Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM)
Description
What Is It?
PWIM is a strategy that uses pictures to elicit words from students’ listening and speaking repertoire.
Why Use It?
The PWIM uses an inductive process (in which students seek patterns and use them to identify their broader meanings and significance), as opposed to a deductive process (where meanings or rules are given, and students have to then apply them)
Instructional Steps:
1. Choose a picture from a book, magazine, or Google images related to the lesson.
2. Ask students, “What do you see?” to elicit words.
3. Label the objects in the picture, repeating the word.
4. Direct students to spell and say the word out loud.
5. Ask, “What do these words have in common?” Next, read and group the words by commonalities on a chart. ( categorize)
6. Review the chart by reading it and saying the words and their spelling aloud. ( continue to read as a class over a series of days)
7. Ask, "Can you think of more words to describe the picture?" Chart any additional words.
8. Ask, "What would be a good title for the picture?" Discuss and record the title.
9. Ask students, "What can we say about this picture? What sentences can we write?" Provide sentence stems if needed.
10. Record and work together to group alike sentences.
11. Rearrange the sentences into a paragraph, describing aloud why you are putting sentences in a particular position in the paragraph. Ask for the students’ opinion.
12. Read together a few times.
Quick Tips
Use this strategy to introduce or review reading comprehensions skills such as compare contrast, cause and effect, drawing inferences, identify facts and opinions, main ideas and details, etc.