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Learn It

This module begins with a slideshow about text features, which are designed to help you become a better and more informed reader of informational text.  After reviewing the slideshow, you will explore other strategies that will help you understand informational text. As you review the information, take notes to help you remember how these features can help you improve your informational text reading skills.

Speaker plays audio

Informational Text Features:
Organization and Representation

text features

Authors use a variety of text features to help convey the meaning of their text. Click ahead to learn about different kinds of text features.

Print features are tools authors use to organize a text. Examples of print features include a table of contents, a glossary, an index, preface or appendix.

Using the print features regularly and effectively can greatly increase your understanding of a complex text.

Organizational aids are another kind of text feature. Organizational aids will help you identify and locate the important information in the text more quickly and efficiently.

These aids include bolded or colored text, and image captions.

Illustrations and graphic aids are also text features. They represent information in very specific ways and for specific purposes.

Drawings, maps, charts and timelines are examples. These visual features provide valuable and important information to aid in understanding the purpose and intent of the informational text.