How+to+Visualize

=Why Teach Visualization=

[|Effective Guides Junior Click Here]

Visualization is key to comprehension, especially reading comprehension. Many children and adults have difficulty understanding what they read because they do not make mental pictures of what they read. There are some very basic steps to improving visualization. These can be implemented at home or at school.

=Visualize Chant= You don't use your eyes when you visualize You don't use your eyes when you visualize You don't use your eyes when you visualize You use your brain! Yah!
 * (snap or clap the beat)**
 * (Adrienne Gear, 2009)**

=Visualize Song= When my teacher reads a book Then my brain begins to look! Seeing Pictures in my head As the story's being read, Making pictues, me and you. You can THINK some pictures too!
 * (to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")**
 * (Diane Martin, Spul'ukwuks School)**

**Success Criteria**
= = = = =Article=
 * =====I can use words I hear or read in a text to create visual images or "movies in my mind" (Harvey & Goudvis, p.11)=====
 * I can turn on my brain just as I would turn on my TV, to enjoy the many images I can create.
 * I am training my brain for when I begin to read books that don't include pictures with the text.
 * I activate my imagination as I read.
 * I use my background knowledge (schema) with the words of the authors to create mental images that help understand the story it brings the story to life.
 * I can use all my senses to create mental images.



Things You'll Need
.1 Show the child a simple picture with a few details. For example, a picture of a little girl eating ice cream. Place the picture in such a position that you cannot see it, but the child can. .2 Pretend that you have not seen the picture. Have the child describe what she sees in it. Ask questions. "Is it a picture of a boy or girl?" "What is she doing?" Ask about the background of the picture. "Is it daytime or nighttime?" "Is she inside or outside?" "How can you tell?" Ask the child if there is any movement in the picture. Repeat this process with more pictures.
 * Index cards Marker Simple pictures from coloring books or elsewhere Children's books with pictures covered Sticky notes or paper
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Word Imaging
Write some familiar nouns on index cards. For example: dog, horse, bicycle or fireman. Show the student one of the words, and read it aloud. Have the child describe what he pictures for that word. Ask questions. "What color is the dog?" "How big is it?" "Do you picture it doing anything?" Repeat this process with more words.
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Sentence/Story Imaging
Choose some simple picture books that are unfamiliar to the child. Cover the pictures in the book with sticky notes or paper. Read a sentence or two to the child. For example, "The quick brown fox jumped over the fence." Have him tell you what he pictures for what you have read. Ask questions about the story. "What color was the fox?" "What did you picture it doing?" Repeat this process with more sentences/stories.
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=Graphic Organizers=











=Books To Teach Visualization=



[|14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy]
September 5, 2011 — Links to Literacy //In June2002, an unusual ceremony begins in a village in western Kenya.// //An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed on the American people, and he is there to accept it.// This touching story of a small village and their gift for our grieving country after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is an appropriate book to read as we remember the 10th anniversary of this horrific event. ©2011 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.
 * Recommended Grades**: 4-6
 * //Lesson idea://** [|14 Cows for America][[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1561454907&camp=217145&creative=399369 width="1" height="1"]] is a fine book to just read aloud to your class and discuss the events and feelings surrounding that fateful day. These children have never known a world without color coding and long security lines at airports. The fact that a small village in Kenya gifted our country with something so meaningful and important to them is a great point of discussion.
 * Visualizing Text:** If you would like to tie the book into a reading comprehension lesson, read it aloud and model how to visualize text. Read aloud the book without showing the pictures and model what you visualize as you read. Most of the text allows for a sensory experience.

==[|The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Christopher Bing]== July 26, 2010 — Links to Literacy //The poem,[|The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere [MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL RE -OS]], written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is beautifully engraved and painted by Christopher Bing in this picture book edition.// ©2010 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.
 * July Theme**: Using Picture Books to Teach Reading Strategies
 * Reading Strategy**: Visualization by drawing pictures
 * Recommended Grades**: 4th-6th grade [[image:http://teachingwithpicturebooks.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/the-midnight-ride-of-paul-revere.jpg?w=780]]
 * Lesson Idea**: Ask students to close their eyes as you read aloud the poem. At the end of each page, ask students to visualize in their minds what they just heard and draw a picture. After you finish reading, show your students the way Bing visualized the poem.

[|Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins]
August 25, 2009 — Links to Literacy //A young boy and girl are given a camera and a notebook to take pictures and write memories of their summer vacation. The pictures don’t quite turn out and they realize that the best pictures are those they can see in their minds.//

This book could be a great read aloud to get kids thinking about the memories of their own summer vacation. Prior to reading aloud, ask students to bring in photos from their summer vacation.
 * Writers Workshop**

After reading aloud, discuss with students how the best pictures are often the ones we can see in our minds. For a lesson in visualization, ask students to visualize some memories from their summer vacation. Students can list their summer memories in their writer’s notebook and then choose one to elaborate on.
 * //Lesson Idea://** After reading aloud, have students paste their photos in their writer’s notebook and write about the memory.
 * Visualization**