Pictures and Picture Files

Use real objects whenever possible; if you can’t get real objects, use pictures. It is sometimes impractical to bring real-life situations into your teaching sessions, but you can always bring in pictures. For introducing new words even in a simple substitution drill, pictures can reveal a meaning immediately and help make it memorable.

Pictures from catalogues, magazines, newspapers, calendars, advertisements, maps, photographs or postcards can be useful for teaching English. It is wise to collect these illustrations before their need arises. A doctor’s office, a beauty salon or a barber shop may be good places to pick up free issues of magazines with useful pictures. Ask for old issues at your library.

File your pictures by topic for ready reference. Mounting pictures on heavy paper or cardboard keeps them from getting ruined. Pictures generally fall into two categories:

• those illustrating a single object or action
• those depicting an entire situation.

As you start to collect pictures, you might find the following suggestions helpful:

• Cut out everything you think you might use. It is often difficult to locate pictures you need for a specific lesson when you want them.
• Select pictures that illustrate a specific object, place, individual scene or action.
• Select pictures that depict an entire situation that could be used as a topic for conversation (for example, a family picnic).
• Collect pictures that illustrate contrasts (for example, big/small, fat/thin, happy/sad, wide/narrow) or represent concepts that are difficult to describe (for example, above, under, between, up, down, numbers, colours). Look for pictures that depict emotions (for example, love, hate, jealousy, arrogance, kindness).
• Although many pictures in your file will reflect North American culture, include some pictures of other cultures. Ask your students to share pictures of their native cultures as well.
• Avoid using pictures with extraneous printing on them that may be confusing.
• Set up a simple set of categories:
  • animals (cats, dogs, other animals)
  • body (arm, leg, head, hair)
  • clothing (men’s, women’s, children’s)
  • colours, shapes, sizes (red/blue, round/square, big/small)
  • family (mother, father, children, grandparents)
  • food (vegetables, meals)
  • household (kitchen appliances, bedroom, bath)
  • occupations/jobs (clerk, carpenter, team leader)
  • problems (pictures that portray problems students may face – hospital scenes, inadequate housing, etc.)
  • recreation/sports (soccer, baseball, swimming)
  • seasons (spring, summer, fall/autumn, winter)
  • transportation (boat, bus, plane, train).

Add any other categories you find might be helpful on the back of the pictures, identify them and write questions or suggestions for using them.

Colvin, R. J. (1997). I speak English (4th ed.). Syracuse, New York: New Readers Press, a division of ProLiteracy Worldwide. ISBN 0-930713-90-7. Used with permission.

Handout 12.11