1. N ews The Understanding Nonfiction Texts 50 cents INSIDE Examples of Text Features with Definitions Explanations for How Text Features Help Readers Text Features Text features help students understand nonfiction texts

2. 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 included in the text itself Text features can be found in textbooks, magazine articles, newspapers, reports, web pages, and other forms of nonfiction text

3. Table of Contents Chapter One: All About Animals Animal Adaptations…………pg.1 Animal Food……………………pg.2 Animal Habitats……………..pg. 3 Animal Homes………………..pg.4 Chapter 2: All About Plants Photosynthesis……………….pg.5 Types of Plants……………….pg.6 Where would a reader find information about where an animal lives? Lists the major parts of a book, along with their page numbers 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

4. Chapter One: All About Animals Animal Adaptations…………pg.1 Animal Food……………………pg.2 Animal Habitats…………….pg. 3 Animal Homes………………..pg.4 Chapter 2: All About Plants Photosynthesis……………….pg.5 Types of Plants……………….pg.6 Where would a reader find information about where an animal lives? Lists the major parts of a book, along with their page numbers 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 Animal habitats are found on pg. 3

5. Index A Abu Sebel, temple of, pg. 73 Acadia, Canada, pg. 212-213 Acid Rain, pg. 396-397, i396 Animal Adaptations, pg. 1 Animal Food, pg.2 Animal Habitat, pg. 7 Animal Husbandry, pg. 5 Where in the text would a reader find information in the text about acid rain? Is an alphabetical listing of the key names, terms, and topics with page numbers Readers use the index to help find pages that contain information they are looking for.

6. Index A Abu Sebel, temple of, pg. 73 Acadia, Canada, pg. 212-213 Acid Rain, pg. 396-397, i396 Animal Adaptations, pg. 1 Animal Food, pg.2 Animal Habitat, pg. 7 Animal Husbandry, pg. 5 Where in the text would a reader find information in the text about acid rain? Is an alphabetical listing of the key names, terms, and topics with page numbers Readers use the index to help find pages that contain information they are looking for. The reader could find information about acid rain on pages 396-397. The “i” tells us that we can find an illustration on page 396.

7. Glossary A Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) Rain that carries a certain kind of pollution Adapt (uh DAPT) To change in order to survive new envoronments How would the glossary help the reader understand text about animal adaptations? 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 meanings. This helps the reader learn more about and understand the text.

8. Glossary A Acid rain (AS ihd rayn) Rain that carries a certain kind of pollution Adapt (uh DAPT) To change in order to survive new envoronments How would the glossary help the reader understand text about animal adaptations? 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 meanings. This helps the reader learn more about and understand the text. The reader would understand animal adaptation better because the glossary defines what it means to “adapt”.

9. Titles What do the titles of these articles tell you? Titles tell the reader the topic of the text Titles show the main idea of a 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 the text and what they already know.

10. Titles What do the titles of these articles tell you? Titles tell the reader the topic of the text Titles show the main idea of a 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 the text and what they already know. The Red Sox won the world series The Red Sox had not won a World Series since 1918 Many people are excited by this

11. Headings and Subheadings All About Ants Although ants can be frustrating if they get into homes, ants do help the environment. They help control the populations 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 when next building. Other types of ants include honey, pharaoh, house, Argentine, and thief ants. Where would the reader look to find out about fire ants? Headings divide the text into section. Subheadings further divide the sections into specific parts. Headings and subheadings tell the main idea of each section of class. They are printed in large, bold, or colored type to make them stand out. Headings and subheadings help the reader locate information in the text by telling them where to look.

12. Headings and Subheadings All About Ants Although ants can be frustrating if they get into homes, ants do help the environment. They help control the populations 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 when next building. Other types of ants include honey, pharaoh, house, Argentine, and thief ants. Where would the reader look to find out about fire ants? Headings divide the text into section. Subheadings further divide the sections into specific parts. Headings and subheadings tell the main idea of each section of class. They are printed in large, bold, or colored type to make them stand out. Headings and subheadings help the reader locate information in the text by telling them where to look. The fire ant is a kind of ant, so the reader should look under “Types of Ants”

13. Text Bold, Color, and Italics The Wetlands of the South Why are the South’s wetlands so important? The Okfenokee ( oh kuh fuh NOH kee) Swamp is a large wetland in the South. A wetland is a place where the ground is soaked with water for the majority of the year. How do the words in italics help the reader better understand the text? The style and color of the text send the reader clues about how to read the content. Key words to notice are usually in bold or in color. Text in italics can be used in picture captions, book titles, and any other elements that need to stand out. Text in bold, color, or italics draws the reader’s attention to important information.

14. Text Bold, Color, and Italics The Wetlands of the South Why are the South’s wetlands so important? The Okfenokee ( oh kuh fuh NOH kee) Swamp is a large wetland in the South. A wetland is a place where the ground is soaked with water for the majority of the year. How do the words in italics help the reader better understand the text? The style and color of the text send the reader clues about how to read the content. Key words to notice are usually in bold or in color. Text in italics can be used in picture captions, book titles, and any other elements that need to stand out. Text in bold, color, or italics draws the reader’s attention to important information. The words in italics focus the reader’s attention on reading for the answer to the question.

15. Photographs and Illustrations How might these photos help the reader understand the text? Photos and illustration give information in a visual way They help tell a story They work with the words and headings to help teach the material Readers can use photographs and illustration to help clarify ideas form the text that are unclear.

16. Photographs and Illustrations How might these photos help the reader understand the text? Photos and illustration give information in a visual way They help tell a story They work with the words and headings to help teach the material Readers can use photographs and illustration to help clarify ideas form the text that are unclear. The pictures help the reader understand what the animals look like and where they live.

17. Captions Photo by ANNE YOUNG An endearing story has emerged from the Ubud region of Bali, Indonesia: a small, lost kitten is being protected, groomed and fed by a wild long- tail macaque monkey How does this caption help the reader understand the photograph? How might it help the reader better understand the text itself? A caption explains what is going on in a picture or illustration. Captions help the reader understand information that may or may not be in the text.

18. Captions Photo by ANNE YOUNG An endearing story has emerged from the Ubud region of Bali, Indonesia: a small, lost kitten is being protected, groomed and fed by a wild long- tail macaque monkey How does this caption help the reader understand the photograph? How might it help the reader better understand the text itself? A caption explains what is going on in a picture or illustration. Captions help the reader understand information that may or may not be in the text. The caption explains that the monkey has adopted the kitten, and is tasking care of it. The caption also explain where this is taking place, as well as the type of monkey involved.

19. Sidebar Sweet Fossils 1.Wrap a piece of clay around one sugar cube so that half of it is covered in clay. 2.Wrap clay entirely around a second sugar cube and seal it tightly. 3.Drop both cubes into a bowl of water, along with an uncovered sugar cube. 4.Stir until the uncovered sugar cube dissolves completely. 5.Remove the other cubes from the water and examine the remains. Observing Describe the appearance of the two sugar cubes. Did the clay preserve the sugar cube? How does this activity model the way fossils form? A sidebar provides more information about a topic than is in the text. A sidebar can include interesting facts or important information that the author wants you to know. Sometimes, sidebars are referred to as “Did You Know?” boxes, or simply “textboxes”. Sidebars help readers understand by creating interest or emphasizing important information. What does this sidebar include? Where might you find a textbox such as this?

20. Sidebar Sweet Fossils 1.Wrap a piece of clay around one sugar cube so that half of it is covered in clay. 2.Wrap clay entirely around a second sugar cube and seal it tightly. 3.Drop both cubes into a bowl of water, along with an uncovered sugar cube. 4.Stir until the uncovered sugar cube dissolves completely. 5.Remove the other cubes from the water and examine the remains. Observing Describe the appearance of the two sugar cubes. Did the clay preserve the sugar cube? How does this activity model the way fossils form? A sidebar provides more information about a topic than is in the text. A sidebar can include interesting facts or important information that the author wants you to know. Sometimes, sidebars are referred to as “Did You Know?” boxes, or simply “textboxes”. Sidebars help readers understand by creating interest or emphasizing important information. What does this sidebar include? Where might you find a textbox such as this? This sidebar includes an experiment that the reader can do at home. It would most likely be found in a science textbook.

21. 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 a land map, along with other geographical, political, and historical features. They present information in a visual way. They help the reader understand where an event is taking place. They help the reader understand how far away an event took place.

22. 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 a land map, along with other geographical, political, and historical features. They present information in a visual way. They help the reader understand where an event is taking place. They help the reader understand how far away an event took place. The map could help the reader understand where Texas is located and how the location relates to the text.

23. Diagrams How could this diagram help the reader understand more about volcanoes? 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 other information in the text.

24. Diagrams How could this diagram help the reader understand more about volcanoes? 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 other information in the text. The diagram helps the reader understand the parts of a volcano, and how a volcano errupts.

25. Tables How would this table help the reader understand more about volcanoes? Tables organize large amounts of information in a small way. Table present all kinds of data, from numbers an amounts, to menus and calendars. Tables help the reader compare information in a text.

26. Tables How would this table help the reader understand more about volcanoes? Tables organize large amounts of information in a small way. Table present all kinds of data, from numbers an amounts, to menus and calendars. Tables help the reader compare information in a text. This table shows the reader where famous volcanoes are located.

27. Timelines How would a timeline help a reader understand an article about toys? Timelines show important events in chronological or time order. Timelines help the reader better understand the order of events and how one event may have led to another.

28. Timelines How would a timeline help a reader understand an article about toys? Timelines show important events in chronological or time order. Timelines help the reader better understand the order of events and how one event may have led to another. This timeline shows how one very famous toy came into existence, as well as how it has developed through time

29. Now that you have learned all about text features, work with a partner to examine a nonfiction text. How many of the following can you find? Table of Contents Index Glossary Title Heading Subheading Bold, Italics, and Colored Text Photographs Captions Sidebar Map Diagram Timeline Label each with a Post-It note. When you are done, raise your hand, and a teacher will come and check your work.