English Language Arts · 3rd Grade

Active learning ideas

Using Text Features for Information

Active learning works because text features are visual tools students must physically interact with to grasp their purpose. Students need to touch, sort, and compare these features to see how they organize and extend information beyond the main text.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.5

• 15–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Text Feature Scavenger Hunt

Set up stations with different types of informational texts (magazines, textbooks, websites). Students use a checklist to find specific features like a 'caption that explains a photo' or a 'sidebar with extra facts' and record what they learned from each.

How do visual text features support the information presented in the main body text?

Facilitation Tip

During the Text Feature Scavenger Hunt, circulate and ask guiding questions like, 'Why did the author include this sidebar here?' to push students beyond simple identification.

What to look for

Provide students with a short informational article. Ask them to circle all the headers and underline all the captions. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining what information the first header helped them find.

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

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Pairs

Inquiry Circle: Feature Designers

Pairs are given a plain paragraph of informational text without any features. They must work together to 'design' a header, a helpful caption for an imaginary illustration, and one bolded glossary word to make the text easier for a younger student to understand.

Why do authors choose specific organizational structures like cause and effect or sequence?

Facilitation Tip

For Feature Designers, require students to present their feature’s purpose and how it connects to the main text to reinforce understanding.

What to look for

Give students a picture with a caption and a short paragraph. Ask them to write one sentence explaining how the caption helped them understand the picture better. Also, ask them to identify one new word from the paragraph that might be in a glossary.

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The 'Missing Feature' Mystery

The teacher shows a complex diagram or map without its title or labels. Students discuss with a partner what they think the visual represents and then share how much easier it becomes once the text features are 'developed' and added back in.

How does a glossary or index help a reader navigate a complex technical topic?

Facilitation Tip

In The 'Missing Feature' Mystery, limit the discussion time to 2 minutes per pair to keep the focus on concise, evidence-based reasoning.

What to look for

Present students with two different books on the same topic, one with a detailed index and one without. Ask: 'Which book would be easier to use if you were looking for information about a specific animal? Why?' Guide them to discuss the role of the index.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach text features by treating them as tools for efficiency, not decorations. Model a think-aloud where you first scan all features, then read the text to see how they connect. Avoid assigning text features as isolated tasks—instead, tie them to real purposes like answering questions or finding facts. Research shows students retain more when they use features for authentic tasks rather than rote labeling.

Students will confidently use text features to locate information, explain their purpose, and connect them to the main content. Success looks like students purposefully scanning features first, then applying that skill to answer questions or complete tasks.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Text Feature Scavenger Hunt, watch for students who rush through features without considering their purpose.

  Pause the activity after 5 minutes and model a 'Feature First' strategy: point to each feature, read it aloud, and ask, 'What does this tell me that the main text doesn’t?'

• During Collaborative Investigation: Feature Designers, watch for students who create features without connecting them to the main text.

  Require students to include a written explanation on their poster: 'This feature helps readers understand [main idea] by showing [specific detail].'

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Methods used in this brief

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