Readers increase their vocabularies by paying attention to pictures, illustrations, and diagrams. Together we use the context of the story, our background knowledge about what we are reading, and the art to discern the meaning of the words and text.

If you see readers who . . .

• read a word that clearly doesn't match the picture.
• read quickly without using picture clues to confirm the meaning of what they are reading.

Illustrations give clues about the meaning of words and text. When reading, we pay attention to the pictures to help us figure out unknown words. Fiction books are not the only texts where images convey meaning; we're exposed to pictures in much of our nonfiction reading as well. Knowing how to use graphic elements to infer word meanings enhances vocabulary.

When you are reading, look at the pictures, illustrations, and diagrams for clues to what the words might mean. Cross-check by asking if the pictures match what you think a word means, and if it makes sense.

This strategy is used most often when working on the goal of accuracy. We teach students to cross-check: Use the picture . . . Do the words and pictures match? During vocabulary work, we teach this strategy similarly, but focus on particular words, writing them either on our whole-class word collector or in individual word collectors so we can learn them for later use.

1. Read a picture book or nonfiction book.
2. When you come to a word you don't know, stop.
3. Say, “I am going to look at this picture to see if I can figure out what this word means.”
4. Infer meaning based on background knowledge of text and what is represented in the picture.
5. Write the word on a word collector, or celebrate figuring out the word, which elevated your understanding of the text.

Suggested language:

• I am going to look at the picture to see if I can figure out what the word means.
• Did looking at the picture help you with understanding that word?
• I see you wrote that word in your word collector. What does that word mean?

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

• Invite readers who are learning this strategy to include sketches in their word collector of images that have helped them learn a word.
• Ask readers to flag helpful images with a sticky note for a later conference on how that image helped them learn a new word.

Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

• Cross-Check: Do the Words Look Right? Sound Right? Make Sense?
• Determine and Analyze Author's Purpose and Support with Text
• Use Prior Knowledge and Context Clues