The Picture and the Words
A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on matching an illustration to the moment of the story it shows.
The Picture and the Words is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.K.7 — match a picture to the part of the story it shows. 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:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 30 minutes
- Standard:
- RL.K.7
Kindergarten · Reading: Literature
RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
Objective
Students will be able to say which part of a story an illustration shows.
Students are successful when they can
- Matches a picture to the sentence it goes with.
- Says what in the picture proves it.
- Notices something a picture shows that the words do not say.
What you need
- A picture book, plus photocopies of four of its illustrations
- The matching four sentences on strips
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — which bit is this?
4 min- Hold up one illustration from a story they know.
- Ask which part of the story it shows and how they can tell.
Teach — the picture is a moment
10 min- Read the book through.
- Hold up an illustration and read three sentences from the book. Ask which one it matches.
- Ask what in the picture proves it — the bucket, the rain, the open gate.
- Do it again with a harder pair, where two sentences nearly fit.
- Then find something in an illustration the words never mention. Point out that the illustrator added it.
“A picture is one moment. Which moment is this one?”
Guided practice — match them up
8 min- Pairs match four pictures to four sentence strips.
- The rule is that they have to say what in the picture decided it.
- Take feedback on the pair that was hardest.
Independent practice
6 min- Students complete the picture-and-words page.
- Read the passage aloud twice.
Close
2 min- Show one illustration and ask what happens next in the story.
- The answer has to come from where the picture sits, not from the picture alone.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Describes the picture rather than saying which moment it shows.
Why: 'Tell me about this picture' and 'which part is this' sound alike, and describing is the easier of the two.
Fix: Ask 'which sentence?' rather than 'what can you see?' A sentence is a much narrower target than a description.
Matches by a detail that appears on several pages — the same character.
Why: The character is the most noticeable thing in the picture and is in most of them.
Fix: Ask what is in this picture that is NOT in the others. That question rules out the character immediately.
Says the picture shows something the words do not say, and treats it as an error.
Why: The child expects the picture and the words to say exactly the same thing.
Fix: Name it as normal and useful. Illustrators add things — that is their job, and noticing it is the more advanced skill.
If they are not there yet
- Match two pictures rather than four.
- Reread the sentence aloud while they look at the picture.
If they finish early
- Ask which moment of the story has no picture, and why the illustrator might have chosen that.
- Ask them to draw the missing moment.
- Ask what the picture tells you about how a character feels, which the words do not say.
Exit ticket
Which part of the story does this picture show? What in the picture tells you?
What to look for: A named detail, not a description. 'Because the dog is in it' is not enough if the dog is on every page.
Printable practice for RL.K.7
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Would the Picture Show?Read the story, then answer the questions.
Questions about The Picture and the Words
How long does the The Picture and the Words lesson take?
30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 10 min, guided practice 8 min, independent practice 6 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 The Picture and the Words teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 — RL.K.7, Reading: Literature for Kindergarten: “With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).” In plain terms, match a picture to the part of the story it shows.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A picture book, plus photocopies of four of its illustrations, the matching four sentences on strips 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 the picture rather than saying which moment it shows; matches by a detail that appears on several pages — the same character and says the picture shows something the words do not say, and treats it as an error. 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: “Which part of the story does this picture show? What in the picture tells you?.” A named detail, not a description. 'Because the dog is in it' is not enough if the dog is on every page. 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 The Picture and the Words?
Yes — 1 printable RL.K.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 The Picture and the Words 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 RL.K.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.