Figure with Caption — Preparing for the Information Fair

Mentor-text figure study: teacher displays an open page from Steve Jenkins' 'Actual Size' showing a figure with caption. Children identify what the figure shows AND what the caption adds.

• Show the page
• Ask 'what does the figure show?'
• Ask 'what does the caption add beyond the figure?'

M-3-S-WR-21-C Photograph

Reference photo of an open page from Steve Jenkins' 'Actual Size' showing a figure (e.g., actual-size goliath beetle illustration) with caption text. Print-ready 4x6 photo.

Today you design a FIGURE for your essay. A figure is a visual element — a DIAGRAM (a labeled drawing showing parts or process), a PHOTO (a real-world image), or a HAND-DRAWN ILLUSTRATION. Every figure has a CAPTION — a 1-2 sentence label below it. The caption has two jobs: (1) NAME what the figure shows; (2) ADD one fact not stated in the essay. Watch the model. (Teacher draws a labeled diagram of a honeybee with parts called out: wings, eyes, proboscis, pollen baskets.) Caption: 'A honeybee's body has four labeled parts: clear wings, large eyes, a straw-like proboscis for drinking nectar, and pollen baskets on its back legs. A worker bee can carry pollen weighing half her own body weight.' Notice: the caption names the parts AND adds the half-body-weight fact (which is not in the essay text). For your figure, pick whichever kind fits your topic — a labeled diagram if you have an object to break down (a beehive, an octopus, a moon jelly), a hand-drawn illustration of a scene, or a sketched chart if your data fits one.

• Pick the figure that fits YOUR essay. The figure should ADD information, not just decorate.

  model Option 1 LABELED DIAGRAM: honeybee with parts labeled (caption adds a fact about pollen baskets). Option 2 ILLUSTRATION: a beehive cross-section showing inside structure (caption adds the 80,000-bee number). Option 3 SIMPLE CHART: a bar chart showing 'flowers visited per trip' (caption adds the comparison to bumblebee).

  prompt Teacher shows 3 figure options for the honeybee essay.

• What are the two jobs of a caption?
• What kind of figure fits your topic?

M-3-S-WR-21-A Chart

Reproduction of MG-16 at 11x17: 3-section card showing the LAYOUT each child uses for the Fair — TOP LEFT published essay; TOP RIGHT figure + caption; BOTTOM 'two visitor questions' card. Each section labeled with sample-size dimensions. Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-16 Chart

Information Fair planning poster: a 3-section card showing the LAYOUT each child uses for the Fair — TOP LEFT: published essay (4-6 paragraphs); TOP RIGHT: a hand-drawn or printed FIGURE (diagram, photo, or chart) with a caption written in the child's hand below it; BOTTOM: a 'two visitor questions' note-card with space for the child to record questions actually asked and their answers. Each child gets a small tri-fold display board. Print-ready 11x17 planning template.

• Design your figure on 8.5x11 paper. Use colored pencils. Include at least 3 labels if it's a diagram.

  scaffold MG-16 planning poster + colored pencils + Steve Jenkins mentor text at desk
• Write a 1-2 sentence CAPTION below the figure. The caption must NAME what the figure shows AND ADD one fact not in the essay.

  scaffold Caption sentence-frame: 'This figure shows ___. ___.'
• Practice presenting your figure to a partner: 'My figure shows ___. The caption adds ___.'

  scaffold Information Fair presentation rehearsal

M-3-S-WR-21-B Illustration

Reference image of a hand-drawn honeybee diagram on 8.5x11 paper with 4 parts labeled (wings, eyes, proboscis, pollen baskets) and a 2-sentence caption below: 'A honeybee's body has four labeled parts: clear wings, large eyes, a straw-like proboscis for drinking nectar, and pollen baskets on its back legs. A worker bee can carry pollen weighing half her own body weight.' Print-ready 8.5x11.

• Show your figure + caption to a partner. Partner names: figure-type, 3 visual elements, and the one fact the caption adds.
• Tape figure to inside back cover of your publication booklet.

• Display your figure on the wall preview.
• Predict: next lesson is the Information Fair — your essay debuts!

• At home, find one figure with caption in a book or magazine. Notice: does the caption add a fact beyond the figure? Bring on a sticky note.