Lesson Plan for Reading --Visualizing Strategy

Created By: Lindsey Furgal (10/21/13)

Benchmarks/English Language Arts Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a
print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Key Ideas and Details, 1 (general K-5 Standards): Read closely to determine what the
text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence
when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from text.

Objectives:
-Students will be able to visualize and create their own mental image/picture from listening
to the words in a poem.
-Students will be able to draw a picture based off their visualizations made from the words
in the poem.

Anticipatory Set:
-Ask children engaging questions:
-Who has a pet dog at home?
-What does your dog look like?
-Do all pet dogs look the same? Or Different?
-Read the poem My Neighbors Dog is Purple, by Jack Prelutsky (Students should close
their eyes and visualize what the neighbors dog looks like).

Direct Instruction:
1. Gather the class on the carpet and have the students sit facing the teacher. Before reading
the poem My Neighbors Dog is Purple, explain to the students how creating mental
images and visualizing pictures in their brains is an important strategy for good readers to
use.
2. Explain to the class that while they are reading books, (especially those that dont have
many pictures or illustrations) they should practice visualizing and making their own
personal pictures in their mind. Also explain to the class that all students will visualize
differently and that each of their mental pictures will be different from one another.
3. Next, tell the class that you are going to read a poem to them and that you want them to
practice their visualizing strategy (this strategy should already have been introduced in
prior lessons) while you are reading the poem. Tell the students that they can close their
eyes if they would like.
4. Read the poem My Neighbors Dog is Purple to the class, (omitting the last two lines of
the poem).
5. Send the students back to their desks and pass out the drawing worksheet to each student.
Tell the students to put their name on the sheet and read the directions to themselves.
6. Explain to the class that you are going to re-read the poem out loud to them again, and as
they listen they should visualize and make a mental picture in their mind of what they are
hearing in the poem. Tell the class that after you are finished reading the poem for the
second time, they are going to have to draw an illustration of what they are picturing in


their brains.
7. Re-read the poem My Neighbors Dog is Purple. When finished, tell the students to
begin their drawings (in the left box) for what they pictured while I was reading the poem
to them. Tell them they should use crayons or colored pencils for their drawings. Also
remind them that everyone visualizes differently and that everyones drawing will be
unique and different, and that is okay! --Give students a time frame so that they are aware
of when they need to have their drawing finished ~5mins
8. Walk around the room and observe the drawings of the students, (use formative
assessment at this point: note students who are capable of portraying their visualizations
and also note students who are having trouble portraying their visual representation).
9. When students are finished with their drawings, call the attention of the class back to
you. Explain to the students that when you are done giving directions, they will be going on
a Gallery Walk (where students explore multiple texts or images that are placed around the
room). Explain what a gallery is to the class, (reference an Art Gallery or Art Museum).
This specific Gallery walk will require students to physically move around the room and
will allow the students to share their work with peers, engage in group discussion and work
cooperatively with their classmates. Gallery walks are great for kinesthetic learners!
10. Tell the students that they will have about 5 minutes (or less) to walk around the room
and observe their classmates drawings. Remind students of appropriate behavior and to be
respectful and caring towards one another. (Would you like it if someone walked up to
your drawing and said something mean about it? How would you feel if someone told
you they didnt like your drawing? --Have students offer suggestions and model
appropriate/respectful behavior before you transition them to their gallery walk).
11. Begin the Gallery Walk. Walk around and make note of the students who are engaging
in the activity and discussion amongst one another (formatively assess their cooperative
learning skills).
12. After the children have had a chance to explore the work of their peers, transition them
back to their seats while explaining the directions to them as they return to their desks,
(talk-through-transition to avoid disruption and loss of class time). Explain to the students
that you are going to re-read the poem again to them, but this time you are going to add on
the ending. Ask them to again visualize and make mental pictures in their minds while you
read. **Point out to the class that sometimes while they are reading, the picture that they
create in their minds will change and become something else.**
13. Read the poem again (include the last two lines).
14. Have the students draw a new picture (in the right box) for what they imagined and
visualized when I re-read the poem and included the ending.
15. If there is extra time in the lesson, students can go on another gallery walk around the
classroom to observe their peers new drawings. At the end of the lesson, have students put
their drawing sheet into their take home folders to bring home and share with their families.


Checking Understanding:
-While talking to the class about the importance of using the visualizing strategy and while
reading the poem to the students, make a mental note of which children are paying close
attention to you, as well as those who are participating and engaging with one another
during the Gallery Walk(s).


-While students are working on their drawings, scan the class to see if the students are
working quietly, independently, and staying in their seats. Walk around the class and make
note of the quality of their drawings (details, use of color, etc.) and check to see if their
pictures are portraying proper visualizations of the poem that was read to them.
*Record observations of formative assessments made during lesson in your own writing
assessment book.*

Guided Practice:
-Assess if students are ready to independently practice the visualizing strategy (of drawing
their visualizations on paper) after you have read the poem for the first time. To get an idea
if students are understanding the concept, and whether or not they are ready to move on to
the independent practice (portraying what they visualized into a drawing), ask the class the
following questions:
- What did you visualize?
- What color is the dog you visualized?
- What specific characteristics does the dog have?
- Do you think this dog is friendly?
-Assess whether the students are able to take the words from the poem and create a picture
in their minds, (based off their answers of the questions above). If you are still unsure,
survey the students using the thumbs up/ thumbs down approach to see if they are
understanding the visualizing strategy and whether or not they are ready to move on.
-If and when students appear ready for the Independent Practice portion of the lesson,
allow them to return to their seats and continue your direct instruction at Step 5.
-If students are still not understanding this newly taught strategy, go back and re-teach the
concept using a picture book. Have students practice visualizing and creating their own
pictures in their minds as you read each page of the book, (only show students the pictures
after you have read all the words on that page and have given them a chance to create their
own picture first).

Closure:
-When students are finished with their visualizing/drawing activity, they will go on a
gallery walk around the classroom to explore their classmates work and share their own.

Independent Practice:
-The independent practice of visualizing and making mental pictures in their minds after
hearing the poem, will allow the students to practice their newly learned reading strategy
and understand its importance. Explain to the class that this is independent work and that
means that they should be working on their own, (remind them that everyone visualizes
differently and that each student will create a unique picture in their mind, and all the
drawings will look different).

Lesson Extension (Added practice):
-For continued practice on this specific reading strategy, the teacher could choose a new
book or poem, (perhaps a chapter book) and go through each of the direct instruction steps
of this lesson. The teacher would again have the students listen to the text, visualize and
picture it in their minds, and then draw their picture representations on paper, and end the


lesson with a gallery walk to share work and engage in cooperative learning

Materials Needed:
-The Poem: My Neighbors Dog is Purple, By Jack Prelutsky
-My Neighbors Dog is Purple Drawing Sheet (one copy for each student)
-pencils/crayons/colored pencils for drawings
-picture book (if needed, for extra guided practice)