Text features
- 1. Understanding Nonfiction Text Text Features Examples of Text Features With Definitions Explanations for How Text Features Text Features Help Students Understand Nonfiction Text Help Readers
- 2. What are text features? • Authors include text features to help the reader better understand what they have read. • Text features provide information that may not be written in the text itself. • Text features can be found in textbooks, magazine articles, newspapers, reports, web pages, and other forms of nonfiction text.
- 3. The information about where animals live would be found on page 3 in Animal Habitats. Table of Contents Table of Contents • Lists the major parts Chapter 1: All About Animals of a book along with their page numbers. Animal Adaptations ……..Page 1 Animal Food……….……..Page 2 • It outlines the main Animal Habitats . ………..Page 3 topics or main points. Animal Homes ..……….…Page 4 • Readers can use the Chapter 2: All About Plants table of contents to Photosynthesis ………….Page 5 help locate Types of Plants ………….Page 6 information in the book and see how Where would a reader find everything is information about where an organized. animal lives?
- 4. The reader could find information about acid rain on pages 396 – 397. Index • Is an alphabetical A listing of the key Abu Simbel, temple of, p73 names, terms, Acadia, Canada, 212-213 events, and topics Acid rain, 396, c396-c397, 396-397 with page numbers. Animal Adaptations p1 • Readers use the Animal Food p2 index to help find Animal Habitats p3 pages that contain Animal Homes p5 information they are looking for. Where would a reader find information in the text about acid rain?
- 5. The reader would understand animal adaptations better because the glossary tells them what it means to adapt. Glossary • A list of key terms in A alphabetical order. Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) rain that carries certain kind of • Each key word is pollution. defined. Adapt (uh DAPT) to change in • Sometimes a glossary order to survive in new also tells you how to environments pronounce a word. • Readers use the How would the glossary help glossary to look up key the reader understand text terms to find out their about animal adaptations? meaning. This helps the reader better learn and understand the subject.
- 6. The titles all talk about space so the articles are all about space. Titles • Titles tell the reader the topic of the text. • Titles show the main idea of the text. • Titles help the reader by letting them know what they are about to read. • Titles focus the reader on a topic so they can What do the titles of make connections the articles in these between what they already know and the newspapers tell you? text.
- 7. A fire ant is a kind of ant so the Where would the reader look reader would look in Types of to find out about a fire ant? Ants. Subheadings Helpful Ants • Subheadings divide Although ants are frustrating when the text into sections. they get in homes, ants do help the • Subheadings tell the environment. They help control the main idea of each population of damaging pests such as section of text. termites. • They are printed in Types of Ants large or bold type to Types of ants include fire ants, which make them stand out. cause a painful sting, and carpenter • Subheadings help the ants, which damage wood structures reader to locate while nest building. Other types of information in the ants include honey, pharaoh, house, text by telling them Argentine, and the thief ant. where to look.
- 8. The words in italics help the reader by focusing the reader on the answer to a question. Text (Bold, Color, & Italics) • The style and color of the The Wetlands of the South text sends the reader Why are the South’s wetlands signals about how to so important? read the content. The Okefenokee (oh kuh fuh • Key words to notice are NOH kee) Swamp is a large in bold or in color. wetland in the South. A • Text in italics is used in wetland is a place where the picture captions, book ground is soaked with water for titles, and any other at least part of the year. element that needs to stand out. How do the words in italics help the reader understand • Text in bold, color, or the text? italics draw the readers attention to important information.
- 9. The pictures would help me understand what the animals look like and where the live. Photographs Illustrations • Photos and illustrations give information in a visual way. • They help tell the story. • They work with the words and headings to help teach material. How might these • They help the reader photos help the understand an idea from the text that was reader understand the unclear. text?
- 10. The caption explains that The caption would help me the coins are from the understand where the bottom of the ocean. treasure was found. Captions • A caption explains what is shown in a picture or illustration. • Captions help the reader Photo by MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI These gold coins were found on understand the ocean floor! information that may or How does this caption help the reader may not be understand the picture? If this article was in the text. about finding treasure, how would this caption help the reader understand the text?
- 11. The textbox contains the mystery to help create interest for the reader. Textbox • A textbox provides more information than is in the text about a topic. • A textbox can include interesting facts or important information the author wants the reader to know. • Textboxes help readers One of the textboxes above asks understand by creating the reader to solve a mystery interest or emphasizing about a Tasmanian Devil. Why important information. would he include this mystery?
- 12. The map could help the reader understand where Texas is located and how the location relates to the text. Maps • Maps are drawings that show the basic shape of the land and other geographical, political, or historical features. • They present information in a visual form. • They help the reader understand where an How would a map of the event happens. United States help the reader understand an • They help the reader article about Texas? understand how far away an event took place.
- 13. The diagram helps the reader understand the parts of a volcano and how they erupt. Diagrams • A diagram is a drawing that shows or explains something. • To understand a diagram the reader should read the titles, labels, captions, and numbered parts. • Diagrams help the reader understand steps, how objects are made, or information in How could this diagram help the the text. reader understand volcanoes?
- 14. The table would help the reader understand where and how often volcanoes erupt. Tables • Tables organize large amounts of information in a small space. • Tables present all kinds of data, from numbers and amounts, to calendars and menus. • Tables help the reader compare How would a table about volcano information in the eruptions help the reader text. understand volcanoes?
- 15. The timeline would show that computers may not have been affordable until late in an older persons life. Timelines • Timelines show important events in chronological order or time order. • Timelines help the reader better understand the order of events and how one event may have lead to How would a timeline help a reader another. understand an article about why some older people aren’t knowledgeable about computers?
- 16. Find an article and find an example of each text feature. Explain how each example helps you to understand what you read.