How Pictures Help Tell Stories
When you open a picture book, words tell you part of the story. The art tells you another part! Good readers act like detectives. They look at the pictures to find clues that the words do not say.
First, you can look at a character's face. If a story says, "Sam walked into the room," the words do not tell you how Sam feels. But the picture might show Sam with wide eyes, raised eyebrows, and an open mouth. That picture clue tells you that Sam feels surprised or scared. If his lips curl up into a smile, you know he is glad instead.
Next, you can watch how things change from page to page. In one picture, a girl might sit on a bench with an empty basket. On the next page, you might see tiny crumbs near the bench and a little bird with a full beak. The words might only say, "Lunch was over." Looking at the order of the pictures helps you guess what happened to the food.
Pictures also show small hidden objects. You might spot dark gray rain clouds out a window or a yellow raincoat behind a door. These clues help you predict what the characters will do next. Words and pictures work together as a team to make the whole story clear.
- detectives:
- People who look closely for clues to solve mysteries.
- clues:
- Hints that help someone find an answer or figure something out.
- order:
- The way things follow one after another in time.
- predict:
- To make a smart guess about what will happen next.
- team:
- A group that works together to reach a goal.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What two things work together to tell a story in a picture book?
- 2Why does the text say good readers act like detectives?
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About this explanatory article passage for 2nd Grade
“How Pictures Help Tell Stories” is a explanatory article reading passage about reading picture clues, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 1 minute to read (220 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.