Teaching Visual Literacy - A Picture Tells A Thousand Words
- Kirsty Longworth
- Oct 22, 2017
- 3 min read
“Readers must look beneath the surface of the illustrations to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the visual information presented to them” (Pilinis, 2002, p. 42). Good quality picture book illustration, not only support but add to the message in the text.
Illustrations hold a great depth of meaning if you are aware of, and can comprehend, their meaning. It is important that we teach children visual literacy and how to decode the subtle but supportive elements of good quality illustrations.
Visual elements that add meaning include –
Colour – can depict feelings and emotions, a period of time or setting, connect characters or represent cultural or social groups (Pilinis, 2002, p.43). The picture book Fox (Wild, M. & Brooks, R., 2004) is a very dark and disturbing story of friendship and jealousy. The illustrations are tones of orange, brown and black giving a very stark, dry, hot setting, with a almost savage emotions.
Position – the way characters or objects are positioned in pictures can give clues to importance or dominance, or a characters confidence. In Thompson’s The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness, the reader does not see George’s face till page 16, when he meets Jeremy the fog. At the beginning of the book he is pictured over the page from his grandmother to show the distance, and difference, between the 2 characters (Thompson, 2008, p. 2-3)
Line – can show movement and can set pace. Page 1 in Collecting Colour (Dunstan, K. 2008), shows Rose on a long rope swing. The long straight rope is on an angle and the girls legs are swinging out in front, depicting movement, freedom and happiness. The text supports this by also being curved out behind Rose.
Demand and Offer - This refers to the degree of interest or detachment the reader has with the participants in the illustrations. Demand is when a participant looks directly at the reader demanding their full attention. Offer is when the reader is unable to make eye contact with the participant. They are either looking away or their face can't be seen. In The Big Little Book Of Happy Sadness the main protagonist, George, does not make eye contact with the reader until page 20.
The importance of explicit teaching of visual literacy.
I find this topic absolutely fascinating and try to decode picture books with my children all the time. It really separates the good quality literature from mass-market publishing. This article is a great introduction to a topic that has unlimited potential in the classroom and a natural bridge into a child’s own drawing and art development and creation.
Important Strategies To Use When Teaching Visual Literacy
This fantastic article gives teachers very practical questioning strategies to use when reading picture books in the classroom. These strategies enhance and extend the discussion and subsequent analysis of picture books, that are often relegated to the early years cohort of primary schools.
These questions not only promote robust discourse, but also allow the reader to delve more deeply into the meaning of a book that possibly, seems fairly simple and familiar at face value.
10 Children's Books With Excellent Examples of Good Visual Grammar Elements
Allen, P., (2003), Alexander’s Outing, Viking Penguin, Camberwell, Victoria.
Blabey, A (2014) Pig The Pug. Scholastic Books, Sydney, Australia.
Browne, A (1986) Piggybook. Bragonfly Books, New York, USA.
Dunstan, K. (2008), Collecting Colour, Lothian Children’s Books, Sydney, NSW.
Gleeson, L and Grender, A. (2001). An Ordinary Day. Scolastic Press, Sydney Australia.
Rosen, M. and Blake, Q (2005) Michael Rosen's Sad Book. Candlewick Press, London, UK.
Thompson, C., (2008), The Big Little Book Of Happy Sadness, Random House Press, Australia.
Walker, A. (2015) Mr Huff. Penguin Australia, Sydney. Australia.
Watts, F. and Francis, D. (2010) A Rat In A Stripy Sock. Harper Collins Publishers Sydney, Australia.
Wild, M. & Brooks, R., (2004), Fox, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, Australia.
Additional Reading
Dixon, S., Chard, D., and Simmons, D. (1993), ‘An integrated reading/writing curriculum: a focus on scaffolding’, LD Forum, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 12-16.
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