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.

what is happening? A backhoe is finally able to get a bus

on its wheels on Monday, March 28,
2010 after being hit by a ten-wheel
truck carrying cement and falling
together with the truck into a ravine
about 100 kilometers north of the Shan
State border town of Tachilek twelve
days before. Thirteen people including
the driver, were killed and 38
passangers were injured in the
accident on Tachilek-Kengtung
Highway.
Task 2
In groups of four, answer the following questions.

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

Caption 2
(L-R) New York City Mayor Michael R. What happened?
Bloomberg, New York City Schools
Chancellor Joel Klein, and Deputy Where?
Mayor for Education Denis Wolcott, at
PS 40 in Brooklyn on Thursday, Sept When?
22, 2017, announce the highest score
for the 4th graders of New York City Who?
public schools on state math exams
since standards-based testing began four
years ago. (John Smock/AP Photo)

Caption 3

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

child severely burned by a car bomb
yesterday receives care at the India Where?
Gandi Institute of Child Medicine.
Doctors are struggling with limited When?
medicines to treat the growing number
of child victims, whose injuries are Who?
often compounded by other medical
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.

1
Who/What?

What’s going on?

Where?

When?

Why?

How

Who/What?

What’s going on?

Where?

When?

Why?

How

3
Who/What?

What’s going on?

Where?

When?

Why?

How
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.