Text Features: Headings and Subheadings

Use headings and subheadings to preview a text and find information quickly.

Text features are the parts of a nonfiction text that help you find and understand information. Headings are titles for sections; subheadings divide those sections into smaller parts. They work like signposts. Before reading, skim the headings to preview the big ideas. For example, an article titled 'Sharks' might have the headings 'Where Sharks Live', 'What Sharks Eat', and 'How Sharks Hunt'.

Just from these, you know the article covers habitat, diet, and hunting. If you need to find out what sharks eat, you can go straight to that section. After reading a section, you can turn its heading into a question, such as 'What do sharks eat? ', and see if you can answer it.

• 1Headings name sections; subheadings divide them.
• 2Skim headings to preview the big ideas.
• 3Turn headings into questions to check understanding.