1. Understanding Text Features
Table of Contents
Headings
Photographs
Diagrams/Maps
Captions
Graphs/Charts
Glossary
Index
Illustrations

2. What is a Feature?
The word feature is used in many different contexts, or situations A feature is an important part of something

3. What are some features of this coral reef?
What is a Feature?
What are some features of this coral reef?
Anemone
Rocks
Coral
Water
Sand
…and so on

4. What is a Feature? What are your facial features?
eyes, nose, mouth, chin, cheeks…

5. What are the features of your playground?
What is a Feature?
What are the features of your playground?

6. Text Features
Text features are parts of text that draw your attention to important information

7. Headings
Headings introduce topics in text. They are often written in bold print, large print, or colorful text.

8. Headings
Can you find the headings?

9. Headings
Heading
Heading
Heading

10. Bold and Italic Print
Bold print is print that is darker or brighter than the rest of the sentence. Authors use bold print to signal important information or new words.
Italic print looks like this. Authors use italics to signal important words, new ideas, or foreign words.

11. Can you find the italicized words?

12. Can you find the italicized words?

13. Can you find the bold print words?

14. Can you find the bold print words?

15. Illustrations and Photographs
Illustrations are drawings. They are created by an artist. Illustrations can be very basic, or they can be very detailed.
Photographs are taken by a photographer. They show real objects in real settings.

16. Illustrations
Pictures help readers to understand ideas. Why do you think the author chose to illustrate this text instead of using a photograph?

17. Illustrations
Illustrations can do what photographs cannot. Often, artists will use illustrations to show things from the past or simplify ideas.

18. Illustrations
How does the illustration help a reader to understand this text?

19. Photographs
How does the photograph help the reader understand this text?

20. Diagrams, Maps, Graphs, and Charts
These features are used to display data. Be sure to read these carefully, as they include important information that help you understand the text.

21. Diagrams, Maps, Graphs, and Charts
Can you identify these features?

22. Captions
Captions are found underneath illustrations, photographs, charts, graphs, and diagrams. They explain what is being depicted. Make sure to pay attention….These features include important information!

23. Can you find the caption?
Captions
Can you find the caption?

24. Can you find the caption?
Captions
Can you find the caption?
Caption

25. Table of Contents
The table of contents tells you where to locate information. You can find this in the beginning of a book.
Emily Kissner 2012

26. Index
The index can be found at the end of the book. This feature is used to find where topics (subjects) are located in a book.
Emily Kissner 2012

27. Glossary
The glossary can be found at the end of the book. This feature contains the definitions of key vocabulary words (usually in bold or italic font) in a text.
Emily Kissner 2012

28. Text Features
What have you learned about text features? What do you still wonder about text features?
Emily Kissner 2012