Text features are elements that organize text in order to help convey meaning. These include page numbers, table of contents illustrations and photographs chapters, titles, headingsand sub-headings, labels, captions diagrams, and many more.
It is important to teach children the features of text to help them improve their comprehension of reading. This is especially important for children who are learning to read non-fiction.
What`s a text feature?
Text features are the parts of a nonfiction story or book that aren`t included in the main body. These include the table contents and captions, indexes, headings beneath diagrams or images, and glossary terms.
They`re akin to story elements in fiction, however they provide extra aid to comprehension and offer a clear path for the reader. They can aid students in finding information they`re not aware of or make connections with previous knowledge.
Children often ask “How could I read this if it didn`t have text?”
To improve comprehension of nonfiction text It is essential to teach students how text elements can be identified and comprehended. This is especially important for social studies and science content.
One way to teach students is through a method called “Text Features Bingo.” You can play this game either in an individual group or as a in a whole class. It`s a great activity to get your students involved in engaging learning! You`ll find more at Text enhancements.
Novice Techniques For Using Text Features
Text features are additional clues that help students comprehend information from informational texts. Without them students are left to their own tools when trying to locate relevant information in the text.
When teaching students about text features it is important to emphasize their importance and how they support comprehension strategies. This can be accomplished by using specific text features or teaching students the procedure of using them.
Scavenger hunts are a great way to introduce and learn about the text features. This activity is particularly great for children in the younger age group as they can have fun exploring and recording the text features they discover.
Another method to teach text features is through the use of a think-aloud within a small group. This is best done by clustering the groups in a way that there is a variety of strengths and background knowledge.
Students can use text features to aid in their research and reading after they have a good understanding. Whether it is for a book, an article or a website Text features can help students determine organization and locate crucial information easily.
More Advanced Techniques For Teaching Text Features
If students have a clear understanding of what text features are and how they function they can make use of them to improve their comprehension of text. They can also tap into prior knowledge, connect and increase their understanding of the text`s contents.
A text feature walk is one method to achieve this. This is a highly effective and fun small-group activity that has proven to increase the number of pertinent predictions made by students.
To do this, ask students go through a page in an academic or social studies book. Explain that all pages except the main body are text features.
For instance headings, pictures, captions, labeled diagrams, maps, and glossaries are all text features. The idea is to let students explore the page and discuss the purpose of each text feature and why it`s there, and how they think it relates to their principal idea.
Whats A Visual Text Feature
Visual text elements are symbols such as icons, symbols, or other graphic elements that are used to convey information. These may include cartoons, comic strips as well as timelines, maps, images or signs of people.
They can be used to aid students in connecting ideas and provide a brief overview of the text. These can be used to gauge understanding of more abstract concepts and vocabulary.
In the classroom, text that is visual can be presented in many different ways. It can be seen in the form of billboards posters, graphs, charts or maps, timelines or digital stories. These non-linguistic text features can be taught to children so they can understand more complex texts and be able to enjoy a wider selection of books.