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.