Label and Explore Nonfiction Text Features

If your students can tell the difference between a subheading and a caption, a timeline and a sidebar, or a diagram and a photograph, they’re ready to identify these nonfiction text features in real nonfiction texts!

This comprehensive worksheet pack has been designed specifically to provide your students with practice labeling text features in nonfiction texts. Better still, it also contains comprehension questions about how these text features play an important role in enhancing the reader experience.

This resource features three nonfiction texts: 

• Amazing Ants (easiest readability)
• Incredible India (intermediate readability)
• Mighty Malala (most challenging readability)

Each text comes with three worksheets. Students can work through the worksheets by following the process below:

1. Read the passage (including the accompanying visual text features).
2. Write the names of the identified text features in the boxes provided.
3. Answer the five comprehension questions about the different text features used in the passage and the ways in which they enhance the reader’s experience.
4. Choose five text features in the text and explain how each feature helps the reader to better understand the text.

To make it easier for teachers to identify the three differentiated versions (but not so obvious to the students!), a star system has been used. The harder version of the worksheet, the more stars in the top right corner of the worksheet. 

Answers to the first two pages of each text are also included.

Choose the delivery method that best suits your students and their learning needs. Some students may be perfectly capable of completing the differentiated worksheet chosen for their ability independently, while others may benefit from reading the passage in a small group with targeted adult support.

These identifying text features worksheets can be downloaded as a black-and-white PDF or an editable Google Slides file. 

Explore This Text Features Comprehension in Multiple Ways

Looking for ways to use this text features comprehension in your classroom? Here are some great suggestions from our teacher team:

• Reading Center Activity – Slip a copy of each nonfiction text in a dry erase sleeve and place it in a reading center. Students can work in groups to name and label the nonfiction text features. When they are done, they simply wipe clean to be reused another day!
• Partner Collaboration – Have students work in pairs to find examples of text features in each of the nonfiction texts, then write an explanation of how this text feature enhances the reader experience. At the end of the lesson, each pair could choose one feature they found to share with the class.
• Class Review – Project a copy of one of the nonfiction texts onto your interactive whiteboard. Choose students to come up the board to label the identified features. This makes a great option if your students are still unfamiliar with some of the features included in the worksheet pack.

Download to Label Nonfiction Text Features

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

As this resource includes multiple texts as well as answer pages, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, then removing the pages you require for photocopying.

For sustainability purposes, please consider printing these worksheets double-sided.

Explore More Text Features Resources

If you’re looking for more text features resources to add to your collection, you’re in luck! Click below to access more teacher-created, curriculum-aligned activities!

teaching resource

Nonfiction Text Features Study Guide

Download this list of text feature examples to teach your students about the purpose of these important textual elements.

teaching resource

Nonfiction Text Features Teaching Slides

Explore the features of nonfiction texts with your students using this detailed and age-appropriate slideshow for elementary school reading lessons.

teaching resource

Nonfiction Text Features Task Cards

Get students exploring text feature examples with this set of tack cards perfect for reading centers.