Activity 01
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.
What do the headings in a book help you do when you are looking for information?
Facilitation TipDuring Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest, provide highlighters so students can mark headings and labels as they find them, making the hunt more tactile.
What to look forProvide students with a page from an information text. Ask them to point to and name one heading and one label. Ask: 'What information does this heading/label help you find?'
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Activity 02
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.
Did the author write this to teach us facts or to tell us a story? How do you know?
Facilitation TipFor Pairs Compare: Info vs Story, give each pair two texts marked with sticky notes at key features so they can focus on comparisons.
What to look forGive 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.
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Activity 03
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.
Can you use the headings to find the part of the book that tells you about a topic you chose?
Facilitation TipIn Diagram Workshop: Label and Heading, circulate with a checklist to note which students are adding labels correctly and which need more support.
What to look forShow 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?'
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Activity 04
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.
What do the headings in a book help you do when you are looking for information?
Facilitation TipDuring Heading Relay, place headings on separate cards so students physically match them to parts of the text, reinforcing their function.
What to look forProvide students with a page from an information text. Ask them to point to and name one heading and one label. Ask: 'What information does this heading/label help you find?'
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
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.
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.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest, students may assume all books use headings and labels in the same way.
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.
During Pairs Compare: Info vs Story, students may think diagrams are just decorative.
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.
During Heading Relay, students may believe headings are only the book title.
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.
Methods used in this brief