English · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Using Pictures to Understand Stories

Active learning works well for this topic because young students learn to connect visual and textual information best through movement, discussion, and hands-on tasks. Working with images lets students practice making meaning without pressure to decode words first, building confidence and comprehension skills early on.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9EFLA07

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Whole Class

Picture Walk: Plot Predictions

Select a picture book and pause at key illustrations. Guide students to describe what they see, note plot clues like character positions, and predict the next event. Chart predictions and confirm after full viewing.

Analyze how pictures provide clues about what is happening in a story.

Facilitation Tip

During the Picture Walk, pause on each illustration and ask students to point to details that suggest what might happen next.

What to look for

Show students a page with a character displaying a strong emotion. Ask: 'What feeling is this character showing? How can you tell from their face?' Record student responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs Emotion Mirror: Facial Expressions

Provide cards with character faces from stories. Pairs identify the feeling shown, then one mimics the expression while the other guesses and explains the clues. Switch roles and share with the class.

Predict what might happen next based on the illustrations.

Facilitation Tip

For the Emotion Mirror activity, give pairs one minute to copy each other’s facial expressions exactly before switching roles.

What to look for

Provide students with a picture from a story. Ask them to draw one thing that might happen next and write one sentence explaining why they think that, based on the picture.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Small Groups

Small Groups Story Clues Hunt

Distribute story picture sets to groups. Students find and discuss images showing plot events or feelings, then sequence them and present one prediction. Use sticky notes for labeling clues.

Explain how a character's feelings are shown through their facial expressions in pictures.

Facilitation Tip

In the Story Clues Hunt, assign each small group one picture to examine closely before sharing their findings with the class.

What to look for

Display two consecutive illustrations from a book. Ask: 'What happened between the first picture and the second picture? What clues in the pictures tell you this?' Facilitate a brief class discussion.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Individual

Individual Picture Journal: Character Feelings

Students choose a story illustration, draw a similar face, label the emotion, and write or dictate one sentence explaining the visual clue. Share entries in a class gallery walk.

Analyze how pictures provide clues about what is happening in a story.

What to look for

Show students a page with a character displaying a strong emotion. Ask: 'What feeling is this character showing? How can you tell from their face?' Record student responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model thinking aloud about what pictures show and why it matters, showing students how to look beyond the obvious. Avoid spending too much time on art technique unless it directly supports comprehension, and always link visuals back to the story’s plot or characters. Research suggests young learners benefit from repeated, guided practice with the same image set to deepen their analysis.

Successful learning looks like students using pictures to predict events, describe character emotions accurately, and explain their reasoning with evidence from the illustrations. They should talk about images in detail, not just glance at them, and connect visuals to story elements confidently.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Picture Walk, watch for students who assume illustrations are just decorations.

  Pause on each image and ask, 'What details in this picture make you think that might happen next?' to guide students to see illustrations as sources of plot clues.

• During Pairs Emotion Mirror, watch for students who rely only on the word labels for emotions rather than the facial expressions.

  Have pairs practice facial expressions without naming the emotion first, then ask them to describe what they see before matching it to a feeling word.

• During Small Groups Story Clues Hunt, watch for students who think illustrations copy the text exactly.

  Ask groups to find one detail in their picture that isn’t mentioned in the text, then share these discoveries to highlight how pictures add meaning beyond words.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation