Dear Families,

     For the next several weeks we will be working on MENTAL IMAGING in Reader's Workshop.  Students rely on pictures associated with the text they are reading.  Good readers also create pictures in their minds.  Theses visual images are powerful and help to keep us engaged while we read.  Where do our mental images come from?  When we visualize we connect with our own personal SCHEMA with clues provided by the author.  It is like watching a movie in our mind.  When we are using mental images we are in fact INFERRING what the author wants us to know and understand.  Proficient readers create images from all their senses.  Mental images occur before, during and after reading.  They change as we read and collect new information.  Mental images enhance our reading.