MENU

Hands up if you know children who read aloud fluently and decode with ease, yet still struggle to understand very much beyond the literal?

For children to become more ‘thoughtful’ readers they need regular practice in how to deduce and infer information; to become better at looking for ‘clues’ and reaching conclusions that can be justified.

That’s where a ‘Daily Picture’ can help.

Using pictures on a regular basis can be a great way to support the development of these skills, which in turn, can be applied to other reading experiences across the curriculum.

Source some suitable photographs and display them on the whiteboard each morning. The pictures you choose will depend on the ages of your children of course.

Here are some examples.

A grid like the one below can help – so you can model your thoughts with children before asking them to work independently.

It is the difference between what we can SEE and what we then might deduce and infer that children need to be taught and have opportunities to practise.

Encourage them to observe and notice the obvious details – then pose the ‘I wonder’ questions - before going on to infer things that can be justified by reasons. This way they can 'feel' the differences between the literal and making inferences.

Another way is to have a series of pictures that you have ‘hidden’ around the room. They could be numbered so they have to visit them in order. Give children a clipboard and as they walk around the pictures  - maybe ask them to :

• record  two or three things they can see
• think of something that has just happened before the picture was taken
• predict what happens next
• write a speech bubble for any people or characters in the picture
• write or draw two or three things they deduce / infer from the picture

A further extension might be to make connections between the pictures – What do they have in common?  Is there a theme that you would apply to all of the pictures?

This can be the start of a P4C session where further ‘juicy’ questions can be formulated and discussed. A photo could be 'voted' for to take into the deeper discussion session(s)

To get started you might want to look at our set of photos on the theme of Happiness - now available when you become a Thinking Child Network Member a great place to start a 'Daily Picture' Routine.

For more information about The Thinking Child Network follow the logo - you can join for free and browse the sample resources