Text Feature Hunt
An Introduction to Nonfiction Text Features
Text features are the parts of a nonfiction book that help you find information easily or tell you
more about the topic.
Some examples are:• Titles• Table of Contents• Headings• Photographs• Illustrations
• Captions• Bold words• Glossary• Electronic Menu• Icons
Title: the name of the book
• Titles tell the reader the topic of the text.
• Titles show the 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.
Table of Contents:gives the heading and beginning page number for each section of the book
• The table of contents shows how the book is organized so you can find information more easily.
• The heading titles give the reader an outline of what the book is about.
Table of Contents
Flowers………………..………..3Vegetables………………..…..9Fruit……………………….......12Trees……………………………15Glossary……………………….20
Headings: divide the text into sections• Headings tell the main idea of
each section of text.• Headings are printed in large
or bold type to make them stand out.
• Headings help the reader to locate information in the text by telling them where to look.
Photographs: a picture taken with a camera that
show how something looks in real life
• Photographs show how something looks, which helps the reader better understand the topic they are reading about.
Illustrations: a hand-drawn picture
• Illustrations help the reader “see” what is being talked about in the text.
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.
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.
Glossary: tells what important words mean• A glossary is like a small
dictionary of words. It tells or shows what words mean.
• The words in the glossary are in alphabetical order.
• The words in the glossary were used in the book.
• A glossary is 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
Electronic Menu: a list of things you can choose from to do something on the computer
• An electronic menu gives you options, just like a menu at your favorite place to eat.
• An electronic menu lists all of your options. It helps the user know what is on the computer program or website.
• An electronic menu helps you navigate, or find your way, around a program or website.screen shot from www.starfall.com
Icon: a picture that represents something else• Icons can be 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. screen shot from www.starfall.com
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.