Picture It!

I just read this really great article by Victoria M. Naughton about a Reading Strategy called Picture IT!  I thought it would be something that could be used for all ages and even at home.  This is the why, according to Naughton, that picture it is a good strategy..."it uses pictures to enhance the comprehension by illuminating story structure, promoting questioning and discussion of the store, and teaching vocabulary.  When I read about this strategy, my first thought was that this would have been beneficial when I was growing up to help me with my book reports.

Naughton uses the mnemonic devise as shown below!

The word story is illustrated above to help children remember what each letter stands for.  S = picture frame for setting, T = is a stick figure of the character, O = oops, there's a problem, R = resolution attempts, Y = Yes!  The problem was resoved!

 Above is a form that I made for my seven year old to use after he has read his story for homework or a library book.  We are doing these to improve upon his comprehension and because he is a fast reader, I don't want him to read parts of the story so fast that he doesn't remember what he read.  This is a big problem in second grade if you aren't remembering what you just read.  This strategy makes him think about what he is reading.  It can also be brought down to the level of Play School age children, do the diagram for them and as they recall the store, draw the pictures.  They can later color the pictures drawn by the teacher as an extension to the story.

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Try it at home for yourself.  Print this above form here.  If you try this strategy with your class or your child, take a picture and send it in as a demonstrate for other parents and teachers.