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Adding a Drawing to What You Said

A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on adding a drawing that carries information the words did not.

Adding a Drawing to What You Said is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard SL.K.5 — add a drawing to what you said, to show more of it. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Kindergarten
Length:
30 minutes
Standard:
SL.K.5

Kindergarten · Speaking & Listening

SL.K.5

Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

Objective

Students will be able to add a drawing that shows something their words did not say.

Students are successful when they can

  • Draws a picture that matches the sentence they said.
  • Adds at least one detail in the drawing that the words did not include.
  • Points to that detail and says what it shows.

What you need

  • Paper and pencils
  • A description read aloud with no picture: "My grandma has a garden. There are flowers in it."
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — draw what I say

4 min
  1. Read: "My grandma has a garden. There are flowers in it." Children draw quickly.
  2. Hold up three drawings. Ask: "Why are they all different?" Fish for "you did not tell us what color" or "how many flowers."
  3. Say: "You each added things from your own head. Today we will use drawings on purpose, to show the things our words left out."

Teach — what the picture can add

9 min
  1. Say: "My words were short. A drawing can show more."
  2. Draw your own version: grandma's garden with red tulips, a watering can, and a bird on a fence.
  3. Point to each: "Did my words say tulips? Did they say a bird? No. The drawing added them."
  4. Say a new sentence: "I went to the park." Draw it with a slide and a friend. Ask: "What does my drawing tell you that my words did not?" Fish for "there was a slide" and "you had a friend."
  5. Say: "When you tell something, you can add a drawing to show even more."
“Your words tell some of it. Your drawing can show the rest. What does your picture add?”

Guided practice — say it, then draw it

9 min
  1. Each child says one sentence to a partner about something they did: "I played with my dog."
  2. They draw it, adding one thing they did not say.
  3. The partner looks and asks: "What did your picture add?"
  4. Share three: "Tom said he played with his dog. His picture shows a ball and that the dog is brown."
  5. Ask the class: "If Tom only said his sentence, would we know the dog was brown?" No. "The drawing told us."
“Say your sentence. Draw it. Then add one thing you did not say.”

Independent practice

6 min
  1. Read each frame and picture caption on the sheet aloud.
  2. Children number the pictures to show the order, or finish each sentence so it matches what its picture shows.
  3. Ask two children: "Point to something in the picture that the sentence does not say."

Close

2 min
  1. One child shows their picture and says their sentence.
  2. Ask the class: "What did the picture add?"

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Draws exactly what the sentence says and nothing more.

Why: Most pictures they have met in books match the words closely, so the child thinks a drawing is a copy of the words, not a way to add information.

Fix: Ask questions the sentence did not answer: "What color was your dog? Where were you? What was the weather like?" Each answer becomes something to draw.

Draws something unrelated to the sentence.

Why: Drawing is absorbing, and by the time the pencil is moving the sentence has been forgotten; the child drew what they wanted to draw.

Fix: Have them say the sentence again before drawing and once halfway through. Ask: "Which part of your picture shows what you said?" If none does, they add it first.

Cannot say what the picture added.

Why: Drawing and speaking happened separately, and the child has not compared them.

Fix: Say their sentence back and point to the drawing: "Did you say this?" Help them find one thing.

If they are not there yet

  • Give a sentence to draw instead of making one up: "I ate an apple."
  • Ask for one added detail only, and offer a choice: "Where were you, or what color was it?"
  • Talk through the picture while they draw, naming what they add: "Oh, you added a tree."

If they finish early

  • Add labels to the drawing for each added detail, sounding out the words.
  • Draw a simple map of the route from the classroom to the gym to go with a spoken description of it.
  • Add a speech bubble that shows what someone in the picture said, which the sentence did not include.

Exit ticket

Tell me your sentence. Point to one thing in your drawing that your words did not say.

What to look for: A clear extra detail, like "the ball" or "it was raining." Drawing only what was said means the child sees the picture as a copy. Not linking picture to sentence means they need to start from the words.

Printable practice for SL.K.5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Adding a Drawing to What You Said

How long does the Adding a Drawing to What You Said lesson take?

30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 9 min, guided practice 9 min, independent practice 6 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Adding a Drawing to What You Said teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5 — SL.K.5, Speaking & Listening for Kindergarten: “Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.” In plain terms, add a drawing to what you said, to show more of it.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Paper and pencils, a description read aloud with no picture: "My grandma has a garden. There are flowers in it." and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: draws exactly what the sentence says and nothing more; draws something unrelated to the sentence and cannot say what the picture added. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Tell me your sentence. Point to one thing in your drawing that your words did not say.” A clear extra detail, like "the ball" or "it was raining." Drawing only what was said means the child sees the picture as a copy. Not linking picture to sentence means they need to start from the words. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Adding a Drawing to What You Said?

Yes — 1 printable SL.K.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Adding a Drawing to What You Said free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to SL.K.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.