Focused Visualization by Ralph Lagana

Focused Visualization 

For those who struggle to comprehend, one of the hardest things to do is to "see" what's happening within the pages. Focused visualization is one way to assist a child with this difficulty.

Begin by locating a descriptive passage in the book your child is reading.

Before having your child read the passage, ask him to close his eyes and recall a favorite location. This can be a frequented vacation spot, the beach, or even your backyard. Ask: “What do you see? Hear and smell? How does this place make you feel?” 

Children, even very young ones, are often able to provide quite a bit of information as to what they’re “seeing”. 

If your child is having difficulty visualizing, try the experience yourself. Close your eyes and describe a place you both know well. 

Once you have successfully practiced visualizing a place, then note which words, which descriptive words, were used to make the image seen.

Now, give your child the clear purpose of reading the descriptive passage you’ve selected with the goal of visualizing what the author intended his readers to see. 

Below are some examples of highly descriptive passages that work well for focused visualization.

Andalucian Stallion

Standing on his hind legs, this rare Andalucía stallion is fearless. His ears are turned back while his noble looking head is held high. His all black coat glistens in the late afternoon sun. His face displays a strong confidence with his nostrils flared, his veins bulging from his cheek bones, and his fiery black eyes burning holes into the souls of those who stare into them. His neck muscles are tensed and thickened with adrenalin. His black main is thrown into the wind like a flag rippling in the winds of a tornado. His muscular front legs are brought up to his chest displaying his flashing gray hooves that could crush a man's scull with one blow. His backbone and underbelly are held almost straight up and his hind quarters are tensed. His back legs are spread apart for balance. His back hooves are pressed into the earth; therefore, his hooves cause deep gouges from the weight of his body on the soil. His black tail is held straight down and every once in a while a burst of wind catches it and then it floats down back into place like an elegant piece of silk falling from the sky. His bravery and strength are what made his breed prized as a warhorse. 

The Hot Fudge Sundae

In front of me on the table sat a beautiful pure white bowl, simplistic in design, hiding a decadent surprise inside. In the bowl was hidden something that was not so pure, however, the irresistible indulgence was worth every calorie that I knew it contained. As I looked inside I saw on the bottom of the bowl a hot, tender brownie loaded with macadamia nuts. I knew from past experience that the nuts had a creamy and smooth texture, almost like white chocolate. On top of the brownie were two firmly packed scoops of ice cream, laying side by side, each one a different flavor. The scoop on the right was a rich vanilla, flecked with dark specks of vanilla bean. The scoop on the left was a dark, smooth, bittersweet chocolate. The scoops were just starting to melt tiny rivers of melted cream down the sides of the hot brownie, pooling on the bottom of the pure white bowl. These scoops of ice cream were draped with a sumptuous, rich, hot fudge sauce. Topping the luscious sauce was an ample dollop of whipped cream that was in perfect contrast to the dense, almost too rich dessert below. The whipped cream was topped with a shower of chocolate sprinkles and finely chopped walnuts. What finally completed this wonderful creation was a perfect maraschino cherry, its red juice sending tiny streams down the whole mountain of dessert delight. The contrast of colors, textures and flavors in this dessert appealed to every part of my senses. I could not wait to eat it.