Seeing Is Believing

Visual Aids

Your teacher assigns you to include a visual aid with your writing assignment. That sounds fun, but what is a visual aid?

There are several options, and then you will choose the best one for your topic.

You can create some slides in Google Slides or PowerPoint to illustrate your information.

Slides are great for showing statistics. For example, if you studied more about a war, how many people from each side died during battle? Or if you learned about voting in America, which party has won more U.S. elections, Democrats or Republicans?

You can also draw a visual on paper or a posterboard to show some of the answers you found in your research.

For example, if you researched ways to help the environment, you could create a poster showing ways to reduce waste.

A video clip is another powerful visual aid. If you researched World War II, you could find actual footage of the D-Day Normandy Landing, or a video segment of a landmark in your state.

Another option for a visual aid is an artifact. For instance, you could make an Aztec mask or clay pot.

If you explored a country, continent, or famous place, you can make a travel brochure.

If you enjoy building, you can choose to make a model of your research topic. For example, if you learned more about an invention or technology, you could make a model of it. If you investigated a topic in geography, you can make a model of the country.

A puppet is a crafty visual aid you can make.

Here’s an example of a simple puppet made from a sock, some yarn, and some buttons.

The last option is a diorama. For instance, you can make a diorama to show a scene from a war.

Which visual aid will you create for your research topic?