TEXT FEATURES
WHAT ARE TEXT FEATURES?
• TEXT FEATURES are parts of your
textbook that have been created to help
you locate and learn information.
• TEXT FEATURES are used in designing
and organizing the pages of your
textbook.
• The title page and table of contents are
text features you can find at the
beginning of books.
• Headings, graphics, main idea boxes, and
bolded words are some of the text
features you will find in the middle of
your book.
• Reference pages like glossaries, indexes,
and atlases are some text features you
might find at the end of your book.
HOW DO YOU USE TEXT FEATURES?
• Knowing which text features to use and when is
important.
• Look at the examples below. Let’s see how many of
these your group can correctly identify and
determine its importance (5 points)
• Take a look at the chart and let’s discuss it. It
should help you decide which text features to look at
when you want to understand your book better.
HOMEWORK
COMPLETE THE TEXT FEATURES
CHART by adding “sidebar” and
“highlighted text.” Make sure that
you include the definition and
example (just like in the chart)
INTERACTIVE POWERPOINT ASSIGNMENT
“Text Features Help Students Understand
Non-Fiction Text”
•
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/ttravis-57862-Text-Features-Table-Contents-Index-GlossaryTitles-Subheadings-Bold-Color-Education-ppt-powerpoint/
GROUP
PROJECT!
Now that you’ve learned the different text features, let’s put your
knowledge to the test. Within your groups there are several Wall
Street Journals. Use them to create a group visual that incorporates
each of the text features from the chart. Label each of them and
indicate why they are important.
Text Structure
WHAT IS TEXT
STRUCTURE?
Let’s look at a chart together!
GOOSE BUMPS:
A Text Structure
Analysis
Sequence: “Goose bumps make me shiver.
First I get cold. Then I shake all over.”
Description: “Goose bumps make me shiver. I
get little bumps on my skin. They look like
sesame seeds.”
Compare and Contrast: “Some people get
goose bumps from fear. Others get goose
bumps when they are touched emotionally.”
Cause and Effect: “Goose bumps make me
shiver. When the temperature drops below
45 degrees, my skin crinkles into goose
bumps.”
Problem and Solution: “Goose bumps make
me shiver. But they disappear as soon as I
cover up with a jacket or sweater.”
OK. Now that you have a basic understanding of
the different text structures, let’s look at nine
example selections and determine the
structure! Don’t forget to identify the signal
words.
Making sandbags can be easy and fun. The first thing that you
need to do is to get near a location with a lot of sand, so if
your by a beach, that’ll be perfect. The next thing you need to
do is fill your bags with sand. You will want to fill them
completely and pack the sand down so that it is firm, like a
brick, but leave enough space at the end so that you can tie
the bag closed. After tying it closed, you may then stack them
into a wall. Repeat steps until you have a large wall.
Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known by his stage name Twista, was born in
1972. Nineteen years later Mitchell’s first album, “Running’Off at da
Mouth”, debuted. In 1997, after appearing on Do or Die’s hit “Po Pimp”,
Twista was signed to Atlantic Records. Under that label he released
“Adrenaline Rush” and formed the group Speedknot Mobstaz in 1998.
His 2004 album Kamikaze went to number-one on the US Billboard 200
album chart.
Hurricanes and the destruction have caused many to lose their lives
each year. Sadly, people do not have to die from these disasters. One
thing that can be done to prevent more lives from being lost is to have
an evacuation procedure. Cities and towns in the paths of hurricanes
need to be evacuated. Some people who live in these cities and towns
don’t have transportation, so buses must be provided and safe drop off
zones need to be arranged. Having better evacuation procedures would
save lives.
Hurricanes and tornados are both amazing yet deadly natural
phenomena. Both generate deadly conditions, but in different
ways. Torandos are likely to damage people and property with
their high winds, which go up to 300 miles per hour, but
hurricanes are generally more feared for their flooding. Also
hurricanes can produce tornados, which make them quite
dangerous indeed.
No one knows exactly what causes tornados, but some
scientist believe that when warm air meets cold air, a tornado
may form. The reason for this is that the warm air is lighter
than the cold air, so it rises up fast and meets different winds
moving different directions. Under the right conditions, this
can cause a tornado. Though there is still much mystery
surrounding tornados, many people believe that when warm
moist air meets cool dry air, tornados can result.
The twist is a dance inspired by rock and roll music. To do the
Twist, first stand with your feet approximately shoulder width
apart. The torso may be squared to the knees and hips, or
turned at an angle so one foot is farther forward than the
other. Then, hold your arms out from your body, bent at your
elbow. Next, rotate your hips, torso, and legs as a single unit
with your arms staying more or less stationary. Every so often
lift one leg off of the floor for styling. Now you’re doing the
twist!
There are many reasons why people dance. Some people
dance for fun, just because they enjoy dancing. After other
times, people dance for exercise or for weight loss, because
dancing can really get your heart beating. Also, sometimes
people dance to try to get boyfriends or girlfriends. Some
people think that good dancing is attractive. There are many
reasons why people dance.
There’s a large windmill on my Grandma’s farm, right next to a big red
barn. The windmill extends into the sky like the middle finger of
industry. Next to that windmill is a crystal blue lake with waters so clear,
the fish get scared when they see you waking up. All around the far side
of that lake is a white fence. Not a picket fence, but like the kind with
two wide white rails running horizontal with a post about every ten or
fifteen feet. Well, anyway that fence separates our land from the
Marsh’s property.
My father never got along with old Mr. Marsh, and their fathers didn’t get along either.
Some say that high fences make good neighbors. Well, if that’s true than our fences
must be much too short. It all started back in 1874, when my grandma was just a
young girl doing her laundry in the lake. Old Mr. Marsh just happened to be dumping
some animal waste in that same lake. My grandma didn’t like that too much, being as
the waste might get on her church clothes and all, so she started shouting across the
lake. He shouted back. Maybe old Mr. Marsh’s pigs disappeared. Then our grain silo
burned down. The somebody went and salted Mr. Marsh’s prime farmland. Yep, it
seems that as long as I can remember, we have either been at odds or getting even
with the Marsh family.
OK. Now that you have a better understanding of the
different text structures, let’s look at six example
selections. Your job is to provide a picture, title and
determine the structure. Don’t forget to identify the
signal words!
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
Dinosaurs existed about 250 million years ago to 65 million years ago. This era is
broken up into three periods known as the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
The Triassic Period lasted for 35 million years from 250-205 million years ago. Planet
Earth was a very different place back then. All the continents were united to form one
huge land mass known as Pangaea. The Jurassic Period was the second phase. The
continents began shifting apart. The time scale for this famous period is from 205 to
138 million years ago. The Cretaceous Period was the last period of the dinosaurs. It
spanned a time from 138 million to about 65 million years ago. In this period the
continents fully separated. However, Australia and Antarctica were still united
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
The Cretaceous Period was filled with dangerous predators, but two of the most
feared hunters were the tyrannosaurs rex and the velociraptor. The tyrannosaurs rex
was one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth. He was 20 feet tall and
weighed seven tons. His jaws could crush down with 3,000 lbs. of force, enough to
smash the bones of his prey. The velociraptor was very small compared to rex.
Raptors only stood three feet tall and were seven feet long, weighing merely 35
pounds. But the velociraptor was fast. Scientists think that raptors could run 24 miles
per hour and turn on a dime. Both dinosaurs used their jaws to kill prey, but the
raptor had a secret weapon: a retractable toe claw that he pulled out like a knife to
slash at his prey. Both dinosaurs had eyes on the front of their heads, which helped
them track prey. If these two dinosaurs had fought, it would be difficult to say which
would win; however since raptors died over ten million years before the first
tyrannosaurs was born, scientists don’t believe such a fight ever occurred.
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
Materials: plaster of Paris, mixing bowl, large spoon or other mixing utensil, sand
paper bowl or cup, objects to fossilize, paint
Look for or collect an object to fossilize. This can be anything from a plastic toy
dinosaur to a leaf. Pour about an inch of sand into a paper bowl or cup. Press the
object into the sand. Do not bury it. Mix the plaster of Paris according to the
manufacturer’s directions. Parents should do this step for their children. Pour the
plaster onto the sand. Let it set overnight. Once the plaster has set remove it from the
paper bowl or plate. You may need to peel or tear the paper away. Remove or brush
off the sand and object to reveal the fossilized imprint. Optional: Paint if desired.
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
There are many theories about why the dinosaurs vanished from the planet. One
theory that many people believe is that a gigantic meteorite smashed into the Earth.
Scientists believe that the meteorite was very big and that the impact may have
produced a large dust cloud that covered the Earth for many years. The dust cloud
may have caused plants to not receive sunlight and the large plant eaters, or
herbivores, may have died off, followed by the large meat eaters, or carnivores. This
theory may or may not be true, but it is one explanation as to why these giant reptiles
no longer inhabit the Earth.
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
The fossil record can give us large amounts of knowledge, but there are many other
ways that the fossil record is incomplete or misleading. For example, the brontosaurus
is a type of dinosaur that never really existed. Many people still believe in the
brontosaurus today, but the “brontosaurus” is actually the body of an apatosaurus
with the head of a camarasaurus. The brontosaurus was made up from these two
mismatched fossils. That’s why it is important to think critically about information that
people tell you, even if it’s information you find on a book or in a worksheet. Keep
these problems in mind when studying fossil records to come to conclusions about
dinosaurs and their lifestyles.
TITLE:_____________________
TEXT STRUCTURE:________________
One day Dino the Dinosaur decided to go for a walk to the watering hole. It was a
sunny day and the sky was blue and clear. Dino was thinking about his girlfriend Dina
when he saw a pack of wild lizards and animals running through the plains in a frenzy.
Dino tried to ask the critters why they were running, but they just kept running. Dino
scratched his dinosaur head and continued walking toward the watering hole. Soon
after, Dino heard a loud thumping noise like the slow beat of a drum. The earth shook
and fruit fell from the trees, but Dino was so deep in thought over his girl Dina that he
didn’t even notice. The thumping grew louder and louder as Timmy the Tyrannosaurs
Rex approached Dino. Dino kept thinking about his girl Dina until the moment Timmy
ate him.
OK. Now that you have a solid understanding of the
different text structures, let’s reverse it. I will give you
a text structure and your job is to write a paragraph
(≥7 sentences) that uses that structure. Don’t forget
to identify the signal words!
IT’S TIME FOR A
COMMON ASSESSMENT
ON TEXT FEATURES &
STRUCTURE!
CLEAR YOUR DESK.