Text features are the organizational elements of written text that provide the meaning. These include page numbers and table of contents images, illustrations, photographs chapter titles, headings, and sub-headings. They also include captions, labels, and diagrams.

It is important to teach children about text features to increase their comprehension of reading. This is especially important for children who are beginning to read nonfiction.

What`s a text feature?

Text features are the parts of a nonfiction book or article that aren`t part of the main body. These include the table of contents and index, headings, captions below pictures or diagrams and glossary terms.

They`re similar to the story elements in fiction, but they provide additional assistance for comprehension and provide an easy way for the reader. They help students discover details they may not have discovered in the text or draw connections to prior knowledge.

Children often ask “How could I read this if it did not have text?”

To enhance comprehension of nonfiction texts it is important to teach students how text elements can be identified and understood. This is particularly true for science and social studies content.

One method to teach students is through a method called “Text Features Bingo.” You can play this game in an individual group or as a entire class. This is a great way to engage students in meaningful learning.  Look for more at Visual aids.

Beginning Techniques For Using Text Features In Class

Text features provide additional clues to assist students in understanding the information contained in informational texts. Without them, students are left to their own tools when trying to locate relevant information in a text.

When teaching students about text features, it is essential to make clear their significance and how they support comprehension strategies. It is possible to do this by focusing on particular text features, or by showing students how to use them.

Scavenger hunts are a great opportunity to learn and practice the text features. This activity is especially great for children in the younger age group because they can enjoy searching and documenting the text features they discover.

Another method of teaching text features is through a think-aloud in a small group. This is best done when the groups are grouped in a way that there is diversity in backgrounds and strengths.

Students can use text features for their research and reading when they have a fundamental understanding. Text features can be used for any type of text, including books, articles and websites. They help students organize information and find it quickly.

Advanced Techniques For Teaching Text Features

If students have a better understanding of the text`s features and how they function they can utilize them to enhance their reading comprehension. They can also tap into prior knowledge, connect and deepen their comprehension of the content of a text.

A text feature walk is one method to accomplish this. This is a successful and enjoyable small-group activity that has proven to increase the number of relevant predictions made by students.

Students can practice this by having them walk through a section of the social studies or science text book. Explain that all pages, except the main body are text-based features.

For instance, headings, pictures and captions, diagrams that are labeled, glossaries, maps, and headings are all text-based features. Students must traverse the page and discuss each text feature, its purpose and how it connects to their main idea.

Whats A Visual Text Feature

Visual text features are graphic elements, such as symbols, icons and other elements that communicate information. These include cartoons comic strips maps or timelines, signs or even photographs of people.

They can help students make connections between ideas and provide a brief overview of the text. These can be used to determine the understanding of more abstract concepts or to assess vocabulary.

In a classroom, visual text can be presented in a variety of different ways. It could be seen in the forms of billboards, photographs, posters, graphs, charts as well as timelines, maps, or digital stories. These non-linguistic text features can be taught to children so that they can comprehend more complicated texts and be able to enjoy a wider range of books.