Unit Plan 6 (Grade 1 ELA): Introducing Nonfiction Text Features
Teach first graders to use headings, captions, and labeled diagrams to locate key facts, answer questions with evidence, and state a page’s key idea—RI.1.5, RI.1.7.
Focus: Headings, captions, diagrams; locating facts
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Informational)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Informational readers use text features to learn fast. This week students will learn what headings, captions, and diagrams (with labels) do and how to use them to ask/answer questions and locate key facts. Daily “feature hunts” and quick writes build confidence navigating pages with both pictures and words.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Know and use headings, captions, and diagrams (with labels) to locate key facts in a text (RI.1.5).
- Use illustrations and text details to describe the key idea on a page (RI.1.7).
- Ask and answer questions about key details, pointing to the feature/evidence that supports the answer (RI.1.1).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 1
- RI.1.5 Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
- RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
- RI.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can name the feature (heading, caption, diagram/label) and tell what it helps me do.
- I can find a fact by using a heading/caption/diagram and point to the proof.
- I can say the key idea of a page using picture + word clues.
- I can answer a who/what/where/why/how question and show where I found it.