Teaching Literary Analysis: Improve Your Student’s Literary Analysis with the OPTIC Strategy and Art

Using the OPTIC strategy to teach literary analysis


Teaching literary analysis can be challenging, especially when students struggle to interpret themes, symbols, and deeper meanings in texts. One of the most challenging aspects of teaching students how to go beyond basic comprehension and recall.

One powerful strategy that can bridge this gap is the OPTIC strategy, traditionally used for analyzing art and visual texts. However, incorporating the OPTIC strategy in your middle school ELA or high school English class can be highly effective in helping students with analysis.

Using optic to teach literary analysis

Another great reason to incorporate the OPTIC strategy into your classroom is that quite a bit of art was in fact inspired from the novels we read in our classrooms. 

By integrating art with the OPTIC strategy, teachers can help students develop stronger analytical skills that translate seamlessly into literary analysis. It will be a fun and engaging lesson when you are teaching literary analysis. Analyzing art helps with the process of literary analysis.

What is the OPTIC Strategy?

OPTIC is an acronym that stands for:

  • O – Overview: Summarize what you see in the image.
  • P – Parts: Identify key elements, figures, or details.
  • T – Title/Text: Consider the title and any text within or accompanying the image.
  • I – Interrelationships: Examine how different parts connect to convey meaning.
  • C – Conclusion: Determine the overall message or theme of the visual.

This structured approach encourages students to break down an image methodically, similar to how they would analyze a poem, short story, or novel. I like to think of it as providing students with extra tools for literary analysis.

How to Use the OPTIC Strategy in ELA with Art

When introducing students to the OPTIC strategy for the first time, I use the instructional presentation in my Visual Literacy Activities – OPTIC Strategy for Visual and Literary Analysis Teaching resource. This visual analysis teaching unit includes everything you’ll need to incorporate the OPTIC strategy into your classroom. 

Here’s how you can apply the OPTIC strategy effectively in your high school English classroom for teaching literary analysis:

  1. Begin with a Work of Art
    Choose an image, painting, or illustration related to a literary theme. Works like Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas, or an illustration from The Great Gatsby can serve as compelling discussion starters.
  2. Model the OPTIC Process
    Display the image and guide students through each OPTIC step. Encourage them to take notes and discuss their observations.
  3. Connect Art to Literature
    Once students are comfortable using OPTIC with visual texts, transition to literary analysis. For example:
    • Compare Hopper’s Nighthawks to themes of isolation in modernist literature.
    • Analyze Kahlo’s The Two Fridas alongside duality in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
    • Use a Great Gatsby illustration to explore the novel’s themes of decadence and disillusionment.
  4. Encourage Independent Practice
    Assign students a literary passage along with a related visual. Have them apply OPTIC independently and present their findings in small groups or as a written response.
  5. Extend to Writing Assignments
    Ask students to use the OPTIC framework to outline literary analysis essays, reinforcing structured thinking and clear argumentation.
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Analyzing Art with OPTIC Teaching Unit

Why OPTIC Helps with Teaching Literary Analysis

  • Improves Critical Thinking: Encourages deeper observation and interpretation.
  • Builds Analytical Skills: Transfers visual analysis skills to text analysis.
  • Engages Different Learning Styles: Visual learners benefit from the structured approach.
  • Encourages Cross-Disciplinary Connections: Links literature to art, history, and culture.

Teaching Literary Analysis: Incorporate the OPTIC strategy!

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Help your students improve their visual literacy, visual analysis, and literary analysis skills with the visual literacy OPTIC analysis unit! This visual analysis unit is the perfect way to engage students and help them learn new strategies that will improve their analysis skills!

You and your students will LOVE this resource because it is a fun, engaging, and out-of-the-box unit for your ELA class! Students will learn about the OPTIC analysis strategy and will learn how to explore topics in more depth! It is a great way to help students improve their literary analysis skills.


Looking for more literary analysis fun? Try a literary analysis create square project!

By incorporating the OPTIC strategy and visual art into your ELA classroom, you can make teaching literary analysis more engaging and accessible. Students will develop sharper analytical skills that not only enhance their reading comprehension but also prepare them for more sophisticated critical thinking in college and beyond. Try it in your next lesson and watch your students’ understanding of literature deepen!

Christina

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