English · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Text Features: Glossary & Index

Active learning helps Year 3 students grasp glossaries and indexes by moving beyond reading to doing. When children physically locate terms and topics, they see firsthand how these tools save time and improve comprehension, building confidence in non-fiction reading.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E3LY03
• AC9E3LY04

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Small Groups

Scavenger Hunt: Index Navigation

Provide non-fiction books with indexes. In small groups, give students topic cards like 'marsupials' or 'volcanoes'. They locate index entries, find pages, and note key facts. Groups share discoveries in a class gallery walk.

Explain why a glossary is essential when reading a technical or scientific text.

Facilitation Tip

During Scavenger Hunt: Index Navigation, model how to scan an index aloud to show the alphabetical progression and multiple page references for a single topic.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, unfamiliar non-fiction passage and a sample glossary and index for that passage. Ask them to: 1. Use the glossary to define one new word from the passage. 2. Use the index to find the page number for a specific topic mentioned in the passage.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Glossary Build: Word Hunt Pairs

Pairs read a technical text excerpt and identify five challenging words. They write definitions in a shared glossary, citing text evidence. Pairs then quiz each other using their glossary.

Analyze how an index helps a reader locate specific information across a book.

Facilitation Tip

During Glossary Build: Word Hunt Pairs, circulate to listen for students explaining how glossary definitions connect to the text’s context, not general dictionary meanings.

What to look for

Present students with a list of 3-4 terms and topics. For each item, ask them to identify whether they would look it up in the glossary or the index of a book, and briefly explain why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 40 min · Small Groups

Compare Tools: Station Rotation

Set up stations with a book glossary, dictionary, and index. Small groups rotate, locating the same term or topic in each and timing their searches. Discuss which tool works best for different tasks.

Compare the function of a glossary with that of a dictionary.

Facilitation Tip

During Compare Tools: Station Rotation, time each station to demonstrate how indexes and glossaries help readers locate information faster than reading every page.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are reading a book about dinosaurs. Why would a glossary be more helpful than a dictionary for understanding words like 'herbivore' or 'prehistoric'?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their reasoning.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Whole Class

Create Your Index: Whole Class Project

As a class, brainstorm topics from a unit reading. Students vote on key terms, then compile a group index with page references. Test it by locating entries during partner reads.

Explain why a glossary is essential when reading a technical or scientific text.

Facilitation Tip

During Create Your Index: Whole Class Project, guide students to notice how entries group related topics to build deeper understanding of how indexes organise information.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, unfamiliar non-fiction passage and a sample glossary and index for that passage. Ask them to: 1. Use the glossary to define one new word from the passage. 2. Use the index to find the page number for a specific topic mentioned in the passage.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teaching glossaries and indexes works best when students compare them directly to dictionaries and unstructured lists. Research shows that hands-on navigation with real texts helps students transfer skills to other subjects, while avoiding abstract explanations that don’t stick. Keep lessons short and focused on practical tasks to maintain engagement and clarity.

Students will confidently use glossaries to find term definitions and indexes to jump to specific topics. Their work will show clear understanding that glossaries define text-specific terms, while indexes organise topics by page numbers for quick access.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Glossary Build: Word Hunt Pairs, watch for students treating glossary definitions as generic dictionary entries. Correct this by asking pairs to read the definition aloud and point to where the term appears in the text.

  Use the glossary’s context examples to remind students these definitions are tailored to the book’s content, not universal meanings.

• During Scavenger Hunt: Index Navigation, watch for students assuming indexes list pages in random order. Redirect by asking groups to record the alphabetical pattern of their scavenger hunt results on a shared chart.

  Have students physically trace their finger along the index entries during the hunt to demonstrate the strict alphabetical flow and multiple entries for single topics.

• During Compare Tools: Station Rotation, watch for students believing glossaries and indexes are only for struggling readers. Use the timing activity to show how all readers benefit from efficient lookup tools.

  Ask students to time how long it takes to find a term using a dictionary versus the glossary, then discuss which tool is faster for locating information in this specific text.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share