Text Features & Graphic Elements
What is the purpose of headings and subheadings in an informational text?
To organize ideas and help readers locate information
The word predict contains the prefix pre-. What does it mean?
To say something before it happens
What does it mean to “cite text evidence”?
To quote or paraphrase information directly from the text
What question helps you find the main idea?
“What is the text mostly about?”
What does chronological order mean?
Events are written in the order they happened
A diagram of a tornado funnel in an article helps the reader...
Understand how a tornado forms visually
If you don’t know a word, what’s the first strategy you should try?
Use context clues from surrounding sentences
When a question asks “What can you infer?”, it means...
Use clues from the text and your background knowledge to make a conclusion
The main idea is supported by...
Key details
Why would an author use compare and contrast?
To show how two ideas are alike and different
Which text feature would help a reader find the meaning of a bolded science term?
Glossary
The word renewable means something that can be used again. What does the root new tell you?
It relates to being made or started again
Which phrase signals explicit evidence?
“According to the text…”
When writing a summary, what should you leave out?
Opinions and small details
What signal words show problem and solution structure?
Because, as a result, therefore, so
What is the purpose of captions under pictures?
To explain what’s shown in the image
Which tool would best help find the precise meaning of a word?
Dictionary
A student says, “The author thinks teamwork is important because she describes people helping each other.” What skill is the student using?
Making an inference
A paragraph that explains three causes of pollution has what type of structure?
Cause and effect
When an author gives reasons and evidence to support a point, what text type is it?
Argumentative or persuasive
Why might an author include a chart or table in an article about hurricanes?
To compare data or show details clearly at a glance
How does using domain-specific vocabulary improve an informational text?
It makes the text more accurate and detailed about the topic
Why is using text evidence important?
It supports your answer with proof from the passage
What’s the difference between main idea and theme?
Main idea = what it’s mostly about; theme = the message or lesson
Why does an author use figurative language in nonfiction?
To make ideas vivid and easier to visualize