Understanding
Nonfiction
Text
Text Features
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Text Features Help Students
Understand Nonfiction Text
Examples of Text
Features
With Definitions
Explanations for
How Text Features
Help Readers
Guided Practice
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.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: All About Animals
Animal Adaptations ……..Page 1
Animal Food……….……..Page 2
Animal Habitats . ………..Page 3
Animal Homes ..……….…Page 4
Chapter 2: All About Plants
Photosynthesis ………….Page 5
Types of Plants ………….Page 6
• Lists the major parts
of a book along with
their page numbers.
• It outlines the main
topics or main points.
• Readers can use the
table of contents to
help locate
information in the
book and see how
everything is
organized.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: All About Animals
Animal Adaptations ……..Page 1
Animal Food……….……..Page 2
Animal Habitats . ………..Page 3
Animal Homes ..……….…Page 4
Chapter 2: All About Plants
Photosynthesis ………….Page 5
Types of Plants ………….Page 6
• Use the Table of
Contents on the left
to answer the
following question:
Where would a reader find
information about where an
animal lives?
Page 3
Page 4
You are Correct!!!!!
• The information about where animals live would
be found on page 3 in Animal Habitats!!!
Good guess, but try again!
• Animal Homes may be where an animal may live SOME
of the time, but there is a better answer!
• Click Below to try again!
Index
A
Abu Simbel, temple of, p73
Acadia, Canada, 212-213
Acid rain, 396, c396-c397, 396-397
Animal Adaptations p1
Animal Food p2
Animal Habitats p3
Animal Homes p5
• Is an alphabetical
listing of the key
names, terms,
events, and topics
with page numbers.
• Readers use the
index to help find
pages that contain
information they are
looking for.
Index
A
• Click the button
below that has the
best answer to the
following question:
Abu Simbel, temple of, p73
Acadia, Canada, 212-213
Acid rain, 396, c396-c397, 396-397 Where would a reader find
Animal Adaptations p1
information in the text about
Animal Food p2
acid rain?
Animal Habitats p3
Pages 396 - 397
Animal Homes p5
Pages 212 - 213
Great Job!!!!
• The reader could find information about acid rain
on pages 396 – 397.
• Click on the button below to learn the next text feature!
Rats!
• On those pages you would find information on Acadia,
Canada!
• Click the button below to go try again!
Glossary
A
Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) rain
that carries certain kind of
pollution.
Adapt (uh DAPT) to change in
order to survive in new
environments
• A list of key terms in
alphabetical order.
• Each key word is
defined.
• Sometimes a glossary
also tells you how to
pronounce a word.
• Readers use the
glossary to look up key
terms to find out their
meaning. This helps
the reader better learn
and understand the
subject.
Glossaries are
dictionaries made
just for the book it is
in!
Glossary
A
Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) rain
that carries certain kind of
pollution.
Adapt (uh DAPT) to change in
order to survive in new
environments
• Click on the correct
button below to
answer the following
question:
How
would the glossary help
the reader understand text
about animal adaptations?
The reader would know
where to find information
about adaptations.
The reader would know what
adaptation means.
Wonderful!
• The reader would understand animal adaptations
better because the glossary tells them what it
means to adapt.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• An Index is the best text feature to use if you want to
find information in a book about a subject.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
make connections
between what they
already know and the
text.
Titles
• Click on the best
answer below for the
following question:
What do the titles of
the articles in these
newspapers tell you?
Newspapers are
printed every day.
Titles tell the reader
the topic of the text is
space.
Wonderful!
• The titles all talk about space so the articles are
all about space.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Remember: Look at the big, bolded print. They all
have something in common!
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
large or bold type to
Types of Ants
make them stand out.
Types of ants include fire ants, which
• Subheadings help the
cause a painful sting, and carpenter
reader to locate
ants, which damage wood structures
information in the
while nest building. Other types of
text by telling them
ants include honey, pharaoh, house,
where to look.
Argentine, and the thief ant.
Subheadings
Helpful Ants
• Click on the best
Although ants are frustrating when
answer for the
they get in homes, ants do help the
following question:
environment. They help control the
population of damaging pests such as Where would the reader look
to find out about a fire ant?
termites.
Types of Ants
Types of ants include fire ants, which
cause a painful sting, and carpenter
ants, which damage wood structures
while nest building. Other types of
ants include honey, pharaoh, house,
Argentine, and the thief ant.
The reader would look
under Types of Ants.
The reader would look
under Helpful Ants.
Wonderful!
• A fire ant is a kind of ant so the reader would look
in Types of Ants.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Look at the question again. Is the question asking if the
fire ant is helpful or is it asking what a fire ant is?
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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.
• Text in bold, color, or
italics draw the readers
attention to important
information.
Text (Bold, Color, & Italics)
• Click the best answer to
The Wetlands of the South
the following question:
Why are the South’s wetlands
How do the words in italics
so important?
help the reader understand
The Okefenokee (oh kuh fuh
the text?
NOH kee) Swamp is a large
It lets the reader know
wetland in the South. A
that the author likes the
wetland is a place where the
Okefenokee Swamp
ground is soaked with water for
at least part of the year.
Italics helps focus the
reader on the answer to a
question.
Wonderful!
• The words in italics help the reader by focusing
the reader on the answer to a question.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Italics may look fancy and the author may like how it
looks, but italics does help you with what the author is
trying to tell you.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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.
• They help the reader
understand an idea
from the text that was
unclear.
Photographs
Illustrations
• Click on the best
answer below for the
following question:
How might these
photos help the reader
understand the text?
It would help the reader
skip the text.
It would help the reader
understand what the
animals look like and
where they live.
Wonderful!
• The pictures would help me understand what the
animals look like and where the live.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Pictures and Illustrations are not meant to take away
from reading.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
Captions
Photo by MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI
These gold coins were found on
the ocean floor!
• A caption
explains
what is
shown in a
picture or
illustration.
• Captions
help the
reader
understand
information
that may or
may not be
in the text.
Captions
• Click on the best
answer below for
the following
question.
If this article was about
finding treasure, how would
this caption help the reader
understand the text?
Photo by MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI
These gold coins were found on
the ocean floor!
It helps the
It helps tell the
reader what the text
is about.
reader tell where
the treasure was
found.
Wonderful!
• The caption would help the reader understand
where the treasure was found.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Words that tell the reader what the text is about are
Headers, Titles, or Subheadings.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
event happens.
• They help the reader
understand how far away
an event took place.
Maps
• Click on the best answer
below for the following
question:
How would a map of the
United States help the
reader understand an
article about Texas?
It would help the
reader know what
color Texas is.
It would help the
reader know where
Texas is located.
Wonderful!
• The map could help the reader understand where
Texas is located and how the location relates to
the text.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Colors are added to maps to help the reader tell where
one location ends and another begins.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
the text.
Diagrams
• Click on the best
answer below for the
following question:
How could this diagram help the
reader understand volcanoes?
It can help tell the reader
what a volcano looks like.
The diagram helps the
reader learn the parts of a
volcano and how it erupts.
Wonderful!
• The diagram helps the reader understand the
parts of a volcano and how they erupt.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• If the author wants the reader to know what something
looks like, the author will usually use a photograph or
illustration.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
information in the
text.
Tables
• Click on the best
answer below for the
following question:
How would a table about volcano
eruptions help the reader
understand volcanoes?
This table would help
the reader understand
where and how often
volcanoes erupt.
The table would help the reader
understand that volcanoes look
like triangles on a map.
Wonderful!
• The table would help the reader understand where
and how often volcanoes erupt.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• The shape of a landmark on a map is called a symbol.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
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
another.
Timelines
• Click on the best
answer below to
the following
question:
How would a timeline help a
reader understand an article
about why some older
people aren’t
knowledgeable about
computers?
The timeline would show that
computers may not have
been affordable until the
person was older.
The timeline would show
how computers work.
Wonderful!
• The timeline would show that computers may not
have been affordable until late in an older persons
life.
• Click on the arrow below to learn about the next text
feature!
Oops! Try Again!
• Authors use diagrams to show how things work.
• Click on the Link Below to try again!
Great work! You’ve
completed the
project!
Please prepare this
project for the next
student by clicking
the following button:
Credits
• This project was derived from a project posted by the
Cleveland County School system on the same topic.
• The website it is located at is:
http://mail.clevelandcountyschools.org/~ccselem/
• The sound effects were created using Garageband’s built
in sound effects.
• The recorded voice is my own (Daniel Levitt).