Using Nonfiction Text Features

A diagram is a special picture with lots of labels. It shows the different parts of something or explains how it works. A diagram can give you a clearer, detailed view of a complicated thing or idea. A diagram that shows the steps of a process is called a flowchart. Some nonfiction texts contain a lot of facts and numbers. That’s a lot of information to keep in your head. Thankfully, you won’t have to if the text has a chart, table or graph. These features organize information visually so that it’s easier to understand and compare numbers. Which of the following would most likely be shown in a diagram in a nonfiction text?

• the hero of a fairy tale

• a definition of the word “debris”

• the location of the planets in the solar system

• a painting of a famous physicist

Juan knows that “Italy” will be described on pages 22-30. To figure this out, he probably ________.

• looked for “Italy” in the glossary

• looked for “Italy” in the index

• looked for “Italy” on a diagram

• saw this information on the cover

If a word is in bold, italics or underlined, it might be ________.

• a less important detail

• spelled incorrectly

• information you should skip

• a new term to learn

In the book she's reading, Jenny sees a picture of a plant with different parts labeled. This is a ________.

• diagram

• table

• caption

• vocabulary word

A caption is the writing near photographs, illustrations or drawings. It explains what is happening in the image or gives more information about it. Captions help you understand how the image is connected to the text.

Which of the following would most likely be the caption near a photograph of a sleeping sloth?

• The Queen of England arrives in Fiji.

• Some sloths sleep for 15-18 hours per day.

• Gorillas can catch colds from humans.

• 5.5 million people live in Singapore.

Which text feature would tell you the major topic or main idea in a text?

• the heading

• the caption

• the glossary

• the table of contents

In the science passage that he's reading, Doug sees a picture of a plant with different parts labeled. Doug is looking at a:

• caption

• vocabulary word

• diagram

• table

Juan is writing a report on Italian food. He finds a book titled "Foods of the World." He opens to Chapter 2 on page 12 and reads the word "Spain" in large letters. Further down on the page, he reads the word "Northern Spain" in smaller letters. Page 12 of Juan's book:

• had the table of contents only

• had a heading and subheading

• had only a diagram

An alphabetical list of important words in a book and their meanings.

• Table of Contents

• Glossary

• Index

• Headings

A picture, usually a drawing, that has labels to identify it's parts.

• Diagram

• Heading

• Caption

• Illustration