The Picture and the Words
A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on matching an illustration to the moment of the story it shows.
The Picture and the Words is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.K.7 — match a picture to the part of the story it shows. 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:
- RL.K.7
Kindergarten · Reading: Literature
RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
Objective
Students will be able to say which part of a story an illustration shows.
Students are successful when they can
- Matches the picture of Mia under the umbrella to "Mia opened her big yellow umbrella."
- Says what clue in the picture matches the words.
- Names one thing the picture shows that the words do not.
What you need
- The story "Mia and the Rain" (in Teach), with four simple drawings, one per sentence
- The four sentences on separate strips
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — which bit is this?
4 min- Show one drawing: a girl in red boots jumping in a puddle. Ask: "What is happening here?"
- Fish for "she is jumping in a puddle." Ask: "Is it before or after it stopped raining? How can you tell?" Accept any reason from the drawing.
- Say: "A picture shows one moment of a story, like pressing pause. Today we will match each picture to its moment."
Teach — the picture is a moment
10 min- Read: "Mia looked out of the window. It was raining. She put on her red boots. She opened her big yellow umbrella. Then she jumped in every puddle. SPLASH!"
- Put the four drawings up out of order: boots, window, puddle, umbrella.
- Read the first strip: "Mia looked out of the window. It was raining." Ask: "Which picture shows this?" Fish for the window picture. Ask what clue helped: the window and the rain drops.
- Do the same for "She put on her red boots." The clue: the boots are red and on her feet.
- Point at the umbrella picture. Ask: "Is there anything in the picture that the words did not tell us?" Fish for "a cat watching" or "she is smiling." Say: "The picture can tell us more than the words."
“This picture shows one moment. Which words go with it? What clue tells you?”
Guided practice — match them up
8 min- Pairs get the four sentence strips and four small pictures.
- You read each strip aloud; pairs match it to its picture and say the clue.
- Ask one pair: "How did you know the puddle picture goes with SPLASH?" Fish for "she is jumping and water is flying."
- Ask the class: "What does the picture show about how Mia feels?" Fish for "happy," from her smile, which the words never say.
“Read it, find it, and tell your partner the clue.”
Independent practice
6 min- Read the story on the sheet aloud.
- Children answer what the picture would show for each part, circling the right description. Read each choice aloud.
- Early finishers draw the picture for the last part of the story in the box at the bottom.
Close
2 min- Hold up the boots picture. Ask: "Which words go with this?" Fish for "She put on her red boots."
- Ask: "What does this picture show that the words do not?" Fish for anything visible but unsaid, such as her coat or the cat.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Matches the umbrella picture to "It was raining" because there is rain in both.
Why: Rain appears in several pictures, so the child matched one shared detail rather than the main action.
Fix: Ask: "What is Mia DOING in this picture?" Match the action, not just the weather.
Describes the picture only by color: "it is yellow."
Why: Color is the first thing noticed, and the child has not looked for what is happening.
Fix: Ask "Who is in it? What is she doing?" before "What can you see?"
Says the words and picture must show exactly the same things.
Why: Early books often repeat the words in the picture, so extra details have not been noticed.
Fix: Point to the cat watching from the window. Ask: "Did the words say there was a cat?" No. The picture added it.
If they are not there yet
- Match two pictures to two sentences first.
- Act out each sentence before matching.
- Point to the matching clue for the child, then ask them to find the next.
If they finish early
- Draw a picture for a sentence that has no picture: "Mia went home and had warm soup."
- Find what the picture adds on every page of a class book.
- Say what the next picture would show if the story kept going.
Exit ticket
Which words go with the picture of Mia jumping in the water? What clue tells you?
What to look for: "Then she jumped in every puddle. SPLASH!" and a clue such as the jumping or the splash. Choosing "It was raining" means matching one detail, not the action. A right match with no clue may be a guess.
Printable practice for RL.K.7
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Would the Picture Show?Circle the right answer.
Questions about The Picture and the Words
How long does the The Picture and the Words lesson take?
30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 10 min, guided practice 8 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 The Picture and the Words teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 — RL.K.7, Reading: Literature for Kindergarten: “With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).” In plain terms, match a picture to the part of the story it shows.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The story "Mia and the Rain" (in Teach), with four simple drawings, one per sentence, the four sentences on separate strips 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: matches the umbrella picture to "It was raining" because there is rain in both; describes the picture only by color: "it is yellow." and says the words and picture must show exactly the same things. 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: “Which words go with the picture of Mia jumping in the water? What clue tells you?.” "Then she jumped in every puddle. SPLASH!" and a clue such as the jumping or the splash. Choosing "It was raining" means matching one detail, not the action. A right match with no clue may be a guess. 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 The Picture and the Words?
Yes — 1 printable RL.K.7 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 The Picture and the Words 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 RL.K.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.