1. AN INTRODUCTION TO NONFICTION TEXT FEATURES

3. definition
Notes
Name of text feature

4. Text Features Help Students Understand Nonfiction Text
Understanding
Nonfiction
Text
INSIDE:
Examples of Text Features
With Definitions
Explanations for How Text Features Help Readers
Text Features Help Students Understand Nonfiction Text

5. TEXT FEATURES ARE THE PARTS OF A NONFICTION BOOK THAT HELP YOU FIND INFORMATION EASILY OR TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THE TOPIC.
Titles
Table of Contents
Headings/Subheadings
Photographs
Illustrations
Diagrams
Text BOX
MAPS
Captions
Bold words
Glossary
Index
Electronic Menu
Icons
Timelines

6. features to help the reader better understand what they have read
provide information that may not be written in the text itself.
found in textbooks, magazine articles, newspapers, reports, web pages, and other forms of nonfiction text.
text feature

7. WHAT ARE TEXT FEATURES?
features to help the reader better understand what they have read.
provide information that may not be written in the text itself.
found in textbooks, magazine articles, newspapers, reports, web pages, and other forms of nonfiction text.

8. TITLE: THE NAME OF THE BOOK/ARTICLE
tell the topic of the text.
show the main idea of the text.
help the reader by letting them know what they are about to read.
focus the reader on a topic so they can make connections between what they already know and the text.

9. THE NAME OF THE BOOK/ARTICLE
tell the topic of the text.
show the main idea of the text.
help the reader by letting them know what they are about to read.
focus the reader on a topic so they can make connections between what they already know and the text.
title

10. Table of Contents: gives the heading and beginning page number for each section of the book
Lists the major parts of a book along with their page numbers.
Outlines the main topics or main points.
Help locate information in the book and see how everything is organized.
Table of Contents
Flowers………………..…………..3
Vegetables………………..……....9
Fruit………………………
Trees…………………………….15
Glossary………………………...20
Index……………………………24

11. gives the heading and beginning page number for each section of the book
Lists the major parts of a book along with their page numbers.
Outlines the main topics or main points.
Help locate information in the book and see how everything is organized.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

12. HEADINGS/SUBHEADINGS: DIVIDE THE TEXT INTO SECTIONS
HEADINGS tell the main idea of each section of text.
Subheadings chunk text into smaller pieces under a heading.
BOTH are printed in large or bold type to make them stand out.
BOTH help the reader to locate information in the text by telling them where to look.
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.
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.

13. PHOTOGRAPHS: A PICTURE TAKEN WITH A CAMERA THAT SHOWS HOW SOMETHING LOOKS IN REAL LIFE
GIVES INFORMATION IN A VISUAL WAY.
HELP TELL THE STORY.
WORKS WITH THE WORDS AND HEADINGS TO HELP TEACH MATERIAL.
HELPS THE READER UNDERSTAND AN IDEA FROM THE TEXT THAT WAS UNCLEAR.
How might these photos help the reader understand the text?
The pictures would help me understand what the animals look like and where the live.

14. Illustrations: a hand-drawn picture
ILLUSTRATIONS HELP THE READER “SEE” WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT IN THE TEXT.

15. Diagrams: a drawing that shows the part of something
Diagrams help the reader understand steps, how objects are made, or information in the text.
To understand a diagram the reader should read the titles, labels, captions, and numbered parts. .

16. CAPTIONS: THE WORDS NEXT TO OR BELOW A PICTURE THAT TELL WHAT IT IS OR WHAT IT IS ABOUT
A caption explains what is shown in a photograph or illustration.
Captions help the reader understand information that may or may not be in the text.

17. How does this caption help the reader understand the picture
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?
The caption explains that the coins are from the bottom of the ocean
The caption would help me understand where the treasure was found.
Photo by MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI
These gold coins were found on the ocean floor!

18. BOLD WORDS: IMPORTANT WORDS THAT ARE DARKER THAN THE TEXT AROUND THEM
BOLD WORDS TELL THE READER TO PAY ATTENTION – THESE WORDS ARE IMPORTANT!
BOLD WORDS CAN BE USED FOR TITLES, HEADINGS, AND KEY WORDS LIKE IMPORTANT VOCABULARY WORDS.
SOMETIMES THE IMPORTANT WORDS WILL BE A DIFFERENT COLOR OR IN ITALICS.
SOMETIMES THE MEANING OF THE IMPORTANT WORDS CAN BE FOUND IN THE GLOSSARY.

19. Text (Bold, Color, & Italics)
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 signals about how to read the content.
Key words to notice are in bold or in color.
Text in italics is used in picture captions, book titles, and any other element that needs to stand out.
Text in bold, color, or italics draw the readers attention to important information.
The Wetlands of the South
Why are the South’s wetlands so important?
The Okefenokee (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 at least part of the year.
How do the words in italics help the reader understand the text?

20. GLOSSARY: TELLS WHAT IMPORTANT WORDS MEAN
A glossary is like a small dictionary of words. It tells or shows what words mean.
words are in alphabetical order.
The words in the glossary were used in the book.
usually found at the end of the book or near the back.
Glossary
flower: the part of the plant that makes new seeds
fruit: the part of the plant that holds the seeds
seed: the part of the plant that can grow into a new plant

21. Index: a list of the topics and people in the text
butterfly
food………………………..10
life cycle…………………
types of....…………………..12
caterpillars…………………….6
Gibbons, Gail…..…………...…1
listed in alphabetical order.
found at or near the end of a text
Lists the key names, terms, events, and topics with page numbers.
Use the index to help find pages that contain information they are looking for.

22. Electronic Menu: a list of things you can choose from to do something on the computer
gives you options, just like a menu at your favorite place to eat.
lists all of your options. It helps the user know what is on the computer program or website.
helps you navigate, or find your way, around a program or website.

23. Icon: a picture that represents something else
used to find information in a computer program or website.
The picture in the icon represents the information that you can find or the task that you can do.

24. Maps: drawings that show the basic shape of the land and other geographical, political, or historical features
present information in a visual form.
help the reader understand where an event happens.
help the reader understand how far away an event took place.
How would a map of the United States help the reader understand an article about Texas?

25. Timelines: show important events in chronological order or time order.
help the reader better understand the order of events and how one event may have lead to another.
How would a timeline help a reader understand an article about why some older people aren’t knowledgeable about computers?

26. Tables/Charts: organize large amounts of information in a small space
present all kinds of data, from numbers and amounts, to calendars and menus.
help the reader compare information in the text.
How would a table about volcano eruptions help the reader understand volcanoes?

27. WHY ARE TEXT FEATURES IMPORTANT?
Text features help the reader to quickly find important information.
Text features teach the reader about the topic.
Text features can help the reader answer questions about a topic and the text they are reading.