Non-Fiction Text Features
Recognise different non-fiction text structures and features (headings, contents, glossary, index), understanding how texts are organised to present information
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use a contents page to find information on a specific topic in a non-fiction book
- Identify the purpose of headings, glossary, and index in an information text
- Recognise that non-fiction books can be structured as lists, time order, or question-and-answer
1 · Read
Say you want shark facts without reading every page. Non-fiction books share true facts, so they use special tools to find things fast: a contents page, headings, a glossary, and an index. The contents page at the front lists big topics with page numbers. The index at the back lists single words in ABC order with page numbers.
Zara wants to read about sharks. She opens the contents page at the front. It says 'Sharks ... page 14,' so she turns straight there instead of flipping page by page.
Some tools sit on the page. A heading is the title of a part and tells what it is about. A caption sits next to a picture and tells about it. A label joins one part of a picture by a line and names it. Dark, thick words are bold words. They are important, and the glossary tells what each means.
Non-fiction books are organised in different ways too. Some list facts one after another, some follow time order like steps in a recipe, and some ask a question then give the answer right after.
For a whole topic, try the contents. For one word, try the index.
Contents pages, headings, captions, labels, glossaries, and indexes help you find facts fast, and non-fiction books can be built as lists, time order, or question-and-answer.
More to read
Reading strategy: Scan text features
Before you read a book that teaches you facts, take a quick look through it first. This is called scanning. Look for special parts that help you find things.
Look for the title and the headings. Headings tell you what each part is about. Look for pictures, charts, and words in dark bold letters. Those dark words are often important.
Longer books have extra helper parts. A table of contents is a list at the front. It tells you what page each part starts on. A glossary is at the back. It tells you what hard words mean. An index is also at the back. It is a list, in ABC order, of topics and the pages where you can find them.
Become a stronger reader: Scan text features
Before you read an information book, scan it. That means looking through it quickly to spot its special parts.
Watch for these parts:
titles and headings photos and drawings words under pictures, called captions charts and diagrams words in bold or colored letters
While you read, think about what each part does. A heading tells you what a part is about. A caption explains a picture. A bold word is one the writer wants you to notice and learn.
Why does this work? Scanning before you read helps your brain get ready. You already know what the book will teach you, so reading it feels easier.
Become a stronger reader: Pay attention to text structure
Did you know that writers build their books in different ways, like builders build different houses? The way a book is put together is called its structure.
Here are some common structures:
Sequence. The book tells things in time order, like first, next, then, last. A book about how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly uses this.
Description. The book describes one thing, bit by bit. A book that tells you all about sharks uses this.
Question and answer. The book asks a question, then answers it.
Cause and effect. The book tells why something happened.
Problem and solution. The book tells about a problem and how it was fixed.
When you know the structure, you can guess what is coming next.
Identifying informational text structures
Look around your street. You can see houses, schools, shops, and maybe a bridge. They all look different because they have different jobs to do.
Books are like that too. Different books are built in different ways because they have different jobs. The way a book is built is called its structure.
When you figure out a book's structure, reading gets easier. You know how the writer organized the facts, so you can find what you need faster.
Try this. Pick an information book. Ask yourself: Does it tell things in time order? Does it describe one thing? Does it ask questions and answer them?
2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.