3. Non-Fiction Text
Features Can:
• Give the reader an idea of what the text is
going to be about
4. Non-Fiction Text
Features Can:
• Give the reader an idea of what the text is
going to be about
• Help to guide the reader through the text
5. Non-Fiction Text
Features Can:
• Give the reader an idea of what the text is
going to be about
• Help to guide the reader through the text
• Help the reader skim for information
6. Non-Fiction Text
Features Can:
• Give the reader an idea of what the text is
going to be about
• Help to guide the reader through the text
• Help the reader skim for information
• Help to support the text
7. The 9 Most Common
Text Features Found
in Non-Fiction
8. Title
gets the reader
interested in the
article
helps the reader
figure out what
the article might
be about
9. Headings / Headlines
Identify try to attract the
major topics interest of the
throughout reader by telling
the text them what the
article is about
help the
reader usually a phrase
skim for or sentence
information
10. Subheadings
identify minor
topics
throughout the
text
help readers
skim for
information
11. Bold Print / Italics
help readers identify
important terms or
vocabulary
12. Graphics
help readers
understand what
something looks like
in relation to the text
can be
photos, drawings, c
artoons, or
magnified images
13. Captions
help readers
understand a
graphic, graph, c
hart, table
14. Diagrams
help the reader
understand
information through
a graphic view of
information
15. Graphs
help readers
look at
information
related to the
topic
they usually
compare data
and information
16. Sidebars
give readers
additional
information on
the topic
and they usually
appear in a
separate column
or box from the
text
18. Why Are Text
Features Important?
Text features are important because:
• 1) Visual features of the text alert you to focus on the
topic
• 2) They present new material in meaningful chunks.
this makes new info easier to understand
19. Please read your handouts and fill in
as many of the boxes as you can in
the time remaining.
If you have questions… Just ask.