A. Literacy Connections and Applications / C. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts · Understanding and Responding to Texts

Images, Graphics and Design in Digital and Media Texts

C1.4 A2.4 A2.5About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain how images, graphics and visual design create and add to meaning.
I can read an infographic and explain why its design choices work.
I can explain the conventions and techniques of digital texts, such as web pages and video thumbnails, and their effect on an audience.
I can explain how a text's form, message and context fit its audience and purpose.

Words to know

infographic
A graphic that uses pictures, numbers, short text and design to explain information quickly.

visual design
How colour, size, placement, fonts and white space are arranged to guide the viewer's eyes.

thumbnail
A small picture that shows what a video or web page is about, so you decide whether to click.

clickbait
A headline or picture made to make you click, often by exaggerating or hiding the real story.

sponsored content
Content that a company paid for. It is a kind of advertising, even if it looks like a regular article or video.

context
Where and when a text appears, which affects how people see it.

Remember from Grade 4

In Grade 4 you explained how visual design guides your eyes (size, placement, colour, white space), named conventions of posters, comics, videos and websites, and noticed techniques like close-ups, camera angles, music and slogans. You also asked who made a text, who it is for and why.

In Grade 5 you will read infographics, look closely at digital texts like web pages and video thumbnails, and explain how creators use design to influence an audience.

Hook: Which would you click?

Two video thumbnails are about the same video, How Maple Syrup Is Made:

Thumbnail 1: a calm photo of a sugar bush in spring, with metal buckets on maple trees. The title says: How Maple Syrup Is Made.
Thumbnail 2: a person with a shocked face and wide eyes, a big red arrow pointing at a pot, and huge yellow letters: YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT'S IN THIS SYRUP!!!

Many people would click Thumbnail 2 first. Why? The shocked face, the arrow, all capital letters and the mystery make you curious. But is it honest? The video is just about boiling sap! Thumbnail 2 is clickbait.

How images, graphics and design work together

Images show what something looks like and set a mood.
Graphics (charts, maps, diagrams, timelines, infographics) make information quick to understand.
Visual design decides what you notice first and how you feel:
Size and placement: the biggest thing, or the thing at the top or centre, is noticed first.
Colour: can set a mood or group related information.
Fonts: a bold, thick font looks loud and important; a thin, curly font looks gentle or fancy.
White space: empty space makes key parts stand out.
Arrows and lines: guide your eyes in an order.

A simple infographic about maple syrup. The tall box shows about 40 litres of sap; the small box shows the 1 litre of syrup it makes. Not to scale.

Worked example

Let's read an infographic's design

Look at the maple syrup infographic. How do its images, graphics and design help it communicate?

Title: big, bold capital letters at the top: FROM TREE TO PANCAKE. You read it first, and you know the topic.
Graphic comparison: a tall box for 40 litres of sap and a tiny box for 1 litre of syrup. The size difference makes you see that you need a lot of sap.
Arrow: shows the change from sap to syrup, left to right, in the order you read.
Dashed line and short text: separate the picture side from the explanation side. The text is short, so it is quick to read.
Colour: the sap box is filled in blue like a liquid; the syrup box is yellow, like golden syrup.

The sizes compare amounts at a glance, the arrow shows a process, and short text with white space keeps it easy to read. You understand the main idea in a few seconds.

Conventions and techniques in digital texts

Web page: a banner at the top with the site name, a menu, headings, links, images, and often ads in the side or between paragraphs. Technique: the most important content (or what the site wants you to do, like Buy now or Sign up) is placed big and high on the page.
Video thumbnail and title: a still picture and short title. Techniques: faces with strong emotions, arrows and circles, all caps, mystery (You won't believe...).
Online news headline: a short title and photo. Technique: exciting words to get clicks. Some headlines are clickbait.
Sponsored content: looks like an article or video, but a company paid for it. Look for small words like Sponsored, Ad or Paid partnership.
Social media post: image or video, caption, likes, comments, shares. Technique: big numbers of likes can make an idea seem true or popular, even when it isn't.

Question	Thumbnail 1 (calm)	Thumbnail 2 (shocked face)
What do I notice first?	The trees and buckets	The shocked face and red arrow
How does it make me feel?	Calm, curious	Surprised, worried, curious
What does it want me to do?	Watch to learn	Click right away
Is it honest about the video?	Yes	No: it hints at something scary that isn't there

Comparing two thumbnails for the same video

Form, message, context, audience and purpose

Creators choose the form and design to fit the audience and purpose, and the context (where and when people see it) matters too.

Example message: Visit the sugar bush festival on Saturday.

For families, on the community centre bulletin board: a poster with a photo of children eating maple taffy on snow, the date and place in big letters, and white space so it's readable from across the hall.
For teens, on a video app: a 10-second video with upbeat music, quick cuts and a funny caption.
For older adults, in the local newspaper: a short article with a schedule and details about parking and accessible paths.

The message stays the same, but form, design and words change for each audience.

One message, three forms. The audience and context decide the form: a big, readable poster, a quick video with music, or an article full of details.

Worked example

Let's analyze a web page

A web page about a new skateboard has: a huge photo of a smiling teen skater mid-jump at the top; the words THE BOARD EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT; a bright Buy Now button; three short reviews, all five stars; and, in tiny grey text at the bottom, Wheels sold separately.

Purpose: to sell the skateboard.
Audience: teens and kids (a young skater, exciting words).
Techniques: a low-angle action photo makes the skater look powerful; everyone's talking about suggests it's popular (a bandwagon technique); the Buy Now button is bright and easy to find; only five-star reviews are shown.
Design choice to question: the important fact, Wheels sold separately, is tiny and grey at the bottom, so viewers might miss it.
Effect on the audience: viewers may feel excited and buy quickly without noticing the extra cost.

The page uses size, placement and colour to push excitement and the Buy Now button, and uses tiny, faded text to hide an important fact. A smart viewer reads the small print.

Just for fun

Clickbait thumbnail for a video about a rock: YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT THIS ROCK DID NEXT!!!

It sat there. All day. (That's why we read the real title before we click.)

Be a smart viewer

Ask about every digital or media text: Who made this? Who is it for? Why? What techniques are being used on me? What is hidden or left out? And before you click: Is this clickbait? Is it sponsored?

Hands-on activity

Redesign a thumbnail

You need: paper, coloured pencils or markers, and (with a grown-up's permission) a device to look at a few real video thumbnails or web pages for kids.

With a grown-up, look at 3 thumbnails or web pages. For each, write what you notice first and what technique made you notice it.
Choose a simple topic, such as How to build a snow fort or How to care for a houseplant.
Design two thumbnails for the same video: one honest and clear, one clickbait.
Show them to a family member. Which would they click? Which tells the truth?
Make a small infographic about your topic with a title, one graphic comparison and three short facts.

Your turn

What is clickbait?

In the maple syrup infographic, why is the sap box drawn so much taller than the syrup box?

Name two techniques in Thumbnail 2.

What words might show that a post is sponsored content?

On the skateboard web page, which important fact was hidden, and how?

Why would a newspaper article about the sugar bush festival mention parking and accessible paths?

What does white space do in a design?

More practice: warm-up

What is an infographic?

On a poster, what do you usually notice first?

What is a thumbnail?

Name one convention of a web page.

True or false: sponsored content is a kind of advertising.

More practice: on your own

Why do many thumbnails show faces with strong emotions?

How can a high number of likes influence an audience?

Explain how context changes a message: the same funny video shown in a classroom versus shared online.

Design a message about recycling batteries safely for Grade 1 students. Describe the form and two design choices.

Why should a smart viewer read the small print?

Challenge

A cereal box for kids shows a cartoon tiger, bright colours and a free toy inside. The box for adults of the same cereal shows a bowl with fruit and the words Whole grain. Explain why the designs differ.

Rewrite this clickbait title so it is honest: Scientists SHOCKED by what lives under the ice!!!

Explain how one design choice (size, colour, placement or font) could be used to hide information and one could be used to highlight it.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the main job of an infographic?

A headline says You'll NEVER guess what this dog did!!! The technique is...

Small words like Sponsored or Paid partnership tell you...

Why is important information sometimes in tiny, faded text?

A message for young children is best shown with...

What is context?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: Grade 5 students explain how images, graphics and visual design create and contribute to meaning (C1.4), show understanding of forms, conventions and techniques of digital and media texts and their impact on audiences (A2.4), and explain how form, message and context relate to audience and purpose (A2.5).

How to help at home:

Look at video thumbnails, game ads or online headlines together. Ask: "What do you notice first? Why? Is it honest?"
Point out Sponsored or Ad labels when you see them.
Compare a toy ad on a kids' channel with an ad for the same kind of product aimed at parents.

Common difficulties:

Thinking popular means true. Likes and views don't prove facts.
Not noticing small print. Make reading the fine print a habit together.

Online safety: Any browsing should be with a grown-up. About the facts: In Canada, sap usually runs in early spring when nights freeze and days are above freezing; it takes roughly 40 litres of sap (often quoted as 30 to 50) to make 1 litre of maple syrup. The thumbnails and web pages were invented for this lesson.