Visual Analysis Skills

Visual analysis is a great place to start when teaching students how to analyze. When reading a map or chart, students can focus on the information in the visual without getting hung up on difficult language. As students learn how to analyze and articulate the message and purpose of a visual, they can begin to transfer their analysis skills to texts that they are reading.

The ability to analyze a visual is an important academic skill when reading in the content areas. In all subject areas, students are expected to interpret data, summarize information that is represented graphically, and explain how images support ideas in a text. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), college, and careers will all expect students to read, analyze, and write about visual information.