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Understanding how visual and oral elements help us understand a story or informational text.
Have you ever watched a movie on 'mute' and realized you couldn't tell if the scene was supposed to be funny or scary? Pictures and sounds do a lot of the 'heavy lifting' in storytelling!
In a story, words tell us what is happening, but illustrations (pictures) show us the details words might miss. An illustration can show a character's mood through their facial expression or describe a setting by showing the colors and objects in a room. For example, if a story says a character is 'nervous,' the picture might show them biting their nails or sweating. These visual clues help us understand the story's deeper meaning and the characters' feelings without the author having to write every single detail down.
1. Read the sentence: 'Leo walked into the dark cave.' 2. Look at the illustration: It shows Leo holding a tiny, flickering candle and a giant shadow of a monster behind him. 3. The picture adds meaning by showing us that Leo is in danger, even though the words didn't say it yet!
Quick Check
If a story says a character is 'happy,' but the illustration shows them crying, what might the picture be telling us?
Answer
The picture might be showing that the character is actually sad or overwhelmed, adding a layer of meaning that the words alone didn't provide.
Informational texts often use charts and diagrams to organize facts. A diagram is a drawing that shows the parts of something, like the layers of the Earth or the parts of a plant. A chart or graph helps us compare numbers quickly. For instance, a bar chart might show that a blue whale is meters long while a human is only meters. Instead of reading a long list of numbers, your eyes can see the difference in size immediately. These tools help us process information faster and more accurately.
Imagine a bar chart showing rainfall in inches: 1. Monday: inches 2. Tuesday: inches 3. Wednesday: inch By looking at the tallest bar, you can instantly see that Tuesday was the rainiest day without doing any math!
Quick Check
What is the main purpose of a diagram in a science book?
Answer
To show the different parts of an object and how they work together visually.
When you read a story on a computer or tablet, it is called a digital text. These often include multimedia elements like sound effects or background music. These sounds create a mood, which is the 'feeling' of the story. Fast, loud music might make you feel excited or scared during an action scene. Soft, slow piano music might make a scene feel peaceful or sad. Sound helps the reader 'sink into' the story world and feel what the characters are feeling.
A digital story about a forest includes three elements: 1. Text: 'The wind blew through the trees.' 2. Image: A dark, purple-colored forest. 3. Sound: A low, eerie whistling noise. Together, these elements create a 'spooky' mood that makes the reader feel more suspense than the words alone would.
How does an illustration of a character's messy room help the reader?
If a chart shows that of students like pizza and like tacos, what is it helping you do?
Background music in a digital story has no effect on how a reader feels.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to remember the three main types of 'extra' elements we studied: Illustrations, Charts/Diagrams, and Sound/Mood.
Practice Activity
Find a picture book or a news article. Look at one image or chart and try to explain one thing it tells you that the words do not.