Using the Pictures and the Details
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on using illustrations together with the words to describe a story's characters and events.
Using the Pictures and the Details is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.1.7 — use the pictures as well as the words to describe the story. 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 1
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- RL.1.7
Grade 1 · Reading: Literature
RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Objective
Students will be able to use both the words and the pictures to describe a character or an event.
Students are successful when they can
- Gives a detail from the words.
- Gives a detail from the picture.
- Says which came from which.
What you need
- An illustrated story
- A two-column chart: WORDS and PICTURE
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — words only
5 min- Read a page with the picture covered. Ask what they know about the character.
- Then uncover it. Ask what they know now that they did not.
Teach — two sources, one description
13 min- Fill the chart for one character: what the words say, what the picture shows.
- Point out that the picture usually gives appearance and the words usually give action.
- Find something the picture shows that changes how you read the words — a facial expression, say.
- Build one description that uses both columns.
- Ask which column each part came from.
“Both of them are the book. But you should know which one told you.”
Guided practice — fill the chart
12 min- Pairs fill both columns for a different character or event.
- Then they write a two-sentence description using one detail from each.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the pictures-and-details page.
- The passage is on the sheet.
Close
2 min- Ask for one thing the picture told them that the words did not.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Uses only the picture.
Why: It is faster to read and requires no decoding.
Fix: Cover it. The warm-up establishes that the words carry information too, before the picture is available.
Attributes a picture detail to the words.
Why: Both are the book and the source is not tracked.
Fix: Two columns and a rule: every detail goes in one. Sorting is what makes the source visible.
Says the picture is wrong when it shows something the words did not.
Why: The child expects them to match exactly.
Fix: Name it as the illustrator's job. Adding is not contradicting.
If they are not there yet
- Fill one column at a time.
- Use a page with one clear illustration.
If they finish early
- Find a page where the picture and the words seem to disagree.
- Describe an event using only the picture, then only the words.
- Say what the illustrator decided that the author did not.
Exit ticket
Describe this character in two sentences: one from the words, one from the picture.
What to look for: Two sources correctly attributed. Both sentences from the picture is the commonest and the one the covering exercise fixes.
Printable practice for RL.1.7
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 Using the Pictures and the Details
How long does the Using the Pictures and the Details 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 Using the Pictures and the Details teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7 — RL.1.7, Reading: Literature for Grade 1: “Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.” In plain terms, use the pictures as well as the words to describe the story.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
An illustrated story, a two-column chart: WORDS and PICTURE 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: uses only the picture; attributes a picture detail to the words and says the picture is wrong when it shows something the words did not. 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: “Describe this character in two sentences: one from the words, one from the picture.” Two sources correctly attributed. Both sentences from the picture is the commonest and the one the covering exercise fixes. 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 Using the Pictures and the Details?
Yes — 1 printable RL.1.7 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 Using the Pictures and the Details 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.1.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.