English · Year 2

Active learning ideas

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.

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

• 10–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, unheaded non-fiction passage divided into three paragraphs. Ask them to write one heading for each paragraph that accurately describes its content. Then, ask: 'How did your headings help you guess what each part was about?'

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

Activity 02

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Display a page from a non-fiction book with clear headings. Ask students to point to a heading and explain what they expect to learn from that section. Ask: 'Why is this heading helpful for finding information quickly?'

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

Activity 03

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Present two versions of the same short non-fiction text: one with clear, informative headings and one with vague or missing headings. Ask students: 'Which version is easier to read and understand? Why? What makes a heading 'good' or 'bad'?'

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.

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.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

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

  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.

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

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

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share