Visualizing What You Read

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

How to Create a Mental Movie

Good readers don’t just read the words—they see, hear, and even feel them! This skill, called visualizing, helps you understand and enjoy stories so much more.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Use your prior knowledge. Consider what you already know about the topic or setting.

2. Pay attention to the author’s words. Look for descriptions that trigger your senses, such as smells, sounds, colors, or textures.

3. Combine them. Mix what you know with what you read to imagine scenes, characters, and events.

Activity: Sketch Your Visuals

Watch this video reading of the poem "Preludes" by T.S. Eliot (below).

As you listen, have your pencil and paper ready. Sketch what you visualize while listening to the poem. Pause the video whenever you need more time to draw.

Reflection Questions

• Which of your five senses did the poem activate?
• Did the author’s words make you feel like you were there?

Next to your sketch, write down words and phrases from the poem that helped you create your visualizations.

• How did drawing your visual help you understand the poem better?
• Did you feel a personal connection?

Continue to the Got It? section to practice with another written work!