Sixth Grade · Writing · week 15

Adding Graphics That Teach

Select or create a relevant graphic and write a caption that adds new information rather than repeating the text.

A map, diagram, or timeline can show a reader something words alone explain less clearly -- where the Nile flows, how a pyramid was built in stages, or when key events happened. A graphic should always relate directly to your report's topic, not be decoration.

Every graphic needs a caption. A weak caption just repeats a sentence already in the report. A strong caption adds something new -- a detail, a measurement, or context the graphic itself shows that the text did not already say.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Look through the sources already gathered for maps, diagrams, or timelines rather than searching for something totally new.
  • Ask "does this caption tell me something the paragraph did not already say?" as the test for a strong caption.
  • A hand-drawn map or timeline is just as valid as a printed one, as long as it is accurate and relevant.
  • One or two well-chosen graphics beat five decorative ones with nothing new to say.
Talk about it:
  • What graphic did you choose, and why does it fit your topic?
  • What new information does your caption add?
  • Where in your report does this graphic belong, and why there?

Mastery looks like: They choose a relevant graphic and write a caption that adds genuinely new information beyond the surrounding text.

Common stumbles: Adding a decorative graphic unrelated to the report's actual content; writing a caption that only repeats a sentence already in the text.

Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Writing for this learner.
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