Mental Imagery: Reading Comprehension Strategy
Description
Mental imagery is a strategy to help assist reading comprehension. It is when a student constructs mental pictures in their heads of what they are reading and studying the texts illustrations. The way that this strategy can be implemented in the classroom is through the following process: Begin by explaining to your students that in order to remember more of what they read to make pictures in their head about what they read. The second thing they can do is study the illustrations in the books that they read. In order to teach this process to your students you can use the "think aloud" approach. Read through a short narrative or expository passage and pause a several parts of the passage. At each pause, explain to the students what mental image has come to your mind as you read the section of the passage. Further in the passage have the students explain what they pictured during the read. When there are pictures present, have the students study the pictures and explain what clues they take away from the illustration. Continue to use the "think aloud" strategy until all the students understand the process of mental imagery. Once the students are able to use mental imagery independently, allow for students to write down what they are thinking throughout the text.
Content Area Examples1. Mathematics: In order to help enhance the understanding of addition, the students can work through addition word problems. The students will first read through the word problem and write down what they imagine. The students will draw a picture of what they imagine in the story problem. Once they accomplish this task, they will then move onto setting up the problem and solving it.
2. Science: Students will be given a short read on the study of evolution. During this read students will work in a group of three to four students. The students will read through the passage aloud as a group and discuss what mental images came to their minds as they read through it. Once this is accomplished, the class will then discuss what mental images came to mind as a whole group. Each group will share one thought that another student had thought of. 3. Literacy: Students will read a book from their book bins. Each student will write down the mental image they had from each page that they read. They will also write down any thoughts from the illustrations in the text and what clues that the image gives them. 4. Health: Students will be assigned to read a chapter in their health books. While they are independently reading the chapter, they will jot down different mental images that came to their mind as they read the chapter. They will also jot down clues from the images and how they relate to the reading. *This strategy would be helpful for special education students because they are part of an inclusive classroom. Another reason is that the students will receive that scaffolding strategy when being taught how to fulfill this strategy. The students will receive that small group work while learning how to do this and going through the process. Students may have the opportunity to work with their classmates and increase their social skills as they discuss what mental images they pictured as they read. |
Resources1. Mental Imagery: Improving Text Recall. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2015, from http://www.interventioncentral.org/academic-interventions/reading-comprehension/mental-imagery-improving-text-recall
|