The Power of Words: Literacy and Expression · 2nd Class

Active learning ideas

Navigating Non-Fiction Features

Active learning lets students practice using non-fiction features in real time, which builds fluency and confidence. Hands-on tasks like hunting for headings or flipping through indexes turn abstract ideas into practical skills they can rely on during independent reading and research.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Understanding
• NCCA: Primary - Exploring and Using

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

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Pairs

Scavenger Hunt: Feature Quest

Provide a selection of age-appropriate non-fiction books. In pairs, students hunt for headings, captions, glossaries, and indexes, recording one fact each feature helps them find quickly. Pairs share discoveries in a whole-class debrief.

Explain how headings effectively guide a reader's predictions about upcoming content.

Facilitation Tip

During Feature Quest, provide a mix of books so students experience different formatting styles.

What to look for

Provide students with a page from a non-fiction book. Ask them to point to and name one text feature (e.g., heading, caption) and explain what information it helps them find or understand.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 40 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Feature Practice

Set up four stations, one for each feature: headings (predict content), captions (match to images), glossaries (define words), indexes (locate topics). Small groups rotate every 7 minutes, completing a task card at each.

Justify an author's choice between a photograph and a drawing for illustrating factual information.

Facilitation Tip

At each station, place a timer so students practice index and glossary searches under time pressure.

What to look for

Give students a card with two scenarios: 1. You need to find out about dinosaurs. 2. You want to know what a specific picture shows. Ask them to write which text feature (index or caption) would be most helpful for each scenario and why.

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

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 25 min · Pairs

Partner Challenge: Image Justification

Partners examine non-fiction pages with photos and drawings. They discuss and justify the author's choice for illustrating facts, then swap books to repeat. Record reasons on sticky notes for a class chart.

Analyze how an index streamlines the process of locating specific information compared to manual searching.

Facilitation Tip

For Image Justification, limit students to one sentence per justification to keep discussions focused.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are writing a book about animals. Would you use a photograph or a drawing for a picture of a lion? Explain your choice, thinking about how the picture helps the reader learn facts.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Individual

Individual Creation: Mini Guide

Each student creates a one-page non-fiction guide on a familiar topic, adding headings, a caption, and a simple glossary. Share with a partner for feedback on usefulness.

Explain how headings effectively guide a reader's predictions about upcoming content.

Facilitation Tip

When students create Mini Guides, circulate with sticky notes to offer immediate feedback on feature choices.

What to look for

Provide students with a page from a non-fiction book. Ask them to point to and name one text feature (e.g., heading, caption) and explain what information it helps them find or understand.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic through repeated, low-stakes exposure: show students how to use a feature, let them try it, and then discuss what worked. Avoid lengthy explanations; instead, model a quick search yourself and let students replicate it. Research shows that students master non-fiction features faster when they handle real texts and experience the value of each tool firsthand.

By the end of these sessions, students should quickly locate information using headings, captions, glossaries, and indexes. You will see them predict content from headings, explain images with captions, and choose the most efficient tool for any search task.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Feature Quest, watch for students who focus only on the pictures or skip headings entirely.

  Prompt them to read the heading first, then predict what the section might explain, using the headings as a guide before they look at the text.

• During Station Rotation, listen for students who say captions don’t matter because the image is clear.

  Have them cover the caption and describe what the image shows, then reveal the caption and compare their notes to the actual facts provided.

• During Partner Challenge, notice students who flip pages slowly when searching for a topic.

  Time them and ask them to use the index to find the page, then compare the time difference to show how much faster the index is.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Stations Rotation