Text features are the elements of organization of written text that provide the meaning. They include page numbers, table of contents illustrations and photographs chapters, titles, headings, sub-headings, labels, captions diagrams, and much more.
It is important to teach children how to read text to increase their comprehension of reading. It is especially beneficial when students are learning to read nonfiction books.
What`s a text feature?
Text features are the sections of a nonfiction book or article that aren`t included in the main body. They include tables of contents and index, headings, captions below pictures or diagrams and glossary terms.
They`re similar in structure to story elements in fiction, however they offer extra aid to comprehension and offer a clear path for the reader. They can assist students in finding information they`re not familiar with or connect with their previous knowledge.
Children often ask, “How would I read this if there was no text feature?”
To improve comprehension of nonfiction texts It is essential to teach students how text elements can be recognized and understood. This is particularly true for science and social studies content.
One way to instruct students is through a game called “Text Features Bingo.” You can play this game in an individual group or as a all class. It`s a great way to get your students involved in engaging learning! Look for more on Stylistic devices.
Beginning Techniques For Using Text Features In Class
Text features offer additional clues to aid students in comprehending information from textual information. Students are by themselves in their quest to find relevant information in a text that is not provided by them.
It is important to explain to children the importance of using text features and how they can help them comprehend. This can be accomplished by focussing on specific text features or showing students the procedure of using them.
Scavenger hunts are an excellent method to introduce and practice text feature. This is a fantastic activity for children who are young because they can have fun searching and documenting the text features they discover.
A think-aloud for small groups is another way to teach text features. This is best accomplished by clustering groups to ensure that there is a diversity of strengths and background knowledge.
Students can utilize text features in their research and reading once they have a basic understanding. It doesn`t matter if it`s for an article, a book or even a website Text features help students to organize their work and find crucial information easily.
Advanced Techniques For Using Text Features
If students have a greater understanding of what text features are and how they work, they can use them to enhance their comprehension of texts. They can also use their previous knowledge, make connections and increase their understanding of a text`s contents.
One method to accomplish this is through an interactive walk with text. This engaging activity for small groups is highly effective and has been proven to increase the number of relevant predictions.
Students can do this by having them walk through a section of an introductory science or social studies text book. Explain that all pages other than the main body are text-based features.
For instance headings, images, captions, diagrams with labels, glossaries, maps, and headings are all text elements. The goal is to make students explore the page and discuss what each feature does and the reason it`s there, and how they think it is related to their primary idea.
Visual Text Features
Visual text features are essentially symbols or icons, as well as other graphic elements that are used to convey information. They can include cartoons or comic strips and timelines, maps or photos 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 test comprehension of more abstract concepts and vocabulary.
In the classroom, text that is visual can be presented in many different ways and may be found in the form of billboards, photos posters, graphs, charts, maps, timelines, or digital stories. Making sure that children are taught to use these non-linguistic text tools will help them comprehend more complex texts and enjoy reading a wider variety of books.