Six Ways to Teach Visualization to Readers

Today we’re taking a deep dive into one of my favorite reading comprehension strategies…visualization. It seems so simple, yet it’s one that kids tend to really get stuck on! I believe that learning the skill of visualization can also help strengthen other challenging reading comprehension strategies such as inferring, predicting, and summarizing.

Essentially, visualizing is creating pictures in our head based on the text that we read or the words that we hear. However, it’s not just about seeing one single mental picture. We want our students to constantly be tweaking and adding to their mental images. I like to think about it like a movie we create in our heads. No matter if you’re teaching fiction or nonfiction, there are various things you can do to help bring visualization to life for your students and increase their comprehension as a result.

In this episode I share:

• 6 visualization strategies that you can get up and running in no time
• How to use each visualization technique with your students
• Why drawing from all 5 senses and each student’s unique personal experiences will help with visualization
• Creating a visualization station in your classroom
• Specific book title recommendations for teaching this skill

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Visualizing Reading Activities
• Owl Moon, Jane Yolen
• Puddles, Jonathan London
• A Bad Case of Stripes, David Shannon
• See the Ocean, Estelle Condra
• Creatures of Earth, Sea, and Sky, Georgia Heard
• Color me a Rhyme, Jane Yolan
• Episode 23, Using Centers for Upper Elementary Kids

Connect with Megan:

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• Instagram posts
• Blog posts
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• Watch my YouTube channel

About The Literacy Dive Podcast:

Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind Miss P’s Style. She is a literacy specialist and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities. Through this podcast, she will share literacy tips and strategies that she has learned from the many years of experience she holds from being an elementary teacher and literacy specialist. Megan has taught all elementary grades (K-5), but an intense passion and love for upper elementary came about!

Dive in with us every Monday for a new episode from Megan! She, and her guests, will chat about various literacy topics and will bring you tips and tricks that can easily be implemented in your classrooms… immediately!

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