Features of Information TextsActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps young readers grasp how information texts are structured because they handle real examples instead of just listening. This topic requires students to notice and use features like headings, labels, and diagrams, which makes interactive activities more effective than passive discussion.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify the purpose of headings in an information text.
- 2Distinguish between an information text and a narrative text based on features and purpose.
- 3Label key parts of a diagram in an information text.
- 4Explain how diagrams and labels contribute to understanding information.
- 5Compare the structure of an information text with a storybook.
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Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest
Provide baskets of information texts. In small groups, students search for one heading, one label, and one diagram per book, noting them on a recording sheet. Groups share finds with the class, discussing how features help find facts.
Prepare & details
What do the headings in a book help you do when you are looking for information?
Facilitation Tip: During Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest, provide highlighters so students can mark headings and labels as they find them, making the hunt more tactile.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Pairs Compare: Info vs Story
Pair each information text with a picture book story. Students list three features in the info text absent in the story, then explain to partners how headings guide searches. Pairs present one example to the class.
Prepare & details
Did the author write this to teach us facts or to tell us a story? How do you know?
Facilitation Tip: For Pairs Compare: Info vs Story, give each pair two texts marked with sticky notes at key features so they can focus on comparisons.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Diagram Workshop: Label and Heading
Students select a topic like animals, draw a simple diagram, add labels, and create headings for sections. They swap with a partner for feedback on clarity. Display finished works for a gallery walk.
Prepare & details
Can you use the headings to find the part of the book that tells you about a topic you chose?
Facilitation Tip: In Diagram Workshop: Label and Heading, circulate with a checklist to note which students are adding labels correctly and which need more support.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Whole Class: Heading Relay
Divide class into teams. Call a topic, teams race to find the heading in shared texts and read the section aloud. Discuss how the heading matched the content.
Prepare & details
What do the headings in a book help you do when you are looking for information?
Facilitation Tip: During Heading Relay, place headings on separate cards so students physically match them to parts of the text, reinforcing their function.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Teaching This Topic
Teach this topic by letting students experience the features firsthand. Avoid long explanations about headings or labels before the activities, as young learners learn best by doing. Research shows that when students physically interact with texts, their retention of structural elements improves significantly. Focus on guiding questions that prompt them to explain why a feature exists rather than just naming it.
What to Expect
Students will confidently identify and explain the purpose of headings, labels, and diagrams in factual texts. They will also compare information texts to stories, showing they understand the difference in purpose and layout.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest, students may assume all books use headings and labels in the same way.
What to Teach Instead
During the scavenger hunt, give students one information text and one storybook. Ask them to find and compare headings and labels, then discuss how the information text uses these features to organize facts while the storybook does not.
Common MisconceptionDuring Pairs Compare: Info vs Story, students may think diagrams are just decorative.
What to Teach Instead
During the pair activity, provide a labeled diagram from an information text. Ask students to cover the labels and describe what information the diagram still conveys, then uncover the labels to see how they add specific details.
Common MisconceptionDuring Heading Relay, students may believe headings are only the book title.
What to Teach Instead
During the relay, use a multi-page information text and have students race to find and read subheadings. After the activity, ask them to explain how subheadings help them locate information within the text.
Assessment Ideas
After Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest, give students a page from an information text and ask them to point to and name one heading and one label. Then ask: 'What information does this heading/label help you find?'
After Diagram Workshop: Label and Heading, give each student a simple picture (e.g., a bicycle). Ask them to draw two labels for parts of the bicycle and write one sentence explaining the difference between this picture and a story.
During Pairs Compare: Info vs Story, show students two books, one an information text about animals and one a storybook about a talking animal. Ask: 'Which book is designed to teach you facts? How do you know? What features helped you decide?'
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge students who finish early to create their own two-page information text with headings, labels, and a diagram on a topic of their choice.
- For students who struggle, provide a text with pre-selected headings and labels already highlighted to reduce cognitive load.
- Offer extra time by extending Diagram Workshop to include a peer feedback session where students explain their labels to a partner.
Key Vocabulary
| Heading | A title for a section of a text that tells the reader what the information below is about. |
| Label | A word or short phrase that identifies a part of a diagram or picture. |
| Diagram | A simplified drawing that shows the parts of something and how they work, often with labels. |
| Information Text | A type of book or writing that gives facts about a topic, using features like headings and diagrams. |
| Narrative Text | A type of book that tells a story, usually with characters, a plot, and a beginning, middle, and end. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for English
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