Making Predictions

Keys to Unlocking Your Textbooks

Textbook Structures Most textbooks have common features. Strategic readers automatically consider

how a particular text is structured inorder to improve comprehension.

Becoming familiar with text featureswill help you be a better reader.

Let’s Be InformationTHIEVES

Title - What can we predict?

Headings - What questions do you think they will answer?

Introduction & first paragraph - Can you predict the mainidea?

Everything you know - What background knowledge do youalready have about his topic?

Visuals - What do the visual clues tell us?

End of Chapter questions - Can you predict what they will beby looking at summaries, bold-faced or italicized words, orsub-headings?

So What? - Why did the author write this? Why is theinformation important to know?

NB # - Textbook Features

Try to create a mental image of your historytextbook.

With your partner, brainstorm a list of textbookfeatures that the publisher uses to help youunderstand new information.

As we review the features, circle the ones youpredicted correctly. Add the ones you didn’t get toyour list.

Text Feature 1 -Chapter Titles What will this

chapter be about? What do you already

know about thistopic?

Text Feature 2 -Standards What are you

expected toknow?

Text Feature 3 -Visuals What kinds of visuals

do you expect tosee? maps charts photos captions diagrams timelines

What pictures are onthe page?

What do they tell youabout what you willbe learning?

Text Feature 4 -Introduction What will you learn? What is the Big Idea? If YOU were there . . .

taps into whatcognitive strategy?

What is the purpose ofBuilding Background?

Text Feature 5 -Key TermsWhat new vocabularywill you learn?Where can you findthe definitions forthose terms?

Text Feature 6 -Typography How does the

publisher indicateimportant words,terms, or ideas inthe text? Highlighting Italics Bold-face Color Font size Font style

Text Feature 3 - VisualsLooking at Maps How do you know

what’s most important? What is a legend? What

information is it givingyou?

What is an inset map?What is its purpose?

What is a compassrose? How does it helpyou answer theInterpreting Mapsquestions?

How does the map andits captions relate towhat you’re learning?

Text Feature 7 -Reading Checks Where do the

Reading Checkquestions occur?

Why should you tryto answer them?

Text Feature 8 -Subheadings What questions will

the subheadingsanswer?

What Text Featuresare on this page? Subheadings Key terms Visuals Captions Typography

Text Feature 9 -Skill Builders Besides learning

information abouthistory, what skillsdo they want you todevelop?

Why are those skillsimportant?

How could they helpyou in other classes?In your life?

Text Feature 10 -Summary and Preview What main ideas were

you supposed to havelearned?

What’s coming up next?Text Feature 11 -End-of-Chapter Questions What does the red text

indicate? Where can you go to

search for the answers? How would pre-reading

the assessmentquestions first help youas you read the chapter?

Text Feature 12 -Informational Tools If you need to find

information, wherecan you look? Table of Contents Glossary Index

Remember . . .I can show you the tools . . .

but you have to choose to usethem!