This document provides examples of text features found in nonfiction texts and how they help readers understand and locate information. It defines text features such as titles, subtitles, tables of contents, glossaries, maps, diagrams, timelines, photographs and captions. Each of these features helps readers in different ways such as identifying main topics, dividing text into sections, locating specific information, reinforcing understanding, and providing visual context. Students are then instructed to identify examples of text features in a sample article and create a poster explaining how those features help readers.

1. 5 th Grade News
By Ms. Ouska Friday
October 28, 2011
Text Features
What’s Inside!
-Examples of text
features and their
definitions
-How text
features help you
understand better
- Helps students understand nonfiction
text

2. What are text features?
• Text features
– help the reader to understand the content
better
– provide information that may not be
written in the text itself
– Can be found in textbooks, magazines,
newspapers, websites and other nonfiction
text

3. Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Animals -Lists the main
Animal Adaptations Pages 1-3 parts of a book
Different Animal Environments Pages 4-5 with their page
Chapter 2: Cells numbers
Prokaryotic Page 6
Eukaryotic Page 7
Structures + Functions Pages 8-12 -Outlines
Chapter 3: Matter and Energy topics/main
The Sun Pages 13-15 points
Photosynthesis Pages 16-20
Chapter 4: Ecology and -Helps reader
The Environment locate information
Human Impact Pages 21-24
Resources Pages 25-30 in the book in
organized manner

4. Index
-Alphabetical
A listing of the
key names,
terms, and
Amphibians p. 70-75 topics with
page numbers
Animal
Adapations p.1-2 -Helps readers
find pages that
Classification p. 40
contains
Food p. 50, 62 information
Homes p. 4-5 they are
looking for
Arthropods p. 90-102

5. Glossary
A -List of key terms
in alphabetical
Adapt (uh dapt): order
to change in order to survive in new -Defines each
environments word
Amphibians (am-fib-ee-uhn ): -Sometimes tells
A cold-blooded, smooth- you how to
pronounce the
skinned vertebrae typically word
living on land
-Helps readers find
the meanings of
words

6. Titles
-Show the main
idea/topic of the
text
-Helps the reader
let them know
what they are
going to read
-Helps the reader
make
connections to
what they
already know

7. Subheadings
At the Scene -Divide the text
Abubekir Acar, 42, said that he was drinking tea with friends into sections
when a nearby coffee house was destroyed. He said at first he -Tell the
did not understand what was happening when buildings began main idea of
to collapse around him. each section
More than 100 aftershocks, or tremors, rocked the area
Sunday and another 100 shook the area on Monday. Survivors
-Printed in larger
are trying to deal with the extremely cold temperatures. Some
people are using wood from collapsed buildings to start fires or bold text to
to stay warm. make them stand
Helping Hands out
Rescue teams worked through the night under generator-
powered lights to search for survivors. Cranes and other -Helps the reader
equipment lifted heavy concrete so people could dig for to locate
survivors. One of the people rescued used his cell phone to information in
call the police and describe the location where he and four the text by telling
others were trapped.
them where to
look

8. Bold, Italics, Color
-Key words are in
Why do we celebrate Halloween? bold or color to be
Halloween’s roots can be traced back to easily noticed
Celtic culture. The celebration would
begin October 31, and last until the next -Italics are used to
day. The spirits of all those who died in emphasize a word
the prior year, would rise up and roam or phrase
the earth on this night. Halloween was
also commonly referred to as “All -Bold, Italics, and
Hollows” Eve. The Roman Catholic Church color helps to
created All Saints Day and All Souls Day. draw the reader’s
attention
All Saints Day: November 1st to honor saints
All Souls Day: November 2nd to honor and
pray for souls of the dead

9. Photographs & Illustrations
-Provide a visual
-Connect to the
text/story
-Relate to headings and
The Pilgrims and the Native key terms
Americans shared items
from their culture. -Helps the reader to
How could these understand an idea and
reinforce
pictures help you comprehension in a
understand what Captions: visual way
Thanksgiving is explain a -Helps the reader
about? picture understand information
that might not be in the
text

10. Maps
-Maps are drawings
that show the basic
shape of land and
other geographic,
political or historical
features
-Helps the reader to
understand where
an event happens
How could this map help you -Helps understand
understand a story about the their relation to
California Gold Rush? other places

11. Diagrams
-A diagram is a
drawing that
shows/explains
something
-To understand a
diagram, the reader
should read the title,
labels and captions
-Helps the reader to
understand how
objects are made,
steps or other
How does this diagram help you understand
information in the
photosynthesis?
text

12. Tables
-Tables organize
information into a
smaller, organized
space
-Tables can show
many types of data
-Helps the reader to
compare information
in the text
How does this table help you understand the
difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

13. Timelines
-A timeline
shows important
events in
chronological
order (time
order)
-Helps the reader
to understand
the order of
events and/or
cause and effect
How does this timeline help you
understand the history of Egypt?

14. MAKE A TEXT FEATURE BOARD!
1. Each group will get a couple text features
2. Everyone will read the article
3. Identify where your group’s text features are in the text
4. Create a poster that shows these text features!
BOLD
- We found bold was used in the titles, subheadings, and to
identify main terms
- Bold helps us attract attention to certain words
Share with class!