F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Pictures That Talk: Images and Meaning
READING · LESSON 6 OF 10
Lesson by English
This lesson contains 19 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
F U N C T I O N A L S K I L L S E N G L I S H · L E V E L 1
Pictures That Talk: Images and Meaning
READING · LESSON 6 OF 10
Functional Skills English Level 1 · Reading · Lesson 6 of 10 (about 60 minutes)
Covers: subject content 15 (infer from images meanings not explicit in the text). Speaking and listening (statements 2, 3, 6) run through the pair talk and the "I can see… so I think…" frame.
Before the lesson: print the handout (Source A is slides 8 and 9, Source B is slide 12) in colour if you can, one per learner. Today the photos are the text, so a grey photocopy loses some of the meaning.
Device-free fallback: every activity works with the printed sources, mini whiteboards and hands up.
Description: Functional Skills English Level 1 Reading, lesson 6 of 10. Learners read an animal rescue appeal web page and a city farm handwashing poster, and work out what the photos tell them that the words do not: the mood, who the text is aimed at, and what it wants them to feel or do.
Tags: images and meaning, reading images, inference, photographs, mood, audience and purpose, charity appeal, persuasive texts, posters, animal care, level 1 reading, functional skills english, functional skills level 1, further education, adult learners Image credit: Ashraful Islam / Unsplash
😄 Great – ready to go
🙂 Good
😐 Okay
😕 Not great today
😴 Tired
Wellbeing check: what's your week been like so far?
Phase 0 · Wellbeing check (first 2 mins)
A quick, low-stakes check-in. Only totals show, so nobody is singled out. Say: "There's no right answer. It just helps me plan today."
Act on it: if several learners choose the last two options, ease the pace and build in a pair task early. Check in privately with anyone you are concerned about, and follow your college's wellbeing and safeguarding route.
Note: today's sources include an animal charity appeal. Some learners may have lost a pet recently; keep the tone light and let anyone sit out the discussion if they need to.
Editor note: if any emoji have not come through, re-add them in the editor.
Device-free fallback: learners show 1–5 fingers, or write a number on a sticky note face down.
A striking photo
A big, bold headline
Someone I know is in it
A video that starts playing
Honestly, nothing does
You're scrolling online. What makes you stop and look at a post?
Phase 1 · Hook (2–5 mins)
No wrong answer. Vote, then ask two or three learners about a post or advert that stopped them recently. What was in the picture?
Probe: "Did the picture or the words grab you first?" Most say the picture, which is why charities and shops choose photos so carefully.
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, or stand by the corner of the room that matches your answer.
What we're doing today
R E A D I N G
Today you will
Why it matters
find what a photo tells you that the words don't
work out its mood, audience and purpose
back it up: "I can see… so I think…"
Adverts, appeals and posters use pictures to make you feel something, and then do something.
Spotting how they do it makes you a sharper reader, and harder to fool.
Phase 2 · Goals (5–7 mins)
Vocabulary: to infer is to work something out from clues, when the text does not say it straight out. We did this with words in Lesson 4; today the clues are in pictures.
The Level 1 reading assessment can ask what an image suggests, or why a writer has included it.
Device-free fallback: read the slide aloud; learners copy the three goals into their book.
A photo can make you feel something. Which feelings?
Phase 2 · Activation (7–10 mins)
Free association. Every answer counts: happy, calm, sad, guilty, worried, safe, "I want one!"
Point to the faint photo: "No words at all, but you still get a message."
Say: "Writers choose photos to give you a feeling. Today we'll name the feeling, and the reason."
Device-free fallback: pairs list as many feelings as they can in 60 seconds; collect on the board. Image credit: Shavonne Yu / Unsplash
Pictures send messages
Writers choose photos on purpose. A photo can show you:
the mood (happy, sad, calm, worried)
who the text is for
what it wants you to feel or do
Phase 3 · Teaching (10–13 mins)
Say: "This dog lives at a rescue centre, but it's in the sun, tongue out. Why might a charity choose this photo?" (To show its dogs are happy and ready to adopt.)
Vocabulary: mood is the feeling a picture gives; audience is who it is for; purpose is the job it does (to persuade, inform, warn…).
Misconception: learners often describe a photo ("it's a dog") and stop. Push for why it was chosen.
Device-free fallback: show the photo on the handout and ask the same questions. Image credit: Cierra Voelkl / Unsplash
Read a picture in 3 steps
R E A D I N G
1
Look. What can you see? Faces, animals, colours, light, the place.
2
Think. How does it make you feel? Who is it aimed at? What should you do?
3
Link. Give your evidence: "I can see… so I think…"
Phase 3 · Teaching (13–17 mins)
Click to reveal each step. Model step 3 aloud with the photo from the last slide: "I can see the dog's tongue is out and it's sunny, so I think the charity wants us to see its dogs are happy and ready to adopt."
Support: give learners the frame "I can see… so I think…" on a card to keep.
Stretch: add a second clue: "I can also see…"
Device-free fallback: write the three steps on the board one at a time.
www.ashworthanimalrescue.org.uk/winter-appeal
SOURCE A · 1 of 2
Ashworth Animal Rescue · Winter appeal
Biscuit is still waiting.
Will you help him through the winter?
Biscuit is seven. He came to us in October, when his owner moved into a care home and could not keep him.
He is gentle, loves a tennis ball and is good with older children. But older dogs are often passed by. Biscuit has now spent 94 nights in our kennels.
This winter our heating bills have doubled. We care for 40 dogs and 25 cats, and we get no money from the government.
Biscuit in his kennel last week
Biscuit at a glance
7 years old · crossbreed · loves walks and ball games
**Eyes looking at you.** Biscuit stares straight into the camera, as if he is asking you for help.
**Metal bars.** He is shut in, like a prisoner. You want to let him out.
**Dark, dull colours.** No sunshine, no bright colours. The mood is sad and cold, which fits a winter appeal.
**Close-up.** His face fills the photo, so you can't look away. It feels personal: one dog, not forty.
Phase 3 · Reading Source A (17–22 mins)
Read the words aloud, then cover the words and look only at the photo. Before opening each hotspot, ask "What does this part make you feel?"
Probe: "The words say Biscuit is in kennels. Do they ever say he is sad or lonely?" (No. The photo does that job.)
Vocabulary: kennels are where dogs are kept at a rescue; an appeal asks the public for help or money; a crossbreed is a dog whose parents are different breeds.
Device-free fallback: printed Source A; learners circle three things in the photo and label each with a feeling. Image credit: 12photostory / Unsplash
www.ashworthanimalrescue.org.uk/winter-appeal
SOURCE A · 2 of 2
How your money helps
£5 buys a warm, washable bed
£15 pays for a vet check
£30 heats a kennel for a whole week
Donate now
Can't give money?
Walk our dogs, foster a cat for a few weeks, or share this page with a friend. Every bit of help counts.
Happy ending: Luna went home with Rosa in March.
Biscuit could be next.
Call 01632 960 482 or visit us at Mill Lane, Ashworth.
**Laughing, eyes closed.** Pure happiness. Compare Biscuit's worried face on the first page.
**Bright, clean background.** Light and hope, the opposite of Biscuit's dark kennel.
**The hug.** Luna is safe and loved. This is what the charity says your money leads to.
**Bright button.** Coral colour, two words. It tells you exactly what to do next.
Phase 3 · Reading Source A, continued (22–25 mins)
Read the page together, then open hotspots 1–4.
Probe: "Why show a happy photo as well as a sad one?" (Sad: you feel sorry. Happy: shows what your help leads to.)
Misconception: some think the woman is a volunteer. The caption says she is Rosa, who adopted Luna. Always read the caption.
Device-free fallback: learners draw a two-column table on the handout: "Biscuit's photo makes me feel…" / "Luna's photo makes me feel…". Image credit: Tamas Pap / Unsplash
To show what breed of dog he is
To make you feel sorry for him, so you help
To show what the rescue centre looks like
To advertise a brand of dog food
What is the main job of the photo of Biscuit?
Phase 4 · Check: the image's purpose (25–27 mins)
Learners commit before the discussion, then talk it through.
Best answer: option 2. That is the photo's purpose: to persuade.
Why not the others: the breed is in the fact file; we see bars, not the building; nothing is for sale.
Probe: "Point to one thing in the photo that proves your answer." Push for the frame: "I can see… so I think…".
Device-free fallback: hands up for each option, then one learner explains their choice.
Drag each card: did the words tell you, the photos, or neither?
Only the words
Only the photos
Neither
Rosa laughs as she hugs Luna
Biscuit is seven years old
The rescue centre has a café
Biscuit is behind metal bars
Biscuit was found on the street
£15 pays for a vet check
Phase 4 · Practice (27–32 mins)
Learners check each card against Source A, words and photos, before dragging it. "Neither" is the trap: it sounds possible but Source A never shows or says it.
Answers: Only the words: Biscuit is seven; £15 pays for a vet check. Only the photos: behind metal bars (the words only say "kennels"); Rosa laughs as she hugs Luna (only the photo shows the laugh). Neither: found on the street (his owner moved into a care home); the café.
Device-free fallback: read each card aloud; learners show W, P or N on a mini whiteboard.
Poster · Ashworth City Farm, by the animal pens
SOURCE B
Sinks are next to the café. Thank you for keeping everyone safe.
A S H W O R T H C I T Y F A R M
Said hello to our animals?
Now say hello to the soap.
Animals can carry germs that make people ill, even when they look clean.
Wash with soap and warm water for 20 seconds
Always wash before you eat or drink
Hand gel is not enough on its own
**Soapy hands, close up.** No need to read anything: the photo shows you exactly what to do.
**Running water.** Clean, fresh and simple. It backs up the words "warm water".
**Soap bottle.** Small, in the corner, but it shows the one thing you need. Hand gel is nowhere in the photo.
**A friendly goat.** Cheerful, not scary. The farm wants you to keep enjoying the animals, safely. It suits families.
Phase 3 · Reading Source B (32–35 mins)
A poster by the animal pens at a city farm. Fewer words, so the photos do more of the work. Read it aloud, then open hotspots 1–4.
Probe: "Who is this poster for?" (Visitors, often families with children.) "How can you tell from the photos?" (The friendly goat; simple, clear photo of what to do.)
Vocabulary: germs are tiny living things that can make you ill; hand gel is the alcohol rub in dispensers.
Device-free fallback: printed Source B; learners label each photo with "It shows… so it wants me to…". Image credit: Mélissa Jeanty / Unsplash Image credit: Shavonne Yu / Unsplash
Why does Source B use a close-up photo of soapy hands?
To show that the farm is very clean
To show you exactly what you need to do
To advertise a brand of soap
To make you feel sorry for the animals
Phase 4 · Check (35–37 mins)
Answer: B. The close-up shows the action the poster wants. Anyone can follow it, even a young child.
Why not the others: A is not shown; C, there is no brand; D mixes up Source B with Source A.
Probe: "Who else does a photo help?" (Visitors who speak other languages, people in a hurry.)
Device-free fallback: learners hold up A–D cards or fingers.
Look at the goat photo in Source B. Finish this sentence. I can see… so I think…
Phase 4 · Practice: I can see… so I think… (37–41 mins)
Learners write one full sentence. Share three or four on the board and improve one together.
Good answers include: "I can see the goat pushing its face towards the camera, so I think the farm wants visitors to feel the animals are friendly."
Misconception: "I can see a goat, so I think it's a farm" only describes. Push for feeling, audience or purpose.
Support: give the first half: "I can see the goat is…". Stretch: add a second clue with "I can also see…".
Device-free fallback: learners write the sentence on a mini whiteboard or in their book.
Exam-style practice
minute
second
Answer on paper using Source A and Source B. Look closely at the photos as well as the words.
1. Give one thing in Biscuit's photo that makes him seem sad. (1 mark)
2. What does the photo of Rosa and Luna suggest? (1 mark)
3. Why does Source A use both photos? (2 marks)
4. Who is Source B aimed at? Give one clue from a photo. (2 marks)
5. What does Source B want you to do? (1 mark)
Starters
I can see…
It suggests that…
The poster is aimed at…
It wants you to…
Phase 5 · Independent practice, exam style (41–51 mins)
Learners work alone, on paper. Start the 10-minute timer. Questions 3 and 4 need two points each.
Support: let learners use the starters.
Stretch: answer question 3 in one sentence that uses "whereas".
Mark it together on the next slide.
Device-free fallback: the questions are written to be copied from the board or printed.
Check your answers
R E A D I N G
1. Biscuit looks sad
2. Rosa and Luna
3. Why both photos
4. Who Source B is for
5. What Source B wants
Any one clue from the photo gets the mark.
Accept "she is happy with her new dog" or similar.
One mark for the sad/happy contrast, one for the purpose.
One mark for the audience, one for the clue.
Not "use hand gel". The poster says gel is not enough.
The bars, his eyes staring at you, or the dark, dull colours.
Adopting a rescue dog makes the dog and the owner happy.
Sad photo makes you feel sorry; happy photo shows your help works. Both persuade you to give.
Farm visitors, e.g. families. Clue: the friendly goat, or the simple photo of hands.
Wash your hands with soap and water after touching the animals.
Phase 5 · Mark it (51–55 mins)
Click each yellow marker to reveal the answer. Learners mark their own work in a different colour and add up out of 7.
Common errors: Q2 "she likes dogs" (too general: the photo suggests adopting makes a dog and a person happy). Q4 "everyone" (name a group and give a clue from a photo). Q5 "use hand gel" (the poster says gel is not enough).
Device-free fallback: read the answers aloud.
You can now…
R E A D I N G
say what a photo tells you that the words do not
work out an image's mood, audience and purpose
back up your idea with evidence: "I can see… so I think…"
Phase 6 · Celebrate progress (55–57 mins)
Click to bring in each tick. Ask: "Which feels solid now? Which needs more practice?" Name it as real progress.
Device-free fallback: learners tick the three statements in their book, adding a question mark next to any they are unsure about. Image credit: LessonUp Studio (made for this series)
Faces and expressions
Colours and light
Who it seems to be aimed at
What it wants me to do
The caption under it
Next time you see a photo in a text, what will you look at first?
Phase 6 · Reflect (57–60 mins)
No right answer. Ask one or two learners why they chose theirs, and where they might use it outside college (a charity advert on the bus, a safety poster at work, a news photo online).
Device-free fallback: thumbs up for each option, or write the choice on an exit slip.
Take it further
R E A D I N G
Stretch: in class
Before next lesson
Compare the two photos in Source A.
Write two sentences, one for each photo, using "I can see… so I think…"
Find a charity advert, poster or leaflet with a photo.
Write down:
who it is aimed at
how the photo makes you feel
what it wants you to do
Take it further
Stretch is for early finishers in class. A strong answer names a clue from each photo and links both to the charity's purpose.
Before next lesson needs no device: a GP surgery leaflet or a charity shop window works. Learners bring it to Lesson 7 (specialist words).
Device-free fallback: this slide is already paper-based.