3rd Grade Unit LUES Clues
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Third grade has started a new unit. We hope you find this information
useful when helping your student at home. 
Subject
Unit
SOL
Objective
Important
Vocabulary
Reading
Previewing Text and Using Text Features
3.4g, 3.5l, 3.6c, 3.7b, 3.7a
Students will learn how to preview and use various nonfiction texts. Student
will understand how to use nonfiction text features including chapters,
headings, bold and italics print, pictures, captions, charts, graphs, diagrams,
etc. to help them as readers. Students will learn to use table of contents,
indices, and glossaries in texts. Students will understand the difference
between fiction and nonfiction texts.
fiction
written stories about people and events that are not real
nonfiction
writing that is about facts or real events
table of contents
This is found at the beginning of the book. It is arranged by
the order of material found in the books and it gives page
numbers to find the topic.
index
This is a resource located at the back of a book that lists
the page numbers for topics in the book. It is organized in
ABC order.
chart
information in the form of a table, diagram, etc
glossary
It is found at the end of a book. It gives us the meanings of
important vocabulary words used in the text. Usually, the
words listed in the glossary are found in boldface print
throughout the text.
atlas
a book of maps
bold face
words or phrases that are printed in thick, dark lines to
stand out and show importance
italics
Words or phrases that are written so that the letters slant
upward to the right to stand out and show importance
chapters
one of the main sections of a book
titles/headings
Titles/headings are one of the first things we use to help us
determine the main idea of a text. Headings can be used
to break a book into topics.
caption
words that tell what is shown in a picture or photograph of
a text
Strategies
and
Examples
FICTION
A
K
E
NONFICTION
R
U
E
 Have your child chose a book at home or from the library.
Have them preview the front cover and notice the book title
and pictures. Ask them questions like:
o What do you think the book will be about? How can
you tell?
o What are some things you may already know about this
topic?
o Do think this book is fiction or nonfiction? Why?
 Have your child find some books that he/she thinks are
nonfiction. Have them preview the front cover as well as the
pages in the book. Ask them to look for special text features
that are often included in nonfiction texts like:
o Table of contents
o Index
o Glossary
o Organization in chapters or headings
o Photographs, charts, graphs, diagrams
o Bold or italics print for vocabulary words
 After locating some of the above text features, talk about how
these features may help them as readers. Ask them when and
how they would use each feature. Encourage them to read all
of the text on a page including text boxes and picture captions.
Ask them some questions like:
o On what page would I look to read about ____?
o What does the word ____ mean in the text?
o What do you think Chapter ____ is about?
o What chapter would you read if you wanted to learn
about ______?
 If you have access to an atlas at home, have students practice
using it to location information about places.
 Have students read a variety of nonfictional texts and look at
how each one is organized differently. Include functional texts
like recipes, flyers, newspapers, advertisements, directions,
etc. Talk about why each type of text is organized in a
particular way.
Sincerely,
The Third Grade Team