NAME :

CLASS :

CAPTION

Task 1
Read the following caption and complete the boxes with the headings of the information. One has been
done for you as an example.

Task 2
In groups of four, answer the following questions.

Caption 1

A school bus is towed following a collision What happened?

with a car on the Major Deagan
Expressway (1-87) in the Bronx on Friday, Where?
Sept, 30. There were no major injuries
reported among the 42 students and eight When?
adults on board from St.Joseph School in
the Bronx. (John Smock/AP Photo) Who?

Caption 2

(L-R) New York City Mayor Michael R. What happened?

Bloomberg, New York City Schools
Chancellor Joel Klein, and Deputy Mayor for Where?
Education Denis Wolcott, at PS 40 in
Brooklyn on Thursday, Sept 22, 2017, When?
announce the highest score for the 4th
graders of New York City public schools on Who?
state math exams since standards-based
testing began four years ago. (John
Smock/AP Photo)

Caption 3

June 9, 2017 – Kabul, Afganistan – A child What happened?

severely burned by a car bomb yesterday
receives care at the India Gandi Institute of Where?
Child Medicine. Doctors are struggling with
limited medicines to treat the growing When?
number of child victims, whose injuries are
often compounded by other medical Who?
problems, such as poor nutrition that
diminishes a child’s ability to heal. (John
Smock/AP Photo)

Remember!

Writing Caption

1. Social function : to give readers basic information to understand a photograph and its relation to the
news.
2. The generic structure of photo caption :
● Title : It may come from the main idea of the story. Caption titles play important role in drawing
reader’s attention.
● Content : giving relevant information about the photo, use 5WH-questions.
● Photo credit : stating the name of the photographer and the source. Example: (Jill Connelly/AP
Photo)
3. Language features :
● Supply the specific information answering 5W & 1H questions :
1. What is going on?
2. Who/what is that?
3. When didi it happen?
4. Where did it happen?
5. Why did it happen?
6. How did it happen?
● Use simple present tense to describe action in the picture (usually the first sentence)
SIMPLE PRESENT : S + V1/+S(ES) + O
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE : S + IS/AM/ARE + V-ING + O
● Use past tense to tell the background of the picture (the rest of the sentence)
SIMPLE PAST TENSE : S + V2 + O
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE : S + WAS/WERE + V-ING
● Captions are written in a complete sentence-mostly a declarative sentence. One or two sentence(s)
are enough to describe a photo, but if more explanation is needed, a caption may have three
sentences.
● Clearly identify the people and location that appear in the photo. Mind the correct spellings of
names.
● For photographs of more than one person, identify from left to right. In case of large groups, identify
only the notable people.
● Never include personal feelings.

Task 3
In group of four, analyze the photo and its caption according to rules in writing captions.

Fire brigades fight a fire which occurred at Roots Store, a three-story

commercial building on Queen Street, West Toronto, Canada, after
midnight on Tuesday, Oct, 30 2017.

No Criteria Yes (√) No (√)

 1 5WH-questions

2 The use of the present tense

3 Completeness of sentences

4 Clear identification of people and location

5 Personal feelings

Task 4
Read this photo caption and answer the questions.

To celebrate the 95th anniversary of Victory Day, the Red Arrow Fast
Aerobatic Team performs aerobatics In Hawk jets above Tallinn Bay,
Tallinn, Estonia as its 50th display season on Monday, June 23, 2017.
The RAF aerobatic team representing the speed, agility, and precision
of the Royal Air Force is the ambassador for the UK arm forces.
(photo: Dmitri Maruta)

1. What is the topic of the photo?

2. What was happening on the 95th anniversary of Victory Day?
3. Where was the photo taken?
4. How many times have the RAF aerobatic team given a display?
5. Who took the picture?
6. What words in the caption have the same meaning as:
a. Nimble
b. Quickness

Answer:
1. _____________________________________________________________________________

____

2. _____________________________________________________________________________

____

3. _____________________________________________________________________________

____

4. _____________________________________________________________________________

____

5. _____________________________________________________________________________

____
 6. _____________________________________________________________________________

____

_____________________________________________________________________________

____

Task 5
Let’s take a look at the following three photos. Look at the example. Then supply the best titles for the
three photos below.

Impressive. A dancer performs the Legong Dance for

tourists in Ubud on Monday, July 31. The performance
has guined popularity and praise among the audience.
(iStock/Meinzahn)

Caption Title
1.

___________________________________

___________________________________

2.
3

Task 6
Use the 5WH-questions to write your photo captions.

3
3

Task 7
Now, arrange your information into good sentence(s). Write 1 or 2 complete sentences for each photo.
Ask your friend to assess your photo caption. Use the following check list.

Questions Yes No
a. Is there a caption title?

b. Does the caption use complete sentences?

c. Does the caption answer the 5WH-questions?

d. Does the caption have more than 2 sentences?

e. Is the caption written in the present tense?

f. Is the photo credit included in the photo?

Task 8
Make a photo caption.

1. Write your own photo caption. The photo has to be original (You take the photo).
2. Publish your photo and its caption on the bulletin board in the classroom.
3. Ask your friend to comment on your photo and the caption using the rubric below.

Assessment Rubric for Photo Caption Writing

No Criteria Score
1 Headlines/Title (max score 25 pts)
Include a clever title that is linked to the photo
2 Identification (max score 25 pts)
Explain exactly what is going on in the photo. Name all visible people.
3 Rules (max score 20 pts)
Use correctly the rules of the 5WH-questions
4 Sentences (max score 15 pts)
Use no more than 2 complete sentences in the present tense.
5 Secondary info (max 10 pts)
 Add information that is not obvious from the photo and is written in the past
tense.
6 Photo Credit (max score 5 pts)
Include the photographer’s name
Total

Result:
● Expert: 86-100 pts.
● Good mastery: 51-85 pts.
● Insufficient mastery: 26-50 pts.
● Poor: 0-25 pts.