English Language Arts · 6th Grade · Uncovering the Truth: Informational Text Analysis · Weeks 10-18

Analyzing Visual Information in Nonfiction

Students will interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams) and explain how it contributes to the text.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7

About This Topic

Visual elements in informational texts , charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, maps, and timelines , are not decorative. RI.6.7 asks students to integrate information presented in different media or formats, including visually and quantitatively, and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue. In a world where students encounter data-rich media daily, this skill is essential for informed reading.

The challenge in 6th grade is that students often skim visuals or treat them as separate from the written text. Strong readers move back and forth between the visual and the prose, checking whether the visual confirms, extends, or complicates what the text says. Teaching students to ask 'What can I learn from this graph that the text doesn't tell me?' shifts visual analysis from passive observation to active inquiry.

Active learning makes visual analysis more productive because students can debate interpretations, present their analyses to peers, and create their own visual representations of text-based information. These tasks reveal both what students understand and where their reading of the visual differs from their peers', creating productive instructional moments.

Key Questions

1. How does a diagram clarify a process described in the text?
2. Analyze how a photograph enhances the reader's understanding of a historical event.
3. Compare the information presented in a graph with the information presented in the accompanying text.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how a specific diagram clarifies a complex process described in a nonfiction text.
• Explain how a photograph enhances a reader's understanding of a historical event by providing visual evidence.
• Compare the quantitative information presented in a graph with the qualitative information in the accompanying text, identifying consistencies and discrepancies.
• Synthesize information from a text and its accompanying chart to draw a conclusion about a given topic.

Before You Start

Identifying Main Idea and Supporting Details

Why: Students need to be able to identify the core message of the text before they can analyze how visuals support it.

Reading Comprehension Strategies

Why: Students must have foundational reading comprehension skills to understand the text before they can integrate visual information.

Key Vocabulary

visual element	Any component of a text that is not words, such as images, charts, graphs, or diagrams.
integrate information	To combine information from different sources or formats, like text and visuals, to form a complete understanding.
quantitative data	Information that can be measured or expressed as numbers, often presented in charts or graphs.
qualitative data	Information that describes qualities or characteristics, often presented in text or descriptions.
contribute to	To help to cause or bring about something; to add to the understanding of a topic or issue.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Visual elements just repeat what the written text already says.

What to Teach Instead

Visuals often extend or deepen the text by showing data, spatial relationships, or timelines that prose cannot convey efficiently. Teach students to look for the additional information a visual provides , not just confirmation of what the text says , by using activities that specifically require finding information the text omits.

Common Misconception

Reading a graph means just reading the title and the highest bar or point.

What to Teach Instead

Full graph literacy includes reading axis labels, scale, units, trend lines, legends, and notes. Students need explicit instruction in each component, with practice on the kinds of graphs they actually encounter in school subjects , bar, line, pie, and scatter plots.

Active Learning Ideas

What the Text Doesn't Say

Pairs read a nonfiction passage with an accompanying graph or diagram and write three facts they can learn from the visual that are not stated in the written text. Pairs share with the class to build a collective list of information available only through the visual format.

20 min·Pairs

Graph to Paragraph Translation

Students receive a graph or data table with no accompanying text and write a one-paragraph explanation of what the data shows, including the main trend and one specific data point. The class compares paragraphs to discuss which descriptions are most accurate and precise.

25 min·Individual

Visual vs. Text: Who Wins?

Teacher presents a nonfiction page where a photo or diagram shows something slightly different from or more nuanced than the written description. The class discusses: if the text and visual conflict, which do you trust, and what would you want to know to decide?

20 min·Whole Class

Build the Visual

Groups receive a dense informational paragraph with statistics and relationships. They decide what type of visual , graph, timeline, diagram, or map , would best represent the information and create a rough sketch, then explain their choice of format and what it communicates more efficiently than words.

35 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• News reporters analyze charts and graphs from government agencies or research institutions to explain complex economic trends or public health data to their audience.
• Museum curators use photographs and diagrams alongside written descriptions to help visitors understand historical artifacts and events, making the past more accessible.
• Scientists present their research findings using graphs and diagrams to visually represent data, allowing other researchers to quickly grasp experimental results and conclusions.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a short nonfiction passage and a related graph. Ask them to write one sentence explaining what the graph shows and one sentence explaining how that information adds to what they learned from the text.

Discussion Prompt

Present students with a historical photograph and a brief text about the event depicted. Ask: 'How does this photograph change or deepen your understanding of the event described in the text? What specific details in the photo are most important?'

Exit Ticket

Give students a diagram illustrating a process (e.g., how a plant grows). Ask them to write two sentences: one explaining what the diagram shows and one explaining how it helps them understand the written description of the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does active learning improve visual analysis skills in informational reading?

When students create their own visuals from prose, they must decide what type of representation best fits the data, forcing deep thinking about what each visual format communicates. When they debate 'what the graph doesn't show,' they practice the critical reading that distinguishes surface observation from genuine interpretation , far more engaging than answering comprehension questions about a given visual.

What types of visuals should 6th graders know how to analyze?

At minimum, students should be able to read and interpret bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, tables, labeled diagrams, photographs with captions, maps with legends, and timelines. Each type communicates different kinds of relationships , amounts, change over time, proportions, processes, spatial information, and sequences.

How do I help students connect visuals back to the written text?

Teach the habit of asking three questions: What does the visual show? What does the text say about the same topic? What does the visual add that the text doesn't say, or vice versa? Having students write one sentence bridging the visual and the text before answering comprehension questions builds this connection explicitly.

How do I teach graph reading when students haven't had much data instruction in math?

Start with bar graphs and walk through each component explicitly before expecting independent analysis. Pair with a math connection if possible, and use real data from topics students care about , sports statistics, population data, climate records , to make graph-reading feel relevant and worth the effort.