Standard 6: Research Students will engage in inquiry to acquire, refine, and communicate accurate information.

• Students identify text features in informational text.

• Students use text features to understand the text. 

• Teachers explain that some text features organize, highlight, and/or explain the text itself (e.g., captions, headings/subheadings, and bold/italicized words), while others provide additional information to the text (e.g., charts, tables, legends).

• Teachers model using text features to understand a text.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to locate and identify text features in a variety of texts. 

• Teachers monitor and provide feedback regarding their interpretation and/or use of text features. 

When students struggle to identify text features, teachers can ...

• use a variety of mentor texts to model identifying text features.

• provide visual aids to assist students with identifying text features. 

• provide opportunities to practice using text features such as text feature walks, anchor charts, sorts, or creating their own writing using text features. 

When students struggle to understand how a text feature helps comprehension, teachers can...

• focus on one text feature that students are struggling with and ask questions such as:

• What do you notice?

• How would the author want you to use this information?

• How does this information relate to the text?

• How has this changed your thinking?

• provide graphic organizers that require students to find examples and explain how each feature helps them as a reader.

• choose a feature to cover and read the text without the feature.  Then, uncover the feature and discuss how the feature aids comprehension.

• Informational: nonfiction text that contains facts and information.

• 4.6.R.1: Conduct research to answer questions

• 4.6.W.3: Informative writing