What are they and what should you know about them?

 An informational text is one that contains information (duh!)  This type of text comes in many forms:  Textbooks  Magazine articles  Websites  Encyclopedias  Newspapers  And many

 The primary purpose of an informational text is to inform readers about a specific subject  An informational text is used to convey facts, details, instructions, and other important information.  Informational texts are always works of nonfiction.

 Table of Contents- found at the beginning of a text and gives the reader a basic overview of the topic (including general sections, main topics, and subheadings)  Headlines and Titles- appear at the beginning of a text (often in larger, boldface type) and convey the main idea of the text.  Index- is found at the back of the text and gives an alphabetical list of all topics and subtopics in a text,

 Headings- usually appear in larger or boldface type and communicate the main ideas of key sections in a text  Subheadings- appear in smaller type and convey the subtopics in a text. Previewing the headings and subheading of a text can give you a good sense of what that text is about before you begin reading.

 Lists- used to present complex information in an easy-to-read format.  Illustrations- visual representations of something in the text (in the form of pictures, maps, etc.)  Diagrams- drawings or images that show how something works or how its parts relate to each other  Labels- used to identify items in a diagram, or sometimes to match each part of the diagram to its reference in the text.

 Many informational texts, especially consumer documents like instruction manuals, include visual representations of the information in a text.  These are called graphic aids and can come in the form of:  Diagrams  Photographs  Tables  Charts  Graphs  Graphic aids usually contain captions, which are used to describe the content of the image provided.

 Procedural texts are informational texts that were created to communicate instructions, rules, processes, or other detailed, step-by-step information.  You will read and write a procedural text this week!  Now, turn to page 579 and look over the Elements of Nonfiction: Text Features and Background information before you begin reading “Who Killed the Iceman”