Weekly Reading #4

I found the article A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Visual Images to Improve Comprehension for Middle School Struggling Readers very interesting.  I have heard the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” in my lifetime more times than I care to count, but had never really thought about what it means.  I now have a better understanding of the saying.  One simple picture may be the difference between a struggling reader understanding words or not understanding words. 

“Research on mental imagery demonstrates that comprehension of text is enhanced when students are prompted or taught to use mental imagery” (Hibbing &Rankin-Erickson, 2003).  In completing the Illuminated text assignment, animations and/or images were used to show an understanding of the text.  I used mental imagery to create a vision in my mind of what the words were actually saying.   I then tried to use things that would help students to understand.  In the end, I found that even I gained a better understanding of the text after animating it. 

The article also states that “a student’s failure to produce complete or accurate drawings can reveal comprehension gaps at an early stage in the learning process” (Hibbing & Rankin-Erickson, 2003).  I saw this first hand during this past school year.  As a class, we read the story The Sign-maker’s Assistant.  In the story, the assistant decides to make some silly signs as a joke.  Unfortunately, the townspeople took the signs literally and followed them, creating some silly and aggravating situations.  The assignment for my class was to create a picture with a “silly” sign that would create a similar situation as in the book.  I found that my struggling readers could not do it.  The assignment showed me the lack of comprehension with several students.

One strategy that I would like to try is the Watch-Read-Watch-Read (W-R-W-R) cycle for reading a novel, but instead of a novel, I would like to use an Illuminated text and poetry.  The Illuminated text could act as the movie and the actual poetry as the novel.  Every sixth week of instruction, I take a break from the regular reading book and do something different; poetry, folk tales, play, etc.  Using an Illuminated text might ensure better understanding of the text.  Maybe students could even try to animate a word or two themselves.  Great technology lesson.

Hibbing, A. N., & Rankin-Erickson, J. L. (2003). A picture is worth a thousand words:

            Using visual images to improve comprehension for middle school struggling

readers. The Reading Teacher, 56(8), 758-770. Retrieved from

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.fairmontstate.edu/ehost/delivery?sid=0faa481f-fb63-4e27-a8df-d0a0ec094717@sessionmgr112&vid=7&hid=107