What the Illustrations Contribute
A 40-minute Grade 3 lesson on explaining how a story's illustrations contribute to its mood, characters and setting.
What the Illustrations Contribute is a free 40-minute Grade 3 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.3.7 — explain what the illustrations add to the mood or the characters. 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 3
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- RL.3.7
Grade 3 · Reading: Literature
RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
Objective
Students will be able to explain what an illustration contributes to mood, character or setting.
Students are successful when they can
- Names what the illustration contributes.
- Points at what in the illustration does it.
- Says whether the words already said it.
What you need
- An illustrated story with varied illustration styles
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — mood without words
5 min- Show two illustrations with the text hidden. Name the mood of each.
- Ask what created it — colour, light, the size of things.
Teach — the specific thing that does it
13 min- Take an illustration and say it creates a mood.
- Then find the specific thing doing it: the dark corners, the character's small size in the frame.
- Ask whether the words already told you that mood. If they did, the picture reinforced; if not, it added.
- Do a second where the illustration adds a setting detail the words never mention.
- Say the two contributions: reinforcing and adding. Both count, and they are different.
“Do not just say it is gloomy. Point at what makes it gloomy.”
Guided practice — three illustrations
12 min- Pairs analyse three illustrations for mood, character and setting.
- For each they name the specific feature responsible.
- They mark each as reinforcing or adding.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the illustrations page.
- Described illustrations and the passage are on the sheet.
Close
2 min- Show one illustration. Take the mood and the feature that creates it.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Names a mood without evidence.
Why: Mood is felt immediately and the cause is not obvious.
Fix: Point at the picture. Colour, light and scale are the usual answers.
Says the illustration shows the story.
Why: It does, and that is the safe answer.
Fix: Ask what it contributes that the words did not. Reinforcement counts, but it has to be named as such.
Treats every illustration as equally important.
Why: They all appear, so they all count the same.
Fix: Ask which one you would keep if you could only have one. The ranking exposes the reasoning.
If they are not there yet
- One illustration rather than three.
- Give the mood and find the cause.
If they finish early
- Compare two illustrators' versions of one scene.
- Find an illustration that contradicts the words.
- Say what an illustration for an unillustrated page would need.
Exit ticket
What does this illustration contribute, and what exactly in it does that?
What to look for: A specific feature. A mood word with no cause means the point-at-it step needs enforcing.
Printable practice for RL.3.7
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What the Illustration AddsRead the text, then answer the questions.
Questions about What the Illustrations Contribute
How long does the What the Illustrations Contribute 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 What the Illustrations Contribute teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7 — RL.3.7, Reading: Literature for Grade 3: “Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).” In plain terms, explain what the illustrations add to the mood or the characters.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
An illustrated story with varied illustration styles 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: names a mood without evidence; says the illustration shows the story and treats every illustration as equally important. 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 illustration contribute, and what exactly in it does that?.” A specific feature. A mood word with no cause means the point-at-it step needs enforcing. 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 What the Illustrations Contribute?
Yes — 1 printable RL.3.7 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 What the Illustrations Contribute 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.3.7 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.