Navigating Non-Fiction Text Features

Students absorb non-fiction text features best when they interact with them directly, not just observe them. Active tasks like scavenger hunts and gallery walks turn passive reading into purposeful investigation, helping students see these tools as practical aids rather than abstract concepts.

• 3rd Year
• The Power of Words: Exploring Narrative and Information
• 3 activities
• 15 min–30 min

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and classify at least three common non-fiction text features (e.g., headings, glossary, index, diagram, caption) within a given informational text.
2. Explain how specific text features, such as a glossary or index, enable a reader to locate information more efficiently than reading the entire text.
3. Analyze the purpose of different text features by comparing a diagram to a corresponding paragraph and justifying the author's choice for clarity.
4. Synthesize information from multiple text features, like a table of contents and an index, to answer a complex research question.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of various text features in presenting information for a specific audience.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Non-Fiction Scavenger Hunt

Provide groups with various non-fiction books and a list of questions. Students must record not just the answer, but which text feature (index, heading, etc.) helped them find it the fastest.

Prepare & details

Explain how text features help a reader find specific information quickly.

Facilitation Tip: During the scavenger hunt, assign mixed-ability pairs so students teach each other how to use features like the index or timeline efficiently.

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

Gallery Walk

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Feature Critique

Display different examples of diagrams and charts from magazines or textbooks. Students use sticky notes to comment on whether the diagram makes the information easier or harder to understand than a text description.

Prepare & details

Justify why an author might choose a diagram instead of a paragraph to explain a process.

Facilitation Tip: For the gallery walk, provide a simple feedback sheet with sentence starters to guide students in critiquing features rather than just labeling them.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

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

Peer Teaching

⏱ 15 min·Pairs

Peer Teaching: The Glossary Game

Pairs are given a complex paragraph with three 'expert' words. They must design a mini-glossary for that paragraph, explaining the words in simple terms for a younger student.

Prepare & details

Analyze the relationship between the table of contents and the index in an informational book.

Facilitation Tip: In the glossary game, limit turns to 30 seconds per student to maintain urgency and prevent over-reliance on guessing.

Setup: Presentation area at front, or multiple teaching stations

Materials: Topic assignment cards, Lesson planning template, Peer feedback form, Visual aid supplies

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

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by modeling how you yourself use text features in real reading scenarios, such as looking up a word in a glossary or scanning a diagram for a quick answer. Avoid over-explaining; instead, let students discover through structured tasks why these features matter. Research suggests that students retain more when they actively apply skills rather than passively receive information about them.

What to Expect

Students will confidently locate information using text features without reading every word. They will explain how features like headings, captions, and glossaries serve different purposes, and apply this understanding to real research tasks.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Collaborative Investigation: The Non-Fiction Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who skim the text line by line rather than using headings or bold words to guide their search. Redirect them by asking, 'Where would you look first if you needed to find out how fast a cheetah can run? Why?'

What to Teach Instead

During the Collaborative Investigation: The Non-Fiction Scavenger Hunt, if students skip the index and try to read the whole page, pause the activity and ask them to explain why they chose to start at the beginning. Then ask them to locate the same information using the index instead.

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk: Feature Critique, watch for students who assume captions only repeat what is written in the main text. Redirect them by asking, 'If you removed the main text, what details in the caption could still help you understand the image?'

What to Teach Instead

After the Peer Teaching: The Glossary Game, if students treat glossary definitions as optional notes rather than key tools, ask them to find the definition of a word they don’t know in a book’s glossary and explain how it helped them understand the topic.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Collaborative Investigation: The Non-Fiction Scavenger Hunt, provide students with a page from a non-fiction book. Ask them to identify three text features and write one sentence explaining how each feature would help them find specific information quickly.

Exit Ticket

During the Gallery Walk: Feature Critique, have students write a short response comparing two text features they studied, stating which one is more efficient for understanding a concept and why.

Discussion Prompt

After the Peer Teaching: The Glossary Game, ask students to discuss in small groups: 'Which glossary terms were most helpful to learn and why? How would you use a glossary when researching a topic you know nothing about?'

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to design their own scavenger hunt for peers, using a non-fiction book they haven’t seen before.
• Scaffolding: Provide a partially completed scavenger hunt sheet for students who struggle, with the first two features already identified.
• Deeper exploration: Have students compare two non-fiction texts on the same topic, noting which text features make finding information easier in each one.

Key Vocabulary

Heading	A title for a section of a text that introduces the topic of that section.
Glossary	An alphabetical list of terms with their definitions, typically found at the end of a book or article.
Diagram	A simplified drawing or illustration that explains how something works or its parts, often accompanied by labels.
Index	An alphabetical list of topics, names, and places mentioned in a book, with page numbers indicating where they can be found.
Caption	A brief explanation or title accompanying a picture, illustration, or diagram.