Curriculum › Grade 1 › English Language Arts

Main Topic & Text Features

  • Grade 1
  • English Language Arts
  • RI.1.2
  • Reading: Informational
  • ★ Enrichment

Aligned to RI.1.2 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

Every nonfiction page has a main topic, which is the big thing it is about. Headings and a table of contents help you find the part you want to read.

Worked examples

Example 1

A page titled 'Bears' tells you the main topic is bears. The table of contents lists 'Bears.....page 4,' so you know where to look.

Example 2

A bold word in the middle of a page is usually an important word the book is about to explain.

Example 3

A caption under a picture tells you what the picture shows. It is often the fastest fact on the page.

Practice questions

  1. What is the main topic of a page called 'Rainy Days'?
  2. Use a table of contents to find what page a topic is on.
  3. Tell one key detail from a fact page you read.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

▶ Watch this lesson

En español

Tema principal y características del texto

Cada página de no ficción tiene un tema principal, que es el asunto central del que trata. Los encabezados y la tabla de contenido te ayudan a encontrar la parte que quieres leer.

Ejemplo 1: Una página titulada 'Bears' te indica que el tema principal son los osos. La tabla de contenido dice 'Bears.....page 4', así que sabes dónde buscar.

Ejemplo 2: Una palabra en negritas a media página normalmente es una palabra importante que el libro está por explicar.

Ejemplo 3: Un pie de foto debajo de una imagen te dice qué muestra. Muchas veces es el dato más rápido de la página.

More Reading: Informational lessons

Ask About FactsRI.1.1How They ConnectRI.1.3What Does It Mean?RI.1.4Find It FastRI.1.5Picture or Words?RI.1.6Pictures Help UsRI.1.7

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