English · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Identifying Non-Fiction Text Features

Active learning works for this topic because six- and seven-year-olds learn best by touching, moving, and talking. When students physically hunt for text features, they build spatial memory of where information lives in a book, which helps them become purposeful readers.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: English - Reading (Comprehension)
• KS1: English - Non-fiction

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Non-Fiction Feature Hunt

Lay out several non-fiction books on tables. Students move in pairs with 'feature flags' (sticky notes) to label every heading, diagram, or caption they find, explaining why that feature is helpful.

Analyze how different features help us understand information.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, place one large non-fiction book at each station so students can move without crowding the same text.

What to look for

Provide students with a page from a non-fiction book. Ask them to point to and name one heading, one caption, and one label, explaining what each one tells them about the text or image.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Labeling Lab

Groups are given a real object (like a toy tractor or a plant) and must create a 'live diagram' by placing labels on the different parts. They then compare their 'live' version to a diagram in a book.

Compare the purpose of a heading to a caption.

Facilitation Tip

In The Labeling Lab, give every pair a different diagram so they practice labeling parts, not just copying from a model.

What to look for

Give students a simple diagram of a common object, like a bicycle. Ask them to write one label for a part of the bicycle and one sentence explaining the purpose of the diagram itself.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

Show two book covers. Students discuss with a partner which one is a story and which is an information book, looking for clues like real photos versus drawings or 'How to' titles.

Explain why authors use pictures and labels together in non-fiction.

Facilitation Tip

For the Think-Pair-Share, provide two clear examples—one fiction and one non-fiction—so the visual contrast supports the discussion.

What to look for

Show students two different non-fiction book pages, one with a clear heading and another with a large photograph and a caption. Ask: 'How does the heading help you find information differently than the caption helps you understand the picture?'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through repeated, short bursts of hands-on practice rather than one long lesson. Start with a 10-minute mini-lesson showing the same feature in three different books to build the idea that these features appear everywhere. Avoid worksheets; use real books and sticky notes so students transfer the skill to any text. Research shows that when children physically mark features, their recall and use of those features improve significantly.

Students will confidently point to headings, captions, labels, and diagrams, explain what each one tells them, and use these features to locate information without reading every word. You will see them open a book to the contents page first and scan headings before reading.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students who open a book and read from the first page. Redirect them by asking, 'Which heading do you think will tell you about [animal/place/object]?' so they practice jumping to the right section.

  During The Labeling Lab, provide a sorting tray with two columns labeled ‘Title’ and ‘Caption’ and a set of mixed text cards. Ask students to place each card under the correct heading while explaining their choice. This clarifies that titles describe the whole page and captions describe a specific image.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share