Language Arts: Text Features: Headings, Captions, Diagrams
Using nonfiction text features to understand information
Language Arts: Text Features: Headings, Captions, Diagrams
Using nonfiction text features to understand information
Language Arts - Grade 4-5
- 1
A science article has the heading Plant Parts and Their Jobs. What do you expect this section to be mostly about?
A heading tells the main topic of a section.
This section will probably explain the main parts of a plant and what each part does. - 2
Read the caption: A young sea turtle crawls toward the ocean after hatching. What information does this caption add to a photo?
The caption explains what is happening in the photo and tells that the turtle has just hatched and is moving toward the ocean. - 3
An article about volcanoes includes a diagram with labels for magma chamber, vent, crater, and lava flow. How does the diagram help the reader?
Think about what labeled pictures can show that words alone may not show as clearly.
The diagram helps the reader see the parts of a volcano and understand where each part is located. - 4
Choose the best heading for this paragraph: Bees move pollen from one flower to another. This helps plants make seeds. Many fruits and vegetables depend on bees. Heading choices: A. How Bees Help Plants, B. Bee Colors, C. Where Bees Sleep.
The best heading is A. How Bees Help Plants because the paragraph explains how bees move pollen and help plants make seeds. - 5
A book page shows a picture of a child wearing a bicycle helmet. The caption says: A helmet protects the brain during a fall. What is the purpose of the caption?
Captions often explain a photo or give extra information about it.
The purpose of the caption is to explain why the helmet in the picture is important for safety. - 6
An article has the headings What Is Weathering?, Types of Weathering, and How Weathering Changes Landforms. What subject is the whole article most likely about?
The article is most likely about weathering and how it breaks down rocks and changes landforms. - 7
Look at this diagram title: The Water Cycle. It includes arrows labeled evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. What does the diagram show?
Arrows in a diagram often show movement or a process.
The diagram shows how water moves through the water cycle in different stages. - 8
A nonfiction article section has the heading Staying Safe During a Storm. Write one question this section might answer.
This section might answer the question: What should people do to stay safe during a storm? - 9
Read the paragraph: Penguins have thick feathers and a layer of fat that help them stay warm. They huddle together during freezing weather. Which heading fits best: A. Penguin Food, B. How Penguins Stay Warm, C. Penguin Babies?
Choose the heading that matches the main idea of the paragraph.
The best heading is B. How Penguins Stay Warm because the paragraph describes feathers, fat, and huddling as ways penguins keep warm. - 10
A diagram of a flower labels the petals, stem, leaves, and roots. Which label would help you find the part that takes in water from the soil?
The label roots would help me find the part that takes in water from the soil. - 11
Explain the difference between a heading and a caption.
One appears near a section of text, and the other appears near an image.
A heading names the topic of a section of text, while a caption explains a picture, photo, or diagram. - 12
A page about animal habitats includes a photo of a cactus and a lizard. Write a clear caption for the photo.
A clear caption could be: A lizard rests near a cactus in a hot desert habitat. - 13
You are looking for information about what frogs eat. Which heading should you read first: Frog Life Cycle, Frog Diet, or Frog Habitats?
The word diet is connected to food.
I should read the heading Frog Diet first because diet means what an animal eats. - 14
A diagram has arrows showing the steps for recycling paper: collect paper, sort paper, wash pulp, make new paper. Why are the arrows important?
Arrows can show what happens first, next, and last.
The arrows are important because they show the order of the steps in the recycling process. - 15
Read this section title: Amazing Adaptations. The section explains how camels store fat in their humps, have long eyelashes, and can go many days without water. How does the heading help the reader?
The heading helps the reader know that the section will explain special features that help animals survive.