The Do's and Don'ts of a Picture Walk

Most of us were taught to do a picture walk at the beginning of a guided reading lesson.  What is the purpose of this mini-lesson? How are you using the picture walk?  What are you teaching during the picture walk?  How will you know if your students have learned anything from the picture walk?
I have seen picture walks utilized in a way that made getting to read the book seem like the best prize ever and I've seen picture walks so boring and pointless that students were nearly asleep--or in tears--by the time the torture, I mean walk, was over. So, let's talk about what you can do to make a picture walk lots of fun and purposeful, and let's talk about some things to avoid!

Do:  Make the picture walk a conversation.  This is an opportunity to encourage your students to talk to you and to each other. We want an environment of collaboration in our classroom and this is a perfect way to teach children how to speak appropriately and intelligently to each other.
Don't: Dominate the entire conversation.  The learning will be more relevant and meaningful if the students have a chance to discuss and reflect with each other so allow them to talk as well.
Do: Use the picture walk to build vocabulary.  Introduce key words that students must understand in order to comprehend the text.  Check to see what their previous experience with that word is and clarify any misconceptions.
Don't: Elaborate on every topic or on irrelevant tangents.  I once heard a teacher interrupt a guided reading lesson to talk about her dog for about five minutes.  If you only have a group for 15-20 minutes and you use a third of that time to talk about something that is only minimally related to the topic of discussion, you are not using your time wisely.  Your students will attempt to get you off topic--usually not on purpose--by telling you about every time they've gone to the zoo, seen a boat, or picked a flower.  My standard reply, "Oh, that's great. Can you tell me more about that at recess?" You need to honor their ideas and connections, value what they would like to talk about, but don't let it distract from your lesson.
Do: Use the questions they ask for later book subjects, inquiry circle projects, or writing assignments.  Again, let them know their interests are valuable and don't disregard the questions they ask, no matter how far off topic they may be.  You don't always have to have every answer and sometimes the questions they ask during guided reading  are perfect for research assignments.  Jot them down and don't forget about them.
Don't: Stop your lesson to find the answer to every question.  Just because their questions are important doesn't mean they are more important than the lesson you are teaching.
Do: Plant the seeds to help them be successful in their reading. If there are words they are going to struggle with, mention them, say them a few times. If there is difficult phrasing, point that out, too.  If the picture is helpful to the reading, look at it carefully.  Say things like, "When I looked at this picture, I thought, oh, that's a dog.  But the book is calling it a puppy.  See, right here?  This words starts with a /p/.  This word is puppy. So, when you are reading, be careful to look at how that word starts and not just the picture."
Don't: Spend a lot of time on your picture walk.  Your picture walk shouldn't be the major part of your lesson. It should be like a mini-lesson--concise, pointed, and helpful.  If you are reading a longer text over several days, break your picture walk up as well.
Do:  Talk about text structure, features of different genres, parts of a book, whatever is relevant.
Don't: Go "fishing" during a picture walk. If no one knows the word "caption" even though you just told them yesterday, tell them again.
Think of the picture walk as a preview, a way to set your students up to be successful.  It's not an opportunity for a teacher to give a monologue about why this book is interesting (or not interesting) or how he or she can personally relate to the text.  It's about the students being able to make predictions, prepare mentally for the text, learn key vocabulary, and feel more successful when they get to more difficult words.
What  types of activities or strategies do you use during your picture walks?
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