Creating Mental Images

This week we began focusing our comprehension study on creating mental images.

Being able to "see" what's happening in your head as you read allows students to have better recall, and make deeper, more meaningful connections to text. The "picture in your head" while you read really helps readers have better over all comprehension.

We read a wonderful story about a little bat named Chiro this week. We made mental images, drew them out on whiteboards, and explained our thinking as we read.

Here's a picture of our thinking stems chart. We use these words to help us discuss our mental images.

And here's our thinking about why our mental images are different.

Here's an interactive collage of our drawings from the very first page of Nightsong, by Ari Berk.


Our mental images helped us learn about echolocation. and picture how little Chiro felt as he got ready to fly through the night!

Want to record your child's thinking for them at home? Use the AudioBoom app. They can share thinking, then come back later and use the audio recording to help them recall what they were thinking.