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.
2 · Watch
Take 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.