Informational Text Features
Diagrams
*A drawing that shows or explains something. *Helps the reader understand steps, how objects are made, or information in the text.
Glossary
*A list of key terms in alphabetical order. *Helps the reader quickly find a key term from an alphabetical list
Maps
*Drawings that show the basic shape of the land and other geographical, political, or historical features. *They present information in a visual form. *They help the reader understand where an event happens. *They help the reader understand how far away an event took place.
Captions
*Explains what is shown in a picture or illustration. *Helps the reader understand information that may or may not be in the text
Photographs and Illustrations
*Helps reader understand information in a visual way *Helps reader understand the story * Helps reader understand an idea that was unclear
Index
*Is an alphabetical listing of the key names, terms, events, and topics with page numbers. *Helps the reader to quickly find pages that contain information they are looking for.
Table of Contents
*Lists the major parts of a book along with their page numbers. *Helps the reader locate information and see the main topics or main points
Graphs, Charts, and Tables
*Organize large amounts of information into a small space. * Presents all kinds of data, from numbers and amounts, to calendars and menus * Helps the reader summarize and compare information.
Sidebar/Textbox
*Provides more information than is in the text about a topic. *Can include interesting facts or important information the author wants the reader to know. *Helps readers understand by creating interest or emphasizing important information.
Text (Bold, Color, Italics)
*Sends signals to the reader on how to read the content *Signals key words *Draws the readers attention to important information
Timelines
*Show important events in chronological order or time order. *Helps the reader better understand the order of events and how one event may have lead to another.
Subheadings
*Tells the main idea of each section of text *Helps the reader to locate information in the text by telling them where to look.
Title
*Tells the reader the topic of the text. *Shows the main idea of the text. *Helps the reader by letting them know what they are about to read.