Navigating Non-Fiction: Headings

Active learning works for headings because students need to physically interact with text structures to build lasting understanding. When children move, discuss, and apply their knowledge, they shift from passive readers to strategic information hunters who see headings as tools, not decorations.

• Year 2
• English
• 3 activities
• 10 min–30 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the purpose of headings in non-fiction texts to locate specific information.
2. Explain how headings help a reader predict the content of a section.
3. Construct a clear and relevant heading for a given paragraph of non-fiction text.
4. Justify the importance of clear headings for reader comprehension in informational texts.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 20 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Index Hunt

Provide groups with several non-fiction books and a list of specific facts to find. Students must race to use the index or contents page to locate the correct page number, explaining their strategy to the group.

Prepare & details

Explain how headings help a reader predict what they will learn.

Facilitation Tip: During The Index Hunt, have pairs physically mark pages with sticky notes to make the abstract idea of an index concrete and memorable.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Stations Rotation

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Feature Focus

Set up stations for 'Glossary', 'Captions', and 'Headings'. At each station, students complete a short task, such as matching a technical word to its definition or writing a caption for a mysterious photo.

Prepare & details

Justify the importance of clear headings in an informational text.

Facilitation Tip: In Feature Focus stations, rotate groups every 8 minutes so attention stays sharp and students experience each feature actively.

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 10 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Heading Predictions

Show a heading from a new book. Pairs predict three things they might learn in that section. After reading, they check if their predictions were correct, reinforcing the purpose of headings.

Prepare & details

Construct a heading for a given paragraph of non-fiction text.

Facilitation Tip: For Heading Predictions, give pairs two minutes to discuss before sharing so quieter students have time to formulate thoughts.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

Teach headings as signposts rather than titles. Use think-alouds to model how you use a heading to predict content, then confirm or adjust your prediction after reading. Avoid teaching headings in isolation—always connect them to the text’s purpose and the reader’s goal. Research shows that explicit instruction paired with guided practice helps students apply these skills independently.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students confidently using headings to locate information, predicting content from headings, and explaining why clear headings matter. By the end, they should choose non-fiction books based on headings and use them to find answers quickly.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Investigation: The Index Hunt, watch for students who try to read the entire book before finding information.

What to Teach Instead

Model a quick ‘search and find’ game where you give a topic like ‘tigers’ and students open the book to the index, find the page number, then flip directly to that page without reading the surrounding text.

Common Misconception

During Station Rotation: Feature Focus, watch for students who treat the glossary as a separate tool rather than a linked resource.

What to Teach Instead

Use a magnifying glass icon to trace bold words in the text to their glossary definitions, showing how they work together to build understanding.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After The Index Hunt, give students a short non-fiction passage with no headings. Ask them to add three clear headings and write one sentence explaining how their headings help a reader find information quickly.

Quick Check

During Feature Focus stations, circulate and ask each group to point to a heading on their page and explain what they expect to learn from that section, then justify why that heading is effective.

Discussion Prompt

After Think-Pair-Share: Heading Predictions, present two versions of the same text and ask students to discuss which version was easier to understand and why, focusing on the clarity of headings.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Provide three different non-fiction texts with identical topics but varying heading quality. Ask students to redesign the weakest one and justify their choices.
• Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of possible headings for each section and let students match them before writing their own.
• Deeper exploration: Have students analyze headings in their favorite non-fiction books at home and present their findings to the class.

Key Vocabulary

Heading	A title or short phrase that appears at the top of a section of text. Headings tell the reader what the following text is about.
Non-fiction	Writing that is based on facts and real events. This type of text aims to inform the reader about a particular subject.
Section	A distinct part of a larger piece of writing. Headings are used to divide a text into different sections.
Predict	To say or estimate what will happen in the future or what something will be like. Headings help readers predict the content of a text.