Non-fiction
Examining information texts 2.1
Study leaflet
 Read the text of the leaflet by Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme and then look at the
grid below it. The grid highlights some of the structural and linguistic features of
information texts. You will notice that some of the information text is highlighted.
These highlighted parts match the techniques in the grid. Your task is to copy and
paste these examples into the correct part of the grid.
 You will have to type in examples of presentational devices, as you can’t copy
these in.
 Think carefully about why each technique is used and write a short explanation of
your ideas in the box marked ‘Why is it used?’.
 Look at your answers and discuss them as a whole class.
 Do you all agree that this text is a true example of an information text?
 Does it meet the needs of its audience?
Read the leaflet text
You will notice that some of the information text is highlighted. These highlighted
parts match the techniques in the grid below.
A healthy smile for your child
Oral care for 0–5 year olds
Good mouth care from birth sets a pattern
for healthy teeth for life. So it’s important
to choose the right drinks and foods for
your child, to brush their teeth as soon as
they appear, and to visit the dentist early
on in their life.
Choose the best drinks for your
child
 Breastfeeding is the best way to feed
your baby. Breast milk or infant formula
provide all the food and drink your baby
needs until they are four months old.
 Soya-based infant formula contains
sugars which can cause tooth decay.
Only use it if your doctor or health visitor
advises this.
 Water will not damage your child’s
teeth. Use tap water. Boil and cool it for
babies under six months old. Make water
attractive to older children by keeping a
jug of chilled water in the fridge
 From six months you can give
diluted pure fruit juice served in a cup.
Fruit juices contain natural sugars which
can harm teeth so keep them to
mealtimes and dilute them well: one part
fruit juice to ten parts of water. For older
children, you can dilute one part juice to
five parts water.
 From twelve months you can start
giving full fat cow’s milk. Or carry on with
breast feeding, infant formula or follow on
milk. Children over 2 can have semiskimmed milk if they are good eaters.
Skimmed milk is not suitable for under 5s.
 Baby and herbal drinks usually
contain sugar and their use is not
recommended. If you do use commercial
drinks, always follow the instructions on
the pack. Give them at mealtimes only
and use a feeder cup or better still an
open cup or beaker, rather than a bottle.
 If you give your child tea, make sure
that it is weak, milky, and unsweetened.
Don’t give it at mealtimes because it can
reduce how much iron the body absorbs
from other foods.
Buy a feeder cup for your baby.
Encourage him to drink from this as soon
as he can hold it. Babies should move on
from a lidded cup to an open cup as soon
as they can. After twelve months old
discourage the use of a bottle.
Avoid sweetened drinks
 Drinks containing sugars are even
more likely to cause tooth decay if you
give them:
–
between meals
–
at bedtime
–
during the night
–
as comforters
– for long periods

Never put any sugar-sweetened
drink into a feeding bottle for your
baby to hold, for example in bed or in a
pushchair
 Drinks containing artificial
sweeteners are not intended for infants.
If, after weaning, you decide to give
drinks containing artificial sweeteners
such as saccharin, aspartame or
acesulfame K (check the label) make
them as weak as possible. Dilute them
much more than you would for yourself.
Artificial sweeteners do not cause tooth
decay but may encourage a sweet
tooth.
 The acid in some drinks like fruit
squash and fizzy drinks, even diet ones,
may dissolve the surface of some
children’s teeth if they drink them
frequently. Try to keep such drinks to
mealtimes.
 Check labels for the following
sugars: glucose, glucose syrup,
fructose, concentrated fruit juice,
sucrose, dextrose, honey, inverted
sugar, maltose, hydrolysed starch.
These can all cause tooth decay.
Complete grid
 The grid highlights some of the structural and linguistic features of information
texts. Copy and paste examples from the information text into the correct part of
the grid.
 You will have to type in examples of presentational devices, as you can’t copy
these in.
 Think carefully about why each technique is used and write a short explanation of
your ideas in the box marked ‘Why is it used?’.
Written in the present tense
Example
Why is it used?
Opens with a general statement about the topic
Example
Why is it used?
Written in the second person
Example
Why is it used?
Use of factual points
Example
Why is it used?
Use of short sentences and paragraphs
Example
Why is it used?
Presentational devices (layout features)
Example
Why is it used?
Clear and easy use of language
Example
Why is it used?
Aimed at the reader
Example
Why is it used?
When you have finished, save your work to your work folder using Save As in the File menu.
To print out what you have done, click Print in the File menu, click on Pages and type in the
page numbers (e.g. 3–4), then click OK. To return to the CD-ROM, close Word by clicking
Close in the File menu.