or non-fiction piece of information. We practiced their skill by studying pictures of the four seasons and sharing the images that were constructed.  By focusing student’s attention on four of their senses (sight, smell, taste and touch), they were able to make rich and meaningful visualizations. After these thoughtful conversations, students worked in partners to document their thinking on a “Season Planning Sheet”.  They used that brainstorming sheet to work on their own to create a “Season Story Strip”.  I was so impressed by the detailed and elaborate visualizations that were created.  Amazing job!