If a class is reading a non-fiction text about the formation of Earth's layers, why might the author include a graphic like the one below?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083.

Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.

What is a realistic prediction that can be made about this text based on the illustration?

Passage and illustrations adapted from "The Gold-Giving Serpent" in Indian Fairy Tales (ed. Joseph Jacobs, illustrator John D. Batten, 1892 ed.) This story is originally from the Panchatantra by Vishnu Sharma, c. 3rd century BCE.

Image "Common Core Fourth Grade CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.4 - Determine the Meaning of Words and Phrases in a Text, Including Mythology - Image 1" adapted from "The Gold-Giving Serpent" in Indian Fairy Tales (ed. Joseph Jacobs, illustrator John D. Batten, 1892 ed.).

Image "Common Core Fourth Grade CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.4 - Determine the Meaning of Words and Phrases in a Text, Including Mythology - Image 2" adapted from "The Gold-Giving Serpent" in Indian Fairy Tales (ed. Joseph Jacobs, illustrator John D. Batten, 1892 ed.).

ow in a certain place there lived a man named Haridatta. He was a farmer, but poor was the return his labor brought him. One day, at the end of the hot hours, the man, overcome by the heat, lay down under the shadow of a tree to have a doze. Suddenly he saw a great hooded snake creeping out of an ant-hill near at hand. So he thought to himself, "Sure this is the guardian deity of the field, and I have not ever worshipped it. That's why my farming is in vain. I will at once go and pay my respects to it."

When he had made up his mind, he got some milk, poured it into a bowl, and went to the ant-hill, and said aloud: "O Guardian of this Field! All this while I did not know that you dwelt here. That is why I have not yet paid my respects to you; pray forgive me." And he laid the milk down and went to his house. Next morning he came and looked, and he saw a gold denar in the bowl, and from that time onward every day the same thing occurred: he gave milk to the serpent and found a gold denar.

One day the man had to go to the village, and so he ordered his son to take the milk to the ant-hill. The son brought the milk, put it down, and went back home. Next day he went again and found a denar, so he thought to himself: "This ant-hill is surely full of golden denars; I'll kill the serpent, and take them all for myself." So next day, while he was giving the milk to the serpent, the man's son struck it on the head with a cudgel. But the serpent escaped death by the will of fate, and in a rage bit the man's son with its sharp fangs, and he fell down dead at once. His people raised him a funeral pyre not far from the field and burnt him to ashes.

Two days afterwards his father came back, and when he learnt his son's fate he grieved and mourned. But after a time, he took the bowl of milk, went to the ant-hill, and praised the serpent with a loud voice. After a long, long time the serpent appeared, but only with its head out of the opening of the ant-hill, and spoke to the man: "'Tis greed that brings you here, and makes you even forget the loss of your son. From this time forward friendship between us is impossible. Your son struck me in youthful ignorance, and I have bitten him to death. How can I forget the blow with the cudgel? And how can you forget the pain and grief at the loss of your son?" So speaking, it gave the man a costly pearl and disappeared. But before it went away it said: "Come back no more." The man took the pearl, and went back home, cursing the folly of his son.

Based on what we know from the story, what is shown in the bowl in the illustration?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of Belling the Cat. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <http://read.gov/aesop/003.html>.

Adapted from Aesop’s Belling the Cat (620-560 BCE)

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last, a very young Mouse got up and said: "I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.

All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"

How does the image contribute to the story?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083.

Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.

How do adding visuals help increase your understanding of the text?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of Belling the Cat. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <http://read.gov/aesop/003.html>.

Adapted from Aesop’s Belling the Cat (620-560 BCE)

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last, a very young Mouse got up and said: "I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.

All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"

If more illustrations were to be included along with the text which one would be the best choice?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083.

Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.

How could this illustration be changed to include more detail from the passage?

Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea (1835)

Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he traveled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong. There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home again and was unhappy because he did so want to have a real Princess.

One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King went to open it.

Who should be standing outside but a Princess, and what a sight she was in all that rain and wind. Water streamed from her hair down her clothes, into her shoes, and ran out at the heels. Yet she claimed to be a real Princess.

"We'll soon find that out," the old Queen thought to herself. Without saying a word about it, she went to the bedchamber, stripped back the bedclothes, and put just one pea at the bottom of the bed. Then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on the pea. Then she took twenty eiderdown feather beds and piled them on the mattresses. Up on top of all these, the Princess was to spend the night.

In the morning, they asked her, "Did you sleep well?" " Oh!" said the Princess. "No. I scarcely slept at all. Heaven knows what's in that bed. I lay on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over. It was simply terrible."

They could see she was a real Princess and no question about it, now that she had felt one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds. Nobody but a Princess could be so delicate. So the Prince made haste to marry her because he knew he had found a real Princess.

As for the pea, they put it in the museum. There it's still to be seen unless somebody has taken it. There, that's a true story.

If, as a reader, you are only able to view the illustrations, what would you predict this story is about?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083.

Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.

What is the author’s purpose for including this illustration with the passage?

Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of Belling the Cat. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <http://read.gov/aesop/003.html>.

Adapted from Aesop’s Belling the Cat (620-560 BCE)

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last, a very young Mouse got up and said: "I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.

All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"

What media form would be the least effective for telling this story?