What Is a Glossary?

A glossary is a nonfiction text feature that provides definitions and explanations of the key vocabulary featured in an informational text. It’s like having a guidebook to the intricate terrain of terminology within textbooks and other nonfiction texts, helping students decode complex concepts and boost their comprehension. Knowing how to use a glossary is a key literacy skill that students must be explicitly taught.

To support you in teaching your students how to use a glossary, the experienced team of teachers at Teach Starter has created this five-page glossary worksheet pack. Each worksheet contains a glossary based on a particular nonfiction topic. Students are required to use the information in the glossary to answer comprehension questions and practice putting the vocabulary words in alphabetical order.

The topics included in this glossary worksheet pack are:

• Parts of a plant
• Weather
• Outer space
• The life cycle of a butterfly
• Animal adaptations

This resource downloads as a black-and-white PDF or editable Google Slides file. The Google Slides file makes a great option should you wish for your students to complete this activity digitally.

Answers are also included in the download to make the grading process quick and simple. 

This glossary worksheet pack will help teach your students how to use these tools so that they can use glossaries effectively when engaging with informational texts in the future.

The Benefits of Glossary Use

As suggested above, there are many benefits associated with knowing how to use a glossary effectively. These include:

1. Vocabulary Expansion – A glossary acts as a gateway to expanding one’s vocabulary by introducing specialized terms relevant to different subjects.
2. Enhanced Comprehension – Understanding the meanings of key terms enhances overall comprehension of the subject matter, fostering a deeper grasp of content.
3. Effective Communication – Proficiency in using glossaries promotes clear and precise communication, a skill crucial for students when producing written work.

Dive into the world of words with these five carefully crafted worksheets, each unlocking the secrets of glossaries and enhancing students’ linguistic prowess.

Download This Glossary Worksheet Pack

Use the Download button above to access either the easy-print PDF or the editable Google Slides version of these glossaries worksheets. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template on your personal drive before accessing it.)

As this worksheet pack contains answer pages, we recommend that you print one copy of the entire file, remove the answer pages, then make copies for your students.

Please consider printing the student worksheets double-sided. Alternatively, project each worksheet in turn onto your interactive whiteboard for the students to complete in their notebooks.

This resource was created by Alessandra Pastor, a teacher in North Carolina and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Resources Targeting Informational Text Features

Teach Starter has more great resources to save you time when teaching informational text features to your class. Click below for some more curriculum-aligned, teacher-created activities!

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Text Features Worksheet

Download this nonfiction text features worksheet so students can practice locating different types of text features found in a nonfiction text.

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Text Features Flashcards

Teach students the definitions of text features such as headings, sidebars, captions and many more with this set of flashcards for elementary students.

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Nonfiction Text Features – All About Me Project

Implement a text features project with an “All About Me” theme to explore informational text features with your students.