Understanding
Nonfiction
Text
Text Features
Examples of Text
Features
With Definitions
Text Features Help Students
Understand Nonfiction Text
Explanations for
How Text Features
Help Readers
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.
The reader would understand
animal adaptations better because
the definition tells them what it
means to adapt.
Definitions
A
Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) rain
• A statement of the exact
that carries certain kind of
meaning of a word
pollution.
Adapt (uh DAPT) to change in • Definitions help the
order to survive in new
reader better learn and
environments
understand the key
terms.
How would the definition of
adapt help the reader
understand text about animal
adaptations?
The titles all talk about
space so the articles are all
about space.
Titles (Heading)
What do the titles of
the articles in these
newspapers tell you?
• Titles tell the reader the
topic and 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.
Where would the reader look
to find out about a fire ant?
A fire ant is a kind of ant so the
reader would look in Types of
Ants.
Subheadings (Subtitle)
THE LIFE OF ANTS
Helpful Ants
Although ants are frustrating when
they get in homes, ants do help the
environment. They help control the
population of damaging pests such
as 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.
• Subheadings divide
the text into sections.
• Subheadings tell the
main idea of each
section of text.
• They are printed in
large or bold type to
make them stand out.
• Subheadings help the
reader to locate
information in the
text by telling them
where to look.
See how the information
stands out more because of
the space around it?
White Space
THE LIFE OF ANTS
Helpful Ants
Although ants are frustrating when
they get in homes, ants do help the
environment. They help control the
population of damaging pests such
as 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.
• White space is the
extra spaces between
text to separate it into
sections.
• White space makes it
easier for the reader
to find information.
The words in italics help the
reader by focusing the reader
on the answer to a question.
Text (Bold, Color, & Italics)
• The style and color of the
text sends the reader
The Wetlands of the South
signals about how to
Why are the South’s wetlands
read the content.
so important?
• Key words to notice are
The Okefenokee (oh kuh fuh
in bold or in color.
NOH kee) Swamp is a large
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.
How do the words in italics
• Text in bold, color, or
help the reader understand
italics draw the readers’
the text?
attention to important
information.
The pictures would help me
understand what the animals
look like and where the live.
How might these
photos help the
reader understand the
text?
Photographs
Illustrations
• Photos and
illustrations (hand
drawn pictures) 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.
The illustration is labeled so
we can see the different
parts.
petals
Labels
• Labels help the reader
identify a photo or
illustration and/or its
parts.
• They help the reader
understand a photo or
illustration more fully.
The caption explains that
the coins are from the
bottom of the ocean.
The caption would help me
understand where the
treasure was found.
Captions
Photo by MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI
These gold coins were found on
the ocean floor!
How does this caption help the reader
understand the picture? If this article was
about finding treasure, how would this caption
help the reader understand the text?
• 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.
The textbox contains the
mystery to help create interest
for the reader.
Textbox
• A textbox provides
more information than
is in the text about a
topic.
• A textbox can include
interesting facts or
important information
the author wants the
reader to know.
• Textboxes help readers
understand by creating
One of the textboxes above asks
interest or emphasizing
the reader to solve a mystery
important information.
about a Tasmanian Devil. Why
would he include this mystery?
The map could help the reader
understand where Texas is
located and how the location
relates to the text.
Maps
How would a map of the
United States help the
reader understand an
article about Texas?
• 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.
The diagram helps the reader
understand the parts of a
volcano and how they erupt.
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
How could this diagram help the
the text.
reader understand volcanoes?
The cutaway lets us see what
the inside of the beaver’s
lodge looks like.
Cutaways
• Cutaways help the
reader understand
something by looking
at it from the inside.
• It’s like cutting a slice
of something.
How could this cutaway help the
reader understand beavers?
This close-up let’s us know
why this person is so upset.
Close-ups
• Close-ups help the
reader to see small
details in a picture.
• They help the reader
understand everything
that might be going on
in a situation, even if
it’s something you
normally wouldn’t be
able to see or wouldn’t
notice.
The table would help the
reader understand where and
how often volcanoes erupt.
Tables
How would a table about volcano
eruptions help the reader
understand volcanoes?
• 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.
Charts and graphs
help the reader
see relationships
between things.
There are several different
kinds of charts (pie, bar
chart, flow chart, etc.)
Charts and Graphs
• Charts and graphs also
present all kinds of
data to help the
reader understand
important information.
M & M Graph
10
10
9
8
7
6
5
Num ber of M & Ms
red
5
yellow
4
blue
4
green
3
2
2
1
0
red
yellow
blue
Color of M & Ms
green
You find the table of contents
at the beginning of books.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Flowers………………..…………..3
Vegetables………………..……....9
Fruit………………………............12
Trees…………………………….15
Glossary………………………...20
Index……………………………24
How would a table of contents
help you find information more
easily?
• Table of contents
gives the heading
and beginning page
number for each
section of the book.
• The heading titles
give the reader an
outline of what the
book is about.
The timeline would show that
computers may not have been
affordable until late in an older
persons life.
Timelines
How would a timeline help a reader
understand an article about why
some older people aren’t
knowledgeable about computers?
• 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.
Side Bar
• Side bars provide
extra information,
definitions, objectives,
or photos.
• They offer information
that complements but
is not always essential
to the main text.
An index is found
at or near the end
of a text.
Index
Index
butterfly food………..……..10
life cycle…………..……..... 7
types of....…………………..12
caterpillars………………….6
Gibbons, Gail…..………...…1
• An index is an alphabetical
list of almost everything
covered in a text with page
numbers.
• It is a way to quickly find
information that is in the
text.
• The reader can use key
words or people’s names to
help them locate
information in the text.
• The index gives the page
number where you can find
the information.
A glossary is usually found at the
end of the book or near the back.
Glossary
Glossary
flower:
seeds
the part of the plant that makes new
fruit: the part of the plant that holds the seeds
seed: the part of the plant that can grow into a
new plant
It’s like a small dictionary of words in
a text. How could this be helpful if
you came across a word you didn’t
know in your reading?
• A glossary is a list
of key words in a
text and their
meanings.
• It helps the reader
understand the key
words that are in
the text.
• It is in alphabetical
order.
Columns
• Columns are the
vertical (up and down)
sections of text.
• It is easier to read than
text that stretches
across the page.
• The columns are
separated by white
space.
Bullet Points
• Bullet points are the
dark black dots used to
identify items in a list.
• They help organize
information or make it
easier to see important
points.
These are bullet points.
Find an article and
find an example of
each text feature.
Explain how each
example helps you to
understand what you
read.
TEXT FEATURES SCAVENGER
HUNT…
Your assignment is to cut, glue (just a dot), and
label examples of text features from a
newspaper and/or magazine onto a piece of
construction paper. You must have 10 separate
cut-outs; you cannot find more than one text
feature per cut-out. You will be scored on
participation and cooperation. Use your notes
to help you find examples of the 10 text
features.
NOW THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT TEXT
FEATURES
I CHALLENGE YOU
TO USE THEM TO
COMPLETE A
SCAVENGER HUNT
Read the article, Flying High. Your goal is to identify
as many informational text features as possible. Write
the types you find on a separate sheet of paper and
then check your work by viewing the next slide.
SCAVENGER HUNT
ANSWERS
THE TEXT
NEXT TIME YOU READ
Pay attention to the text features as you read. See if you can put them to use to
FEATURES
increase your comprehension and maybe you will even finish your assignment
YOU SHOULD in less time!
HAVE
FOUND:
 Title (Flying High)
 Subheading (Handwing)
 Labels
 A Caption
 A Photograph
 A Diagram
 Bold Print
 Italics