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Using the Pictures and the Details

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on using illustrations together with the words to describe a story's characters and events.

Using the Pictures and the Details is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.1.7 — use the pictures as well as the words to describe the story. 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:
Grade 1
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RL.1.7

Grade 1 · Reading: Literature

RL.1.7

Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Objective

Students will be able to use both the words and an illustration to describe a character, setting or event, and say which source told them each thing.

Students are successful when they can

  • Gives one detail from the words ("Max sat on the windowsill") and one from the picture ("it is raining outside").
  • Uses both sources in one description: "Max is sad because he cannot go out in the rain."
  • Says "The words told me..." and "The picture showed me..." for each detail.

What you need

  • Your quick drawing of Max the cat (described in the Teach section) on the board
  • A two-column chart: "Words told me" and "Picture showed me"
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — words only

5 min
  1. Read one sentence with no picture: "Max sat on the windowsill and looked out."
  2. Ask: "What is Max feeling? What is the weather?" They cannot say for sure.
  3. Say: "The words did not tell us everything. Let us see if a picture helps."

Teach — two sources, one description

13 min
  1. Draw quickly on the board: an orange cat on a windowsill, with a bandage on its tail and a droopy face; outside the window, raindrops and a puddle; a ball lying in the yard.
  2. Read the full text: "Max sat on the windowsill and looked out. His ball was in the yard. He wanted to play."
  3. Ask: "What did the words tell us?" Fill the left column: he sat on the windowsill, his ball is in the yard, he wanted to play.
  4. Ask: "What did the picture show us that the words did not?" Fill the right column: it is raining, he has a bandage on his tail, his face looks sad, he is orange.
  5. Ask: "Why is Max sad?" Fish for an answer that needs both: "He wants to play with his ball, but it is raining."
  6. Say: "The words told us he wanted to play. The picture told us why he could not. We needed both."
“Ask two questions. What did the words tell me? What did the picture show me? A good reader puts them together.”

Guided practice — fill the chart

12 min
  1. Give pairs a page from a class picture book (or a second sketch: a girl holding a broken kite, with a strong wind bending a tree). Text: "Ella ran home as fast as she could."
  2. Pairs fill a two-column chart with at least two things in each column.
  3. Then they write one sentence that uses both columns: "Ella ran home because the wind broke her kite."
  4. Circulate and ask: "Did the words say the wind broke it, or did the picture show it?" The picture.
  5. Share sentences and check that each one uses both the words and the picture.
“Point to where you found it. If it is in the words, put it on the left. If it is in the picture, put it on the right.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the pictures-and-details page, reading the story and answering what the picture would show.
  2. Remind them that some questions ask what the words say a picture must contain.
  3. Children who finish draw an illustration for one sentence that adds a detail the words leave out.

Close

2 min
  1. Point to Max's bandage. Ask: "Did the words tell us he was hurt?" No.
  2. Ask what that adds to the story. Fish for: "Maybe he hurt his tail outside, so he has to stay in."

What goes wrong, and why

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

Describes only the picture and ignores the words: "Max is orange. It is raining."

Why: Pictures are fast and easy to read, and the words take more effort, so the picture becomes the whole story.

Fix: Cover the picture and read the words first. Fill the words column before the picture is shown. Then add the picture and ask what is new.

Says the words told them something only the picture shows: "The words said it was raining."

Why: Once the words and picture are both in their head, they blend into one memory and the source is lost.

Fix: Go back and read the words again with a finger under each one. Ask "Did you hear the word rain?" Then point to the drops in the picture.

Makes up details that are in neither the words nor the picture: "Max is hungry."

Why: They know cats get hungry and fill in the story from their own life. It feels like part of the story.

Fix: Ask "Where did you find that?" If it is not in the words or the picture, it is a guess. Praise the thinking, then ask for a detail they can point to.

If they are not there yet

  • Use one sentence and a very simple picture with one extra detail: a boy holding an umbrella with the words "Tom went out."
  • Ask two set questions only: "What do the words say?" and "What else do you see?"
  • Let the child point to the picture detail instead of writing it.

If they finish early

  • Draw a picture for "Max sat on the windowsill" that changes the story, such as sunshine and an open door, and explain the difference.
  • Find a page in a class book where the picture shows something the words do not say, and explain why the illustrator added it.
  • Write words for a picture with no text, using two details from it.

Exit ticket

Describe Max in two sentences: one from the words and one from the picture.

What to look for: "Max wanted to play with his ball" (words) and "Max has a bandage on his tail" (picture). Two picture sentences means the words column needs covering-the-picture practice. A made-up detail means they need the "where did you find that?" question.

Printable practice for RL.1.7

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

Questions about Using the Pictures and the Details

How long does the Using the Pictures and the Details lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 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 Using the Pictures and the Details teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 — RL.1.7, Reading: Literature for Grade 1: “Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.” In plain terms, use the pictures as well as the words to describe the story.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Your quick drawing of Max the cat (described in the Teach section) on the board, a two-column chart: "Words told me" and "Picture showed me" 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: describes only the picture and ignores the words: "Max is orange. It is raining."; says the words told them something only the picture shows: "The words said it was raining." and makes up details that are in neither the words nor the picture: "Max is hungry.". 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: “Describe Max in two sentences: one from the words and one from the picture.” "Max wanted to play with his ball" (words) and "Max has a bandage on his tail" (picture). Two picture sentences means the words column needs covering-the-picture practice. A made-up detail means they need the "where did you find that?" question. 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 Using the Pictures and the Details?

Yes — 1 printable RL.1.7 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 Using the Pictures and the Details 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.1.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.