Nonfiction Text Features

A Nonfiction Text is any text that contains true or factual information… Nonfiction Text Features are the features that help a reader to navigate a Nonfiction Text more easily. Examples of Nonfiction Text Features include…Table of Contents, Headings, Bold Words, Captions, Photographs, Graphs, Charts, Illustrations, Glossary, and Index.

Verso Page A verso page is found in the beginning of the book. It contains the author’s name, the publisher, the city of publication, the copyright date, and the ISBN. The ISBN stands for the International Standard Book Number…it is a 10 digit number (but can also have 13 digits) that is different for every book published. The verso page also tells you the genre. Nonfiction children’s books have the words “Juvenile Literature on the verso page.

Title Page The title page has the title, the author’s name (and illustrator if there is one), and the publisher.

Dedication Page The dedication page is found in the beginning of the book. It tells whom the book is dedicated to and will often contain an added message. Often both the author and the illustrator will dedicate a book to someone special.

Table of Contents The Table of Contents is found in the beginning of a book. It is sometimes labeled just “Contents”. It contains chapter titles or headings and lets the reader know what page they are on. This allows the reader to know what is in the book and also be able to find information quickly.

Timeline A timeline tells the order of events that something took place. The can be about a person’s life or events in history.

Photograph A photograph is a picture taken with a camera to show the reader exactly what something looks like. Photograph

Illustration An illustration is a picture drawn or painted to show how something or someone looks. Illustration

Caption A caption is located near a photo, illustration, or any kind of visual that helps to explain to the reader the visual. It is usually a sentence or two. Caption

Labels Labels are similar to captions in that they are located near photos or illustrations. However, labels are one or two words instead of one or two sentences.

Label

Diagram A diagram is a drawing or picture that has labels showing the important parts. Diagram

Headings A heading is a title found at the top of a page or section of text. It is often written in larger, bold print, and lets the reader know what that section will be about. It is important to ALWAYS read the headings on a page!!

Subheadings Subheadings are titles underneath headings. It breaks the information down even further. It allows the reader to skim and scan to find the information that they might need. It is important to ALWAYS read the subheadings on a page!!

Heading Subheading

Chart A chart is a visual that is used to compare and contrast information.

List of Dates When States Joined the Union 1 Delaware December 7, 1787 2 Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 3 New Jersey December 18, 1787 4 Georgia January 2, 1788 5 Connecticut January 9, 1788 6 Massachusetts February 6, 1788 7 Maryland April 28, 1788 8 South Carolina May 23, 1788 9 New Hampshire June 21, 1788 10 Virginia June 25, 1788 11 New York July 26, 1788 12 North Carolina November 21, 1789 13 Rhode Island May 29, 1790 14 Vermont March 4, 1791 15 Kentucky June 1, 1792 16 Tennessee June 1, 1796 17 Ohio March 1, 1803 18 Louisiana April 30, 1812 19 Indiana December 11, 1816 20 Mississippi December 10, 1817 21 Illinois December 3, 1818 22 Alabama December 14, 1819 23 Maine March 15, 1820 List of Dates When States Joined the Union Chart

Graph A graph is used to show information in a visual way…this can be a bar graph, pie chart, or plot line.

Map A map shows the location of an area.

Sidebar A sidebar is added information related to the text. It is found on the side of the page.

Framed Text Framed text offers nuggets of information not found in the text. It usually has a box around it and can be found anywhere on the page. Framed Text

Bold Words Nonfiction texts often have important words written in bold. A reader’s eyes are drawn to these bold words. You can often find the bold words in the glossary or index and they are always important to note.

Bold Words

Back Matter Back matter is any added information located at the back of the book. This can be photographs, a note from the author or illustrator, websites to research related information…the list is endless!

Index The index is found at the back of the book and contains important ideas or central concepts. The words are always listed in alphabetical order with the page numbers the information can be found on. The index helps a reader to locate information quickly.

Glossary The glossary is a mini-dictionary found at the end of a nonfiction book. It gives the definition of unknown words from the book that are listed in alphabetical order. Often the words found in the glossary are in bold font in the text.

About the Author About the author tells about the person that wrote the book. This is sometimes found at the back of the book and sometimes on the book’s jacket. Often there are other books by that author listed as well as a photo.

Bibliography A bibliography is located at the back of a book. It lists the sources that the author used to find the information to write that book. Bibliographies can be used to find other books on that topic but can also show the reader how much research the author did in writing the book. A good nonfiction text always includes a bibliography.

Remember to use Nonfiction Text Features to help you read and understand Nonfiction Literature!