Visualizing

Initiated by Heather Sox
 * Visualization: A comprehension Strategy for Primary Readers **


 * Introduction **

There are several comprehension strategies taught to students in order to aid comprehension and show them what good readers do. One of those strategies instructed in the classroom today is visualization. Center, Freeman, Robertson, and Outhred stated that, “It has been suggested that teaching children to construct mental images as they read enhances their ability to generate inferences, make predictions, and remember what has been said” (1999, p. 242). This strategy provides students with a way to mentally put together information that they have read in a story or passage.

Visualizing information or “Visual Imagery Instruction” is a valuable strategy to use with primary readers. This strategy helps them to “store and retrieve information they have read” (Stahl, 2004, p. 603). In a study by Center, Freeman, Robertson, and Outhred to determine the effectiveness of teaching visual imagery to second grade students, students that received instruction on visualization, performed better than the control group in three areas: listening comprehension, reading comprehension and retelling measure (1999). By having the students create images in their head while they read, teachers are also using the students’ prior knowledge. Activating that prior knowledge while reading is a great technique to tie information to the student and enhance comprehension. Judith Penticoff suggests that, “Sensory images easily provoke prior knowledge and activate personal reactions to the text” (2002, p. 637). When teachers relate the text to the lives of the students, their understanding is more easily accessible. Having students visualize the text is a way to reach all students’ prior knowledge at the same time.


 * Classroom Implementation **

Visual Imagery Instruction is also an easy strategy to implement in a classroom setting that is already setup and structured. Teachers try to evoke images in a reader’s mind through a gradual release of responsibility model. Evoking images might focus on cues in the text that illustrate visual images, but the teacher also needs to include cues in the text that describe sensory images. During the modeling stage, it is essential to think aloud the process of visualizing a scene in the head and discuss how doing this aids comprehension. Modeling should be done at the beginning of teaching the strategy, but it should also occur throughout the teaching and practice using a variety of different texts and genres (Keene, 2002). After students have seen this strategy modeled and participated in guided practice, they create images in their head while they read. It is also very beneficial to have students share the images that they created in their head in pairs, groups, or whole group. By sharing their visualizations, students can construct varying degrees of understanding and also continue to tie in their prior knowledge about the text information.

Another aspect that teachers can integrate during instruction of the strategy visualization is a sensory image graphic organizer. A link to this graphic organizer is provided on the lesson plan page. Students are encouraged to write down words or phrases that represent each sense. By doing this, visualizing becomes concrete, and they can also see how pictures can represent words and vice versa. The website //Mentor Texts for Sensory Images// provides a list of literature that has great examples of sensory images. The list was originally created to use as mentor texts to get students to write with vivid descriptions, but it could also be a great resource to teach the strategy visualizing while reading. Another great resource for picture books to model visual imagery strategy instruction is available on the website //Comprehension Strategies.// The link Picture Book List for Modeling Strategies contains a list of books to use for teaching all different comprehension strategies. Texts for students to practice visualization individually should be carefully chosen to be the best text for that student. Links to the above book lists are provided on the lesson plan page. Using example texts to model visualizing is one activity that can be done to teach visualizing. Students can also participate in different hands-on activities, such as illustrating books themselves using the author’s words and their visualizations and listening to personal accounts of history and visualizing the scene. These examples and many more visualization activities are provided on the website V//isualization// on TeacherVision.

As with teaching all comprehension strategies to primary readers, it is very important to use the gradual release of responsibility. To teach visualization, teachers need to make sure that they model the strategy effectively including thinking aloud, provide time for guided practice, have students practice in partners or groups, practice individually, and share with peers. By having students interact with this strategy in many different modalities, they receive ample practice to be able to use it on their own during independent reading, and they get to see other students using this strategy. This helps to build prior knowledge but also enhances comprehension. Providing students with one more strategy to use while reading can only increase literacy in a primary grade classroom.


 * Effectiveness with Struggling Readers **

When it comes to comprehension, we cannot assume that students automatically know how to understand text. It is essential to teach students exactly how to comprehend text and provide them with strategies to use to do that. Wilhelm states that “struggling readers do not employ imagery and do notknow how to do so. Simply prompting them will not suffice. These readers needscaffolded assistance with visualization strategies” (2004, p. 57). Even though teachers should be scaffolding comprehension strategy instruction to all readers, it is even more important to make sure visualization is explicitly taught for struggling readers. //Reading is Seeing// by Jeffery Wilhelm (2004) is a great resource that step-by-step how to teach visualization for struggling readers. It also provides some example lessons and think alouds. The above strategies and techniques are great, but will be void if the appropriate text is not chosen for the individual student. If the text they are practicing with is not an appropriate fit, students will not be able to effectively practice this strategy and reading will become frustrating or boring.

Some strategies that can be used when teaching this strategy are think alouds, actually drawing or sketching the imagery, and identifying the cues that prompted a specific image or aspect about an image. Having students interact with the text by underlining certain language or discussing techniques and patterns of the author is a great strategy to get students submersed in the language of the text and the imagery behind it. Once again, the Gradual Release of Responsibility is key during the instruction. It is particularly important for struggling readers who need to have many different types of opportunities to be exposed to this new strategy. Giving these struggling readers the opportunity to learn and practice the strategy of visualization will give them another tool in their tool box for comprehending a variety of texts.


 * Effectiveness with English Language Learners (ELLs) **

Teaching comprehension to ELLs is tricky because many ELLs come to the classrooms with such different pools of prior knowledge. Comprehension increases greatly when the students have background knowledge about the topic the text is about. Visualization is a strategy that builds off of students’ prior knowledge. Not only does it allow students to use their own schemas to visualize what is going on in the text, but it also promotes discussion between classmates to share their “in the head” images. By sharing their images, students build upon each other’s background information and expand their knowledge about the topic. An adaptation that could be implemented with ELLs is have them begin visualizing the text by actually drawing their images and then sharing them. This would scaffold the process more, and it would also allow the teacher to see exactly what the students were thinking about the text.

This strategy can be very beneficial for Ells because it can be used across content areas. The website from TeacherVision provides activities that can be done with visualization in other subjects, such as math and science. Opitz and Guccione (2009) also include suggestions and tips in their book //Comprehension and English Language Learners: 25 Oral Reading Strategies That Cross Proficiency Levels.//

From Wilhelm’s (2004) research, poor readers do not evoke images automatically while reading independently. ELLs can also benefit from the explicit teaching of visualization. “The focus on creating and describingmental images allows not only for nonthreatening and authentic uses of English but also for engaging opportunities for interactions andscaffolding surrounding strategy use” (Opitz and Guccione, 2009, p. 121). Using Ells’ prior knowledge and providing an authentic English language situation are aspects of teaching visualization that benefit Ells. It also gives them practice with a specific strategy to use while reading. This can be practiced with the student’s native language and English.


 * Conclusion **

Explicit teaching of comprehension strategies is essential in the primary grades in order to create effective, problem-solving readers. Visualization is a specific strategy that can be taught to students through a Gradual Release of Responsibility model where students evoke images in their mind while they read in order to enhance comprehension. By having students picture what is going on in the text, they are using their prior knowledge, which is especially beneficial for struggling readers and Ells that come to the classroom with varying degrees of prior knowledge. During this instructional model, teachers should incorporate different teaching techniques: modeling, think alouds, guided practice, partner practice, group practice, activities with visualization, discussions, and sharing. By showing students exactly how to visualize while reading and providing many different opportunities for students to be immersed in the process of visualization, primary readers including struggling readers and Ells, will greatly benefit from this strategy through improved comprehension.


 * References **

Brown, R., Coy-Ogan, L., National Reading Research Center, A. A., & National Reading Research Center, C. D. (1994). The Evolution of Transactional Strategies Instruction in One Teacher's Classroom. Reading Research Report No. 19.

Center, Y., Freeman, L., Robertson, G., & Outhred, L. (1999). The effect of visual imagery training on the reading and listening comprehension of low listening comprehenders in Year 2. Journal Of Research In Reading, 22(3), 241.

Comprehension Strategies - Making connections, questioning, inferring, determining importance, and more. (n.d.). //Busy Teacher's Cafe - A K-6 site for busy teachers// //like you!//. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/literacy/comprehension_strategies.html#visualizing

Keene, E. O., & Zimmermann, S. (2007). //Mosaic of thought: the power of comprehension strategy instruction// (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Mentor Texts for Sensory Images. (n.d.). //Homepage - ReadWriteThink//. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/30785_mentor.html

Opitz, M. F., & Guccione, L. M. (2009). //Comprehension and English language learners: 25 oral reading strategies that cross proficiency levels//. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). //The instruction of reading comprehension//. Champaign, Ill.: The Center.

Penticoff, J. (2002). A personal journey through the Mosaic of Thought. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(7), 634.

Stahl, K. A. (2004). Proof, Practice, and Promise: Comprehension Strategy Instruction in the Primary Grades. //The Reading Teacher//, //57//(7), 598 - 609. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/006/713/StahlpppRT.pdf

Visualizing: Reading Comprehension Advice for Teachers (Grades K-12) - TeacherVision.com. (n.d.). //Teacher Lesson Plans, Printables & Worksheets by Grade or// //Subject - TeacherVision.com//. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from http://www.teachervision.fen.com/reading-comprehension/skill-builder/48791.html?page=1

Wilhelm, J. D. (2004). //Reading is seeing: learning to visualize scenes, characters, ideas, and text worlds to improve comprehension and reflective reading//. New York: Scholastic.