2nd Grade Research Project – Helendale
Lesson 2 – Text Feature Scavenger Hunt (R.I.2.5 Know and use various text features
(e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate
key facts or information in a text efficiently.) (L.2.4e Use glossaries and beginning dictionaries
both print and digital to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases)
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Note to teachers: while knowing text features is an important skill, the
underlying purpose of this lesson is for the students to start seeing what
authors write about their animals in order to develop research questions
Lesson on text features/purpose of those features
Use resources for their animal and text feature scavenger hunt worksheet
to begin understanding what type of information there is about their
animal
Note: there are 2 different versions of the text feature scavenger hunt
form for scaffolding needs. One form doesn’t include “what information
does this tell you”; it just focuses on text features, so any students using
that version would need assistance to talk through what information they
are learning from the books.
Part I: Text Features
Note: Determine students’ level of awareness of text features to determine how
much pre teaching of text features needs to be done. See informational text
features chart.
Part II: Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Materials: several books including information about each animal for each
group, text feature scavenger hunt per book, pencils
o Note to teachers – if you don’t have books on a specific animal, ask
your librarian or check your Library card catalog database:
 Elementary library databases
 EI library catalog
 Helendale Road
 Arranged by Dewey Decimal, so search specific animal
rather than general “animal”
1. Activator: What do expect authors would choose to write about when
they pick an animal to write about? (ex: what do you think you would
learn when you read a book about tigers?) Big idea: authors have a
plan
2. Model process using a book and the text feature scavenger hunt form.
Books use agreed upon text features to help readers understand
information and how to find information
 Kids will need help understanding the part of the form “What
information does this tell you.” The purpose of this is for students to
gather what type of information is available (what authors choose
to inform readers about)
3. Students work in identified pairs based on their animal.
4. Give books to students based on their animals (2 - 3 books) and
independent work time.
5. Note: kids need a form for each book (unless using the scaffolded
graphic organizer
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Part III: Closure
1. Bring kids to rug.
2. Ask students how many of their books had:
 Table of contents
 Glossary
 Etc
 This will reinforce non-fiction texts have similar features
3. What couldn’t you find on your list?
 Why do you think the author didn’t include this?
 This will reinforce that information can be displayed differently in
different books, but it still has information
4. What types of information did the authors include?
 We don’t want specific facts, but categories of information
 Ex: what my animal eats as opposed polar bears eat seals
 Possible Categories: predators, habitat, adaptations, diet, life
cycle, habits, description,
Name______________________________
Date_______________
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Book__________________________________________________________
Text feature
table of contents
glossary
index
pronunciation
guide
photos
drawings
magnification
titles
headings
subheadings
What information does it tell you? Page
number
bullets
italics
captions
labels
bold print
sidebar
charts/tables
maps
graphs
diagram
time-line
Name______________________________
Date_______________
Text Feature Scavenger Hunt
Book #1________________________________________
Book #2________________________________________
Book #3________________________________________
Text feature Book #1
table of
contents
glossary
index
pronunciation
guide
photos
drawings
magnification
titles
headings
Pg#
Book #2
Pg#
Book #3
Pg#
Text feature Book #1
subheadings
bullets
italics
captions
labels
bold print
sidebar
charts/tables
maps
graphs
diagram
time-line
Pg#
Book #2
Pg#
Book #3
Pg#