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Visual Literacy - What is it?
It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words"! In our society, we are being constantly bombarded by visual messages through non-print media such as television and the Internet. The term Visual Literacy,therefore, refers to the ability to understand and produce visual messages. Learning experiences which allow students to think critically about how images convey meaning should be essential inclusions in classroom literacy programs.
Picture Books and Visual Literacy
Did you know Picture Books are for Big Kids too ? Traditionally, picture books were written for young children. However, in recent years, mainly due to the talent of some imaginative authors and talented illustrators, picture books have become popular with a broader audience. Why has this happened? Some are popular because their subject matter is quite serious or mysterious eg Norton's Hut or Grandad's Gifts. Others are stimulating because they display clever or humorous visual fantasies eg Willy the Dreamer, Tuesday or In the Garden of Abdul Gasazi. While the reasons for their popularity may be diverse, picture books provide a wonderfully rich resource for teaching visual literacy in the primary school.
In the sample Visual Literacy Activity described here, teachers and students will develop visual literacy skills as they explore some wonderful picture books intended for an older audience.In particular, by focusing on the illustrations in Picture Books and the clever illustrators who create them students will:
- gain a greater understanding of the relationship between text and illustrations
- explore and interpret ideas, themes and issues expressed visually in picture book texts
- identify and understand the use of point of view; cause and effect; symbolism; stereotype ; and mood in picture books.
- develop an awareness of the role of an illustrator and how the illustrations of a text are constructed to achieve their purpose
- explore the media and illustrative techniques used by illustrators to render their messages in visual texts.
Programming your Illustrator Study
Click here to download a sample teaching program for Visual Literacy through Picture Books (pdf) for use with students in Stages 2&3.
Click here to download the Student Picture Book / Illustrator Study Activity Sheet (pdf)
lIllustrators
I think that all illustrators put themselves in the pictures they create, simply by showing THEIR point of view. Every artist has a unique way of seeing the world and telling their stories in pictures. When they close their eyes and think of something to illustrate they see it in their own unique way. This is like their signature or stamp of individuality. How they then put that image on paper (or whatever) is a reflection of themselves." GREG ROGERS in ™Letˆs IllustrateÓ -interview with Anne Maree Scott.
Below is a list of recommended illustrators. This is by no means an exhaustive list. Rather it is intended as a starting point.
 Ian
ABDULLA |
Jeannie
BAKER |
Bronwyn
BANCROFT |
| Graeme
BASE |
Anthony
BROWNE |
Rod
CLEMENT |
| Peter
GOULDTHORPE |
Wayne
HARRIS |
Junko
MORIMOTO |
| Matt
OTTLEY |
Gregory
ROGERS |
Jon
SCIESKA |
| Shaun
TAN |
Jane
TANNER |
Colin
THOMPSON |
| Chris
VAN ALLSBURG |
David
WIESNER |
Stephen
WOOLMER |
Weblinks
Click here to download some Illustrator weblinks for the sample teaching program Visual Literacy through Picture Books Stages 2&3.
Resources
- The Dromkeen Book of Australian Illustrators.
- Russell, Anne. Zooming into visual literacy: using picture books to develop critical visual literacy. Literature Base , Vol 8,1,1997 p 14-17.
- Williams, Sue. Reading visually : the syntax of picture book illustration . Classroom 7/99 p 8-13.
- Stauffer, Mariliyn Dr. Art in Children's Books http://nosferatu.cas.usf.edu/lis/lis6585/class/art.html.