Using Illustrations to Understand Text

When you read a book that has maps or photographs, the pictures are not just decoration. They are there to help you understand the words better. A photograph can show you exactly what something looks like. A map can show you exactly where something is. When you learn to explain how a picture helps, you become a stronger reader.

In this lesson, you will practice looking closely at a map or a photograph, then explaining, in your own words, how it clarifies the text next to it.

A photograph is a real picture taken with a camera. It shows you exactly how something looks in real life. If a text says, "The mountain peak was covered in snow," a photograph of that mountain lets you see the snow for yourself. You do not have to imagine it alone.

When you explain how a photograph helps, try to name one exact detail. You might say, "The photograph shows white snow on the top of the mountain, which matches the sentence about the snow-covered peak." Naming a detail like this proves you read both the words and the picture carefully.

A map is a special picture that shows where places are. Maps use lines, dots, and labels instead of drawings of real objects. If a text says, "The hikers walked from the lake to the top of the hill," a map can show you the lake, the hill, and the path between them.

A map helps you understand words like near, far, north, and across the river. Without the map, you might not know how far apart two places are. With the map, you can point to the lake, point to the hill, and trace the path with your finger while you read the sentence again.

When you explain how a map helps, describe what you can find on it. You might say, "The map shows the lake on the left side and the hill on the right side, so I can see the hikers walked a long way."

The most important skill in this lesson is explaining, not just noticing. It is not enough to say, "There is a picture." You need to say what the picture shows and how that matches or adds to the words.

Try this three-step method every time you look at an illustration next to text.

• Read the sentence near the picture and find one important detail in the words.
• Look at the picture and find that same detail, or a new detail that is not in the words.
• Say or write one sentence that connects the picture to the words, such as, "The map shows the river is between the two towns, which explains why the text says the trip took two days."

Imagine a text that says, "Sea turtles travel thousands of miles across the ocean to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born." Next to the text is a map with an arrow showing a long path across the ocean.

A strong explanation would be, "The map shows the long arrow across the ocean, which helps me understand that the turtles travel a very long distance, just like the words say." This explanation names a detail from the map and connects it to the exact idea in the sentence.

Related lessons

• Images Clarifying Text Information