Courseversity

Lesson

Describing images

Primary EducationGrade 2English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G02-ELA-U10-L0445–60 min

You will learn

  • Look carefully at a picture.
  • Describe people, places and things.
  • Say what is happening.
  • Say how it makes you feel.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Look at the whole picture first.
  2. Look at the details.
  3. Say what is happening.
  4. Say what you think and feel.

Words to know

image
a picture or photograph
describe
tell using details
foreground
the part nearest to you
background
the part furthest away

1. Discover: A day at the beach

Imagine a picture: Children build a sandcastle in the foreground. Behind them, waves roll in. In the background, a red boat sails under a blue sky. A dog chases a ball. Everyone is smiling.

Think: What is happening? How does the picture feel?

2. Understand: Describing pictures

Idea 1: Look carefully

An image is a picture or photograph. Look at the whole picture first, then at the details.

Idea 2: Describe parts

Describe the foreground (near), middle and background (far). Say who or what is there, colours and actions.

Idea 3: Feelings

Say what is happening and how it makes you feel: It feels happy and sunny.

Remember: To describe an image, look at the whole then the details, name foreground and background, say what is happening and how it feels.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Foreground

What is in the foreground?

  1. Near.

Answer: children building a sandcastle

Example 2 (We do it together): Background

What is in the background?

  1. Far.

Answer: a red boat and blue sky

Example 3 (You try): Feeling

How does it feel?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Smiles.

Answer: happy

Did you know?

Artists use colours and positions to make us feel certain ways.

Why this matters

Describing images builds careful looking and rich language.

4. Explore: Picture describer

Describe a picture.

  1. Look at the picture.
  2. List what you see.
  3. Say what is happening.
  4. Say how it feels.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can describe images.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • In the foreground I see ___.
  • In the background I see ___.
  • The people are ___.
  • It makes me feel ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. What is an image?

a picture

Question 2. What is foreground?

the near part

Question 3. What is background?

the far part

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A picture or photograph is an ___.
  2. The nearest part is the ___.
  3. The furthest part is the ___.
  4. To tell with details is to ___.
  5. The sky is ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Describe the sky.
  2. What chases the ball?
  3. What sails in the background?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Why look carefully?
  2. Can pictures give feelings?
  3. How do you describe?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Describe a family photo to someone.

Show a sample answer

a description

Another one. Write a paragraph describing a picture.

Show a sample answer

a paragraph

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Missing details.
Fix: Look again.
Another mistake: No feelings.
Fix: Say how it feels.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can look carefully.
  • I can describe people, places and things.
  • I can say what is happening.
  • I can say how it feels.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. An image is a ___.

2. The foreground is the ___ part.

3. The background is the ___ part.

4. To describe is to tell with ___.

5. What do the children build?

6. What is in the background?

7. What chases the ball?

8. How does the picture feel?

9. Colour of the sky?

10. Why look carefully?

11. What comes first?

12. Why say how it feels?

Challenge 1. Which describes the foreground?

Challenge 2. Which describes the background?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Look at the whole picture first.
  • Describe foreground and background.
  • Say what is happening.
  • Say how it feels.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Understanding media messages. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is the foreground? [1 mark]
  2. What is the background? [1 mark]
  3. Describe the beach picture. [3 marks]
  4. How does it feel? [1 mark]
  5. Explain how to describe an image. [3 marks]

Total: 9 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. the nearest part of the picture [1]
  2. the furthest part [1]
  3. sandcastle [1]; boat in background [1]; dog/smiles [1]
  4. happy [1]
  5. look at the whole then details [1]; foreground and background [1]; what is happening and how it feels [1]

Score guide: 8 to 9 = secure. 6 to 7 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A picture is an ___.
  2. The nearest part is the ___.
  3. The furthest part is the ___.
  4. To tell with details is to ___.
  5. The sky is ___.
  6. True or false: look carefully.
  7. True or false: skip details.
  8. What do children build?
  9. What sails?
  10. Describe a picture.

Homework

Describe a picture to a family member.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A picture is an ___. image 1
2. The nearest part is the ___. foreground 1
3. The furthest part is the ___. background 1
4. To tell with details is to ___. describe 1
5. The sky is ___. blue 1
6. True or false: look carefully. true 1
7. True or false: skip details. false 1
8. What do children build? a sandcastle 1
9. What sails? a red boat 1
10. Describe a picture. a description 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 image; 2 foreground; 3 background; 4 describe; 5 blue. Level 2: 1 blue; 2 a dog; 3 a red boat. Level 3: 1 notice details; 2 yes; 3 what I see.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Look carefully at a picture Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Describe people, places and things Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Say what is happening Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Say how it makes you feel Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Missing details. Look again.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Use a picture with prompts.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child describes images. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Look at pictures together.
  • Ask: What do you see?
  • Praise details.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: look carefully at a picture; describe people, places and things; say what is happening; say how it makes you feel.

Prerequisite knowledge. Posters.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Show a picture.

Explanation (10 min). Teach describing.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise.

Independent activity (10 min). Share.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What do I see? What is happening?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use prompts. Extension. Compare images.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Missing details. Look again.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 9-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Use a picture with prompts. Enrichment. Compare two pictures. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 2 » Speaking & Listening; Grade 2 » Writing. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core SL.2.4, SL.2.2 and RI.2.7; Cambridge Primary English Stage 2 (reading and media). These sources informed the lesson.

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