1. Informational Text is All Around Us!
Information is all around us!
How to help your child understand the world around them!

2. In the 21st century, informational text is all around us, and as a society need to be able to understand and use it easily and effectively.
Reading and understanding informational text is the key to knowledge and understanding our world and ourselves.

3. Where do we find informational text?
Everywhere! It is in our homes, schools and community. We encounter it everyday! Informational text helps us make everyday decisions regarding purchasing products, what to choose at a restaurant, movie tickets, career choices, and much more.

4. Informational Text Features
Print Features
Table of Contents
Index
Organizational Aids
Bold Print
Italics
Bullets
Graphic Aids
Diagrams
Graphs
Maps
Illustrations
Photos
Magnification
And understanding their purpose
Informational text features help the reader more easily navigate the text and often provide additional information to help them comprehend the content
Table of Contents: Identify key topics in the selection and the order they are presented
Index: See everything in the text listed alphabetically with page numbers
Bold: signals the word is important (May be found in the glossary)
Italics: understand the work is important
Bullets: emphasize key points/concepts
Diagrams: a more detailed or simplified view of information
Graphs Understand relativity between elements
Map where things are in relation to other things positionally
Photo understand exactly what something looks like
Magnification see details in something small
These are called Text Features and their purpose is help us understand the information presented.

5. Organizational Structures
Description
Cause/Effect
Problem/Solution
Definition
Classification
Chronological
Compare/Contrast

6. So next time you and your child are out completing errands, going to the movies, eating at restaurants, shopping, or just sitting at home eating breakfast, reading newspapers/magazines or surfing the web, pay attention to the text features as you read. See if you can put them to use to increase your family’s understanding of informational text in our diverse society!