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Diagrams That Explain

A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on using images — diagrams, maps and photographs — to clarify what a text is saying.

Diagrams That Explain is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.2.7 — explain what a diagram adds that the words alone do not. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, 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 2
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.2.7

Grade 2 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.2.7

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

Objective

Students will be able to say what a diagram, map or photograph makes clearer about the text.

Students are successful when they can

  • Says what the image shows.
  • Says which sentence it clarifies.
  • Says why the words alone were not enough.

What you need

  • A text with a diagram, a map and a photograph
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — three kinds of image

5 min
  1. Show all three. Ask what each is best at.
  2. Diagrams show parts, maps show where, photographs show what it really looks like.

Teach — pair the image to the sentence

13 min
  1. Read the paragraph beside the diagram. Find the sentence the diagram clarifies.
  2. Cover the diagram and read the sentence again. Ask what is now unclear.
  3. Do the map with a sentence about place.
  4. Do the photograph with a sentence about appearance.
  5. Say what each image type was for. They are not interchangeable.
“Which sentence does this picture belong to? Find it and read it again with the picture covered.”

Guided practice — three pairings

12 min
  1. Pairs match each image to a sentence and write what it clarifies.
  2. They test each by covering the image.
  3. Take feedback on the map, which is usually the loosest match.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the images page.
  2. The passage and described images are on the sheet.

Close

2 min
  1. Point at one image. Take the sentence it belongs to.

What goes wrong, and why

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

Says the image shows what the text says.

Why: It does, roughly, and that is the safe answer.

Fix: Ask what it shows BETTER. Redundancy is not clarification.

Pairs an image with the nearest sentence rather than the right one.

Why: Layout suggests the pairing.

Fix: The covering test. If nothing becomes unclear, the pairing was positional.

Ignores labels on a diagram.

Why: They are small text among a picture.

Fix: Read every label first. A diagram without its labels is a drawing.

If they are not there yet

  • One image rather than three.
  • Give the sentence and find the image.

If they finish early

  • Say what a fourth image would need to show.
  • Find an image that clarifies two sentences.
  • Say what the photograph shows that a diagram could not.

Exit ticket

What does this diagram make clearer? Which sentence needed it?

What to look for: A named sentence. 'It shows the bat' means the covering test needs demonstrating again.

Printable practice for RI.2.7

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

Questions about Diagrams That Explain

How long does the Diagrams That Explain 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 Diagrams That Explain teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.7 — RI.2.7, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 2: “Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.” In plain terms, explain what a diagram adds that the words alone do not.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

A text with a diagram, a map and a photograph 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: says the image shows what the text says; pairs an image with the nearest sentence rather than the right one and ignores labels on a diagram. 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: “What does this diagram make clearer? Which sentence needed it?.” A named sentence. 'It shows the bat' means the covering test needs demonstrating again. 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 Diagrams That Explain?

Yes — 1 printable RI.2.7 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 Diagrams That Explain 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 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to RI.2.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.