Who Made This Information Book
A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on the author's job and the illustrator's job in a book of facts, where the pictures are often photographs.
Who Made This Information Book is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.K.6 — name who wrote the book and who made the pictures, and say what each one did. 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:
- RI.K.6
Kindergarten · Reading: Informational Text
RI.K.6
Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
Objective
Students will be able to name the author and illustrator of an information text and say what each contributed.
Students are successful when they can
- Finds both names.
- Says which one wrote the facts.
- Says whether a given fact came from the words or the picture.
What you need
- An information book with photographs and a credited photographer
- An information book with drawn diagrams
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — two books, two kinds of picture
4 min- Show both books. One has photographs, one has drawings.
- Ask which took a camera and which took a pen.
Teach — where did that fact come from?
10 min- Read a double page. Collect four facts the class now knows.
- For each one, ask: did we get that from the words, or from the picture?
- At least one should have come only from the picture. Name that: the illustrator taught us something.
- Name both jobs: the author found out the facts and wrote them; the illustrator or photographer showed them.
- Point out that in an information book a picture has to be TRUE, which is not so for a story.
“In a story the illustrator can draw anything. In this book, the picture has to show what is really there.”
Guided practice — words or picture?
8 min- Read out six facts from the book. The class votes: words, picture, or both.
- Turn back and check each one.
Independent practice
6 min- Students complete the who-made-this page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Ask for one thing the pictures taught them today that the words did not say.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Thinks a photograph has no maker.
Why: A photograph looks like the world rather than like somebody's work.
Fix: Ask who decided where to stand, and what to leave out of the frame. Somebody chose.
Says the illustrator made up the facts.
Why: In a story the illustrator invents, so the same must be true here.
Fix: Ask whether a bee could be drawn with four legs in this book. It could not — the picture has to be true, and that is the difference.
Attributes everything to the author, including what only the picture shows.
Why: The author's name is the one that is bigger and comes first.
Fix: Do the six-fact vote. A fact that appears nowhere in the words settles it.
If they are not there yet
- Use a book with one photograph per page.
- Ask only 'who wrote the words?' until that is secure.
If they finish early
- Find a fact that the words and the picture both give.
- Ask what the photographer had to do to get that picture.
- Compare the same fact in two different books.
Exit ticket
Name one fact you learned today. Did it come from the words or the picture?
What to look for: The attribution matters more than the fact. Everything credited to the words means the picture-only fact needs revisiting.
Printable practice for RI.K.6
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Who Made This Book?Tick the right answer.
Questions about Who Made This Information Book
How long does the Who Made This Information Book 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 Who Made This Information Book teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.6 — RI.K.6, Reading: Informational Text for Kindergarten: “Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.” In plain terms, name who wrote the book and who made the pictures, and say what each one did.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
An information book with photographs and a credited photographer, an information book with drawn diagrams 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: thinks a photograph has no maker; says the illustrator made up the facts and attributes everything to the author, including what only the picture shows. 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: “Name one fact you learned today. Did it come from the words or the picture?.” The attribution matters more than the fact. Everything credited to the words means the picture-only fact needs revisiting. 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 Who Made This Information Book?
Yes — 1 printable RI.K.6 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 Who Made This Information Book 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.K.6 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.