Visualize This! Exploring and Creating Visual Text for your Content Area

Thibault and Walbert, Learn NC “Images are all around us, and the ability to interpret them meaningfully is a vital skill for students to learn.”

What is Visual Literacy? Visual literacy is the ability to see, to understand, and ultimately to think, create and communicate graphically. Visual literacy is the ability to see, to understand, and ultimately to think, create and communicate graphically.

Applying Visual Literacy Skills Visual literacy allows the viewer to gather the information and ideas in an image, place them in context, and determine whether they are valid. These skills can be applied to any type of image: Photographs, paintings and drawings, graphic art, films, maps, and various kinds of charts and graphs

Print and Graphic Texts Related Reading Anchor Standards

RI.1 – Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. RI.2 – Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas RI.7 – Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Related Writing Anchor Standards

W.1 – Write arguments to support claims in an analysis for substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. W.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. W.3 – Write narrative to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. W.6 – Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Write Into The Day How do you currently implement standard RI.7 in your classroom? How do you envision implementing standard RI.7? Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Brainstorming What are some of the visual texts you know? With partner, discuss and capture on chart paper, to be shared.

Agenda for the day Analyzing images – how do you do that? Writing about images – how do you do that? Where do you create images? Where would your content provide opportunities to explore this kind of literacy?

Analyzing images from content areas Gallery walk of content images posted around the room. Invite analysis via post-it notes

Applying... How could you teach students to analyze this type of image? What images could your students process and/or create?

Considerations for Teaching Visual Literacy: 1) Understanding the three areas of visual literacy 2) Understanding that the purposes for reading visual text are different from that of verbal text

Visual Literacy has three areas : NONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATIONS INTEGRATED TEXTS INFOGRAPHICS According to Marzano, these include graphic representations of information, mental pictures, even physical sensation. A text containing paragraphs, headings, visual elements and design features that support and provide context for one another. (Moline) Information Graphics +Visual Text A representation of information, data, or knowledge

Purposes for Reading: Verbal Text vs. Visual Text READING FOR STORYREADING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION We want to read the whole textWe can choose to read only part of the text We start at the front and end at the back We can start anywhere: graphics, headings, contents, etc. We read from top to bottom and from left to right…this is how we obtain meaning Any visual element can be read for meaning, even if it contains few or no words Completion of the narrative provides satisfaction We can be satisfied with bits and pieces, and if we take a break from the reading, we might start reading again in a different spot

Time for modeling... Strategies for analyzing an image - based on audience’s content areas Strategies for analyzing an image - based on audience’s content areas

What are Infographics? According to Wikipedia, Infographics, or information graphics, are graphic, visual representations of information, data or knowledge. According to PC Magazine, Infographics are used worldwide and can be found in every discipline. They include road maps, street signs and even technical drawings.

Infographics continued: According to Dave Gray’s blog, Infographics: Are visual information that helps you readily understand, find or do something. Can integrate words and pictures in a dynamic way. Are usually stand-alone documents that are completely self-explanatory. Make it possible to integrate information more rapidly. Are universally understandable.

Simply put, infographics are:

Infographics E 1E

Why Infographics? Infographics make information accessible to a wide range of readers/non-readers: Very young children Visual learners ELLs Struggling readers Infographics and integrated texts are integral elements of online media.

General Types & Purposes

Teaching Strategies: 1. Discuss the purpose of different types of infographics. Ask students what is the topic of a given infographic. What is the infographic’s purpose? 2. Focus on one type of infographic at a time. Ask students what the components of the infographic are? How does each component contribute to the overall purpose?

Teaching Strategies, cont.: 3) Have students collect and analyze different infographics from various sources. Which conveys information best? Why is one infographic better than another? Do various infographics have anything in common? 4) Co-develop a rubric of components with students. 5) Have students revise an infographic to make its more effective. 6) Start collecting a library of exemplars.

Establish the context for reading, and eventually creation of, a visual text : PurposeTopicVisual Text To explainHow glass is recycled Flow chart to show steps in the recycling process Pie graph to show how many bottle types are recycled Table/Chart (items that can be recycled) To instruct To report To recount To persuade

Examine content-specific examples and lesson plans From the NY Times: Social Studies Social Studies Science and Health Science and Health ELA/Fine Arts ELA/Fine Arts

Additional Examples Follow this link, then click on “EXAMPLES of visual literacy” this linkthis link For more complex visualizations, click on A Periodic Table of Visualizations A Periodic Table of Visualizations and hover A Periodic Table of Visualizations over each element to display it. over each element to display it.

More Examples: Additional samples to interpret with students can be found here (only about 20 links are still valid). found here found here Sabrina Back’s Infographics Board on Pinterest Infographics Board Infographics Board

Exploration time... Explore: “Playtime”

Reminders for students: Keep it simple An infographic shows highlights and summaries; it uses just enough information to make meaning Sketch a rough draft first Have a friend interpret the rough draft before you start digital work

Wrap Up... Bring back to content area Reflection

References

Homework Matching infographics to text structures Explore easel.ly

Find IMAGE for poster Sabrina – world geography Maggie – Art Lisa – Science Gerald – Math Kristen – Argument/Advertising Jennifer – Immigration (Ellis Island) Images (full size) to Lisa by May 15 th –