Text Feature Walk

What: Before reading, guide students through the visual and organizational elements of a text. Using a "think aloud," model what "good readers" do when they approach a text for the first time. Through gradual release, students will be able to take their own text feature walks in small collaborative groups or with a partner.

Why effective? Exploring text features is a powerful pre-reading strategy, where students identify the elements of a text and use those elements to make predictions, activate prior knowledge, make connections, understand how the text is organized, and begin to build schema. Text feature walks are particularly impactful for non-fiction texts and digital texts, where students take notice of maps, diagrams, charts, captions, titles, headings, bold-faced words, and interactive media.

Resources:

Text Features Chart (nonfiction example)
Text Features Scavenger Hunt

References

Dickson, S. V., Simmons, D. C., & Kameenui, E. J. (1995). Text organization and its relation to reading comprehension: A synthesis of research. Eugene, OR: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED386865.pdf

Kelley, M. J., & Clausen-Grace, N. (n.d.). Guiding students through expository text with text feature walks. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from WETA Public Television website: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/guiding-students-through-expository-text-text-feature-walks

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