A sentence about a picture should tell what the picture really shows: the right who, what and where, and nothing that isn’t there.
Key idea
Choose the sentence that tells what the picture really shows. Check every person, animal, thing and place it names.
Why it works
Writing about a picture is like being a reporter: readers trust you to tell what is there. A sentence can sound lovely and still be wrong about the picture.
Worked example: Check every part
The picture shows a boy kicking a ball at the park. Does “The boy kicks the ball at the beach.” match?
- Who? The boy: yes.
- What? Kicks the ball: yes.
- Where? At the beach: no, the picture shows a park.
Answer: No. It should say “at the park.”
Common mistake
Picking a sentence that sounds nice but adds something that isn’t in the picture. Go through the sentence word by word and point to each thing in the picture.
For the grown-up. Make it a game: you say a sentence about a picture, sometimes with a mistake in it, and your child catches you. Pointing to each thing named keeps it fair.