What is the purpose of teaching text features in informational texts?

Teaching text features in informational texts serves a critical purpose in enhancing students' reading and comprehension skills. Text features such as headings, subheadings, captions, graphs, tables, and indexes are essential tools that aid readers in navigating through a text. By understanding and using these features, students can locate important information quickly, differentiate between main ideas and supporting details, and better understand the structure and intent of the material.

For example, headings can indicate what a section of text will discuss, while captions provide context for images, helping readers connect visual information with written content. Teaching students to recognize and engage with these features equips them with strategies to approach texts more effectively, ultimately fostering deeper comprehension and critical analysis skills.

Additionally, the correct answer underscores the educational value of text features, as they do not complicate the text or detract from the reading experience, but rather enhance it by providing a roadmap to understanding complex information. This foundational skill is particularly important for developing proficient readers who can tackle academic and practical texts throughout their lives.