Text Features
These structural elements—such as headings, lists, and diagrams—help readers quickly understand how information is organized.
What are text features?
Before reading, students should make one of these—an educated guess about what the text may be about.
What is a prediction?
While reading, students should underline these—important facts that support understanding.
What are key details?
After reading, students should summarize the text in one short statement called this.
What is the central idea?
This writing tool is in the title of the strategy: “Read with a ____.”
What is a pencil?
Before reading, you should scan for these two elements that appear at the top of major sections in a text.
What are headings and subheadings?
You should look for bolded or highlighted items like dates, quotes, and these numerical facts.
What are statistics?
Students place this symbol at the top of a paragraph to summarize its main point.
What is a hashtag (#)?
To reflect meaningfully, students should ask: “Why did the author write this?” This question targets what reading skill?
What is determining author’s purpose?
Students should underline a specific number of key details according to the sheet.
What is three (3)?
These appear beside images and help explain what the reader is seeing.
What are captions?
This step helps students prepare by noticing what they don’t recognize.
What is marking unfamiliar words?
During reading, students should note sections where they need clarity with this instruction from the page.
What is “Mark what I don’t understand”?
This step asks students to connect the main points from reading to the bigger picture.
What is synthesizing information?
Marking unfamiliar words helps improve this level of word understanding.
What is vocabulary?
This graphic element shows how something works or is structured and should be scanned before reading.
What is a diagram?
Looking over text features before reading helps you begin to identify this major idea.
What is the central idea?
This coding symbol indicates something especially important, such as a statistic or quote.
What is a star (*)?
“Use Evidence” reminds students to do what when explaining their thinking?
What is support answers with text evidence?
This symbol is used next to the central idea on the annotation sheet.
What is a star?
This type of text feature uses numbers or bullet points to show items clearly.
What is a list?
This large‑scale purpose explains why an author created a text.
What is author’s purpose?
Underlining items such as dates and statistics ensures students are identifying these text elements.
What are important evidence points?
After reading, underlining important facts helps students prepare for discussions using what type of support?
What is textual evidence?
Identifying dates, quotes, and statistics helps strengthen which reading skill?
What is identifying important information (or “evidence”)?