Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Using Features of Literary & Informational Text to Guide Reading
A learning module that teaches students about using text features to guide reading in three mini lessons: Engaging with Text, Literary Think-Aloud, and Informational Think-Aloud. Download a PDF with lesson plans and printable handouts...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Visual Representations in Informational Text
Students will look at examples of illustrations and diagrams in informational texts and discuss how each one helps enhance the text. Students gain the knowledge that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words because a complex idea...
Other
Dade Schools: John Ferguson: Informational Text Features
A table explaining different text features including graphics, visuals, and sections found in text.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Text Feature Diagrams
At the end of this instructional activity, students will be able to identify and create diagrams associated with informational text. Included is a link to an eSpark video on diagrams, rules for group work, multiple examples of diagrams,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Points of Informational Text Main Idea and Details
This lesson uses the book Explorers of North America - A True Book by Brendan January to teach students how to identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph informational text and specific paragraphs within the text. Students are guided...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Text Feature Find
A lesson plan in which students look through a book to find various text features including: a table of contents, sequence and format, charts/graphs/maps, diagrams/graphics/illustrations, print variations, an index, and a glossary....
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Introduction of Text Features
Dr. Murphy shares a comprehensive lesson plan to support students identifying various text features in informational texts. Students will mentally and physically engage in active learning to know how to navigate through different types...
Read Works
Read Works: Genre Studies: Informational Texts: Pictures and Photographs
[Free Registration/Login Required] Lesson uses All About Cats and Kittens by Emily Neye to teach learners how to identify facts from photographs and pictures in informational text. Ideas for direct teaching, guided practice, and...
Read Works
Read Works: Genre Studies: Informational Text Kindergarten Unit: Labeled Diagrams
[Free Registration/Login Required] Lesson uses Bats by Gail Gibbons to teach students how to identify facts learned from labeled diagrams within an informational text. Ideas for direct teaching, guided practice, and independent practice...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Cool Tools for Finding Information (Grade 3 4)
Identify text structures in various informational sources.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Expository Text Structure: Book Look [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which students look through a book to identify text features and complete a graphic organizer. Materials are included.
TES Global
Blendspace: Informational Text
A twelve-part learning module with links to images, texts, slides, and charts that teach skills to build reading comprehension with informational texts.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Cloud, Rain, and Fog
During these three days of lessons, 2nd graders will learn about weather from the nonfiction text by asking questions, and focusing on the text features of the book.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Molly of Denali: Fish Camp Game
Use this Molly of Denali digital game to extend and expand students' use of informational text as well as their knowledge of Alaska Native culture.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Molly of Denali: Sled Dog Dash Game
Use this Molly of Denali digital game to extend and expand children's use of informational text, as well as their knowledge of Alaska Native culture. Molly and her friend Tooey use a fictional app to access information that will help...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understand Information From Introductory Material, Headings, Etc.
In this lesson students learn how to develop an overview of the material using information gained from text organization to help predict content and make connections. They also to gather information from reading the introduction,...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Text Features: Non Fiction [Pdf]
Compare the printed page to an electronic web page and use this activity to discuss the similarities and differences. A cross-curricular tie-in with ecosystems. Could easily be adapted to another subject area.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: How to Read Nonfiction Text
Kids love to read about real people, places, and events. Nonfiction books present real information in engaging and interesting ways. However, most kids read a lot more fiction than nonfiction, so spend some extra time helping your reader...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Teaching With Nonfiction: Teach Text Features
A brief lesson plan, this site offers an example of non-fiction text and a graphic organizer to help orient students to the features they need to use when reading for information.
CPALMS
Cpalms: Classify and Categorize: Using Text Features to Find Information
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will develop research questions, classify information into an outline form, and use the features of nonfiction writing to identify information relevant to a research question.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Computer Sleuth: Identification by Text Analysis
Here's a project where you can try your hand at being a detective with your computer. In this project you'll write a program to do some basic analysis of features of written text (for example, counting the length of each word in the...
InterLink Language Centers
Interlink Language Centers: Reading Exercises Science
An interactive exercise for students to use while developing an understanding of how to read scientific informational texts. The text is presented one paragraph at a time and difficult vocabulary words are defined as footnotes. Then...
Read Works
Read Works: After the Floods
[Free Registration/Login Required] This informational text passage shares information about a horrific flood that devastated parts of Pakistan in 2010. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Lesson Plan for Nonfiction Comprehension: Skimming Text
Build comprehension by developing reading strategies for use with nonfiction text. This lesson focuses on teaching students to recognize text elements as clues to help them quickly locate key information in text.