About this strategy
Visualising is the process of creating mental images from text. It is a multisensory strategy that goes beyond simply "seeing pictures" — it encompasses sounds, smells, textures and tastes associated with the words on the page. For some readers, visualising is automatic; for others, particularly those with aphantasia, it requires explicit instruction and scaffolding. These activities help students develop and articulate their mental imagery, improving comprehension and recall.
The four activities
Each activity includes detailed teacher instructions, student-facing instructions, a worked example, reflection prompts, and extension ideas in the book.
Sensory Scenes
Students annotate a text extract for sensory details across all five senses, then complete a graphic organiser with a drawing of the scene at the centre and written descriptions for sounds, smells, tastes and textures in surrounding sections. Different interpretations lead to rich class discussion about why readers form different impressions.
- Teacher instructions
- Student handout
- Worked example
- Reflect & Extend
Soundscapes
Students create an aural landscape of a scene from the text using digital sound-editing tools such as GarageBand or Audacity. They annotate the text for explicit and implied sounds, source audio clips, and layer them together. Students finish with a brief written explanation of their choices.
- Teacher instructions
- Student handout
- Worked example
- Reflect & Extend
Line-by-Line Visualisation
Students work in pairs, sitting back-to-back. One partner reads an extract aloud, pausing at each sentence, while the other draws the scene as it unfolds. They then swap roles and compare their drawings, noting similarities and differences in their visualisations of the same text.
- Teacher instructions
- Student handout
- Worked example
- Reflect & Extend
Reading in Role
A dramatic activity where students prepare and perform a characterisation from a text extract. Students annotate the text with performance notes — posture, movement, voice, inner thoughts — then rehearse and perform. A reflection task asks what they learned about the author's portrayal of the character.
- Teacher instructions
- Student handout
- Worked example
- Reflect & Extend
Get the full activities
The book includes complete instructions, reproducible student handouts, real student examples, reflection questions, and extension ideas for all four activities.
Buy Practical Reading Strategies