Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

Textbook Trifles
Trifles – Find out the ingredients of your textbook!
Title
What is the title?
What do I already know about this topic?
What does this topic have to do with the chapter before it?
What do I think I will be reading about?

Read the headings

What does this heading tell me I will be reading about?
What is the topic of the paragraph beneath it?
How can I turn this heading into a question that is
likely to be answered in the text?

Introduction
Is there an opening paragraph?
Does the first paragraph introduce the rest of the chapter?
What does the introduction tell me I will be reading about?
Do I know anything about this topic already?

First sentence in a paragraph

What do I think this chapter is going to be about based on the first sentence in each paragraph?

Look at the visuals and vocabulary

Does the chapter include photographs, drawings, maps, charts or graphs?
What can I learn from the visuals in a chapter?
How do captions help me better understand the meaning?
Is there a list of key vocabulary terms and definitions?
Are there important words in boldface type throughout the chapter?
Do I know what the boldfaced words mean?
Can I tell the meaning of the boldfaced words from the rest of the sentences?

End-of-chapter questions
What do the questions ask?
What information do they point to as important?
What information do I learn from the questions?

Summary
What do I understand and recall about the topics covered in the summary paragraph?

Now you’re ready to eat up the information in your textbooks!

National Behaviour Support Service Adapted from: ReadWriteThink frichardson@nbss.ie
Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

WhAt’s in your Textbook TRIFLE?

Topic Title: Textbook Page/s:

T Charles dickens

R The school of life, First success, in the workhouse, the famous

writer, at home and abroad

I This book talks about, Charles dickens life and his family, and how
he solves his problems, he was a famous writer in England

F Charles dickens was forty-three in February, 1855.

L There’s a photo of Charles dickens

E What’s the book about? what happens first?

s This book talk about Charles dickens, his life problems and his
history

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 BIG FOX
Strategy – Using Text FeaturesNational Behaviour Support Service

In pairs look through your textbook and see can you find the text features below.

Examples and page numbers

Bold – List any words or phrases

B that are in bold print.

Debs,page 1
Novels, page 2
Polish, page 3
Orphans, page 3

i
Italics – List any words or phrases
that are in italics. Page 1, page 3

G Graphics – Describe any graphics

(photos, drawings,
charts, maps, tables, etc.).
graphs, Charles dickens photo when his 45 years
in page 1
Photo of dickens’ life page 3

Facts – List at least 5 facts found

F
in the pages.
His family is poor, he was a writer, his
family was nomada

Opinions – List any opinions found in

O
the textbook piece.
This book isn’t interesting
It´s a short book

National Behaviour Support Service Source: teaching today.glencoe.com frichardson@nbss.ie

National Behaviour Support Service Source: teaching today.glencoe.com frichardson@nbss.ie
Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

Textbook ScAvenGer Hunt

How do we use the text features of books to find and understand information?
Directions: You and your partner are on a quest to find examples of the text features below in
your textbooks by completing the chart on the next page.
But this is a TIMED exercise – you are against the clock!
Before you start, look at some of the features you will be searching for below. Do you know
what these features look like? Before you and your partner start make sure you ask the
teacher to explain any of the text features below that you’re not 100% sure about.

 Photographs
 Pictures/drawings
 Captions
 Maps
 Charts
 Timelines
 Chapter titles
 Headings
 Subheadings
 Index
 Glossary
 Highlighted/bolded
words
 Contents page
 Diagrams
 Coloured boxes
 Icons
 Bullet points

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

Textbook ScAvenGer Hunt

* With your partner find as many of the following features as you can in your textbook. For each
feature you find, write the page number (if you’re using different books write the title or subject).

TEXT FEATURES
Print Graphic Aids Informational Aids Organisational
Features Aids
Bold print ☐ Photos ☐ Introductions ☐ Titles ☐
book: Charles book: Charles book: Charles dickens book: Charles dickens
dickens dickens
page: 1,2,3 page: 1 page: 1 page: 1,
Italics print ☐ Drawings / Timelines ☐ Chapter Titles ☐
book: Charles Pictures book: book: Charles dickens
dickens
☐
page: 1,3 book: Charles page: page:
dickens 1,5,10,14,,20,24,30,34,4
0,43,48,52
Coloured print ☐ page: 2 Captions ☐ Headings ☐
book: Diagrams ☐ book: book: Charles dickens
page: book: page: page: 1
Underlined print ☐ page: Bullet Points ☐ Subheadings ☐
book: Tables/Charts ☐ book: book: Charles dickens
page: book: page: page: 8,18,28,38,46
Font size/ type page: Boxed Text ☐ Contents ☐
☐ Graphs ☐ book: book: Charles dickens
book: book: page: page: III
page: page: Numbered Steps ☐ Numbered Steps ☐
Bold print ☐ Maps ☐ book: book:
book: book: page: page:
page: page: Icons ☐ Index ☐
Cartoons ☐ book: book:
book: page: page:
page: Summary ☐ Glossary ☐
book: book: Charles dickens
page: page:

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

Print features Graphic aids Informational aids Organisational aids

help you pay
attention to
Textbook ScAvenGer Hunt
help you
visualise or
help you understand
new or important
help you find
information or
important words. make pictures in information. connect the ideas.
your mind.

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

TAke A ChApter Tour

What is the chapter or topic title?
The school of life

List the headings and subheadings.

1.suddenly life….

What is the main idea or general gist of the 1st paragraph?

The past of Charles dickens

List important key words and sketch any key images or diagrams.
Live, money problems, family, nomadas

What is the main idea or general gist of the last paragraph?

His grandma was die, don’t have money for pay the debts, his family was arested

Write two questions you think you will find the answer to when you read this
chapter or page.
How old is he? What’s his profession?

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

ScAnninG

Scanning
What is it? When you SCAN, you move your eyes quickly down a
page to find one specific detail, for example what
time your favourite TV programme is on!

Why do I
Scanning allows you to quickly find a specific fact,
scan? date, name or word in a page without trying to read
every word. You may need that fact or word to
answer a question or to add a specific detail to
something you are writing.

How do I
1. Note how the information is arranged on a page.
scan? Scan the features like headings, diagrams, boxed,
highlighted, bolded terms or words, names and
dates.
Read in this
2. Move your eyes up and down, or diagonally down
direction. the page, letting them dart quickly from side to side
looking for bolded words and other text features.

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

SkimminG

Skimming

When you SKIM, you read quickly to get the main

What is it? idea or gist of a paragraph, page or chapter and a
few (but not all) of the details.

Skimming allows you to read quickly to get a general

Why do I gist. You may also skim to get a key or main idea.

skim?

1. Read the first and last sentences of each

How do I paragraph, that is, the first few sentences and
concluding sentences.
skim?
3. Look at any pictures, diagrams, or charts and their
captions. These may help you to understand the main
idea or important details.

4. Remember you do not have to read every word

Read in this when you skim.

direction. 5. Generally, move your eyes left to right (and

quickly) when you skim.

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Strategy – Using Text Features National Behaviour Support Service

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