Discuss the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes

Standards Alignment

• TEKS.ELA.2.10C primary
  discuss the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;
• TEKS.ELA.2.10D primary
  discuss the use of descriptive, literal, and figurative language;

Lesson Overview

This Grade 2 English Language Arts lesson focuses on helping students identify and discuss how authors use print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes in texts. Students will also explore the use of descriptive, literal, and figurative language to deepen their understanding of author’s craft. Through guided reading, discussion, and response activities, learners will analyze author choices and communicate their understanding orally and in writing, aligned with TEKS standards TEKS.ELA.2.10C and TEKS.ELA.2.10D.

Learning Objectives

• Explain how authors use print features (such as bold print, italics, and headings) to help readers understand the text’s purpose.
• Identify graphic features (such as pictures, diagrams, and charts) and discuss how they support the author’s message.
• Recognize and discuss examples of descriptive, literal, and figurative language in texts.
• Use evidence from texts to explain how print and graphic features contribute to meaning.
• Express understanding of author’s craft through oral or written responses.

Success Criteria

• Students can name and describe at least two print features and explain their purpose in a text.
• Students can identify graphic features and explain how they help the reader.
• Students can distinguish between descriptive, literal, and figurative language with examples.
• Students provide text-based explanations about author’s use of print and graphic features.
• Students share their ideas clearly in speaking or writing about author’s craft.

Prerequisite Knowledge

Students should be familiar with basic reading comprehension skills and understand that authors make choices in how they present information to help readers understand the text.

Key Vocabulary

• Author’s purpose
• Print features
• Graphic features
• Bold print
• Italics
• Headings
• Pictures
• Diagrams
• Charts
• Descriptive language
• Literal language
• Figurative language

Materials and Resources

• Mentor text with clear print and graphic features (e.g., a picture book or informational text)
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers
• Student notebooks or writing paper
• Graphic organizer for print and graphic features

Teacher Preparation

• Select a short mentor text that includes a variety of print and graphic features and examples of descriptive, literal, and figurative language.
• Prepare a chart listing common print and graphic features with definitions and examples.
• Prepare guiding questions to prompt discussion about author’s choices.
• Prepare a graphic organizer for students to record observations about print and graphic features and language use.

Detailed Lesson Notes

Print Features Defined

Print features are special ways text is presented to help readers notice important information or understand the author’s purpose. Examples include bold print (to highlight key words), italics (to show special words or titles), and headings (to organize information). These features guide readers’ attention and help them understand the text better.

Graphic Features Defined

Graphic features are pictures or visual elements that support the text’s meaning. These include photographs, drawings, diagrams, charts, and maps. Graphic features provide additional information that words alone may not fully explain, helping readers visualize or organize ideas.

Author’s Purpose in Using Print and Graphic Features

Authors use print and graphic features intentionally to achieve specific purposes, such as emphasizing important ideas, organizing information clearly, or making the text more interesting and understandable. For example, bold print might highlight vocabulary words, while a diagram can show how parts of a plant work together.

Descriptive, Literal, and Figurative Language

Descriptive language uses adjectives and vivid words to create pictures in the reader’s mind (e.g., "The bright, colorful flowers bloomed."). Literal language means exactly what it says (e.g., "The cat is black."). Figurative language uses comparisons or expressions that are not meant to be taken literally (e.g., "The cat’s eyes were shining stars."). Authors choose these types of language to make their writing more engaging or clear.

Analyzing Author’s Craft Through Text Evidence

Students learn to support their ideas by pointing to specific examples in the text. For instance, they might say, "The author used bold print on the word ‘important’ to show it is a key idea," or "The picture of the butterfly helps me understand what it looks like." This skill helps students think critically about how authors communicate meaning.

Worked Examples

Classroom Activity

Listen to the reading and participate in identifying print and graphic features and language types when prompted.

Guided Practice

Independent Practice

1. Foundational: What is one example of a print feature you might see in a book?
2. Developing: How do pictures in a book help you understand the story or information?
3. Application: Find a sentence in a book that uses figurative language and explain what it means.
4. Analysis: Why might an author use italics for certain words in a text?
5. Challenge: Explain how an author’s use of both print features and graphic features can work together to help a reader understand a text.

Independent Practice Teacher Answer Key

1. 1. An example of a print feature is bold print.
2. 2. Pictures help by showing what things look like or explaining ideas that are hard to understand with words alone.
3. 3. A sentence like "The sun smiled down on us" uses figurative language to say the sun was shining warmly, not that it was really smiling.
4. 4. An author uses italics to show that a word is special, such as a title, a foreign word, or to add emphasis, helping readers notice it.
5. 5. Print features like headings organize information, while graphic features like diagrams show details visually. Together, they make the text clearer and easier to understand by combining words and pictures.

Guiding Questions

• What are print features and why do authors use them?
• How do graphic features help readers understand the text?
• What is the difference between descriptive, literal, and figurative language?
• How can you use examples from the text to explain the author’s choices?

Common Misconceptions

• Bold or italic print is just decoration and does not affect meaning.
• Pictures in books are only for decoration and do not help explain the text.
• All language in a text is literal and should be taken exactly as written.
• Authors do not plan how to use print or graphic features; they happen by chance.

Differentiation

Assessment

• Observe student participation in discussions identifying print and graphic features.
• Review student notes and graphic organizers for correct identification and explanation.
• Listen to oral responses explaining author’s purpose during guided practice.
• Write one sentence explaining why an author might use bold print in a text.
• Name one graphic feature and explain how it helps the reader.
• Identify a sentence with figurative language and explain its meaning.
• Write a short paragraph explaining how an author uses print and graphic features to help readers understand a text, using examples.
• Create a poster showing different print and graphic features with explanations of their purposes.

Answer Guide

• What is one example of a print feature you might see in a book?
  Answer: An example of a print feature is bold print.
• How do pictures in a book help you understand the story or information?
  Answer: Pictures help by showing what things look like or explaining ideas that are hard to understand with words alone.
• Find a sentence in a book that uses figurative language and explain what it means.
  Answer: A sentence like "The sun smiled down on us" uses figurative language to say the sun was shining warmly, not that it was really smiling.
• Why might an author use italics for certain words in a text?
  Answer: An author uses italics to show that a word is special, such as a title, a foreign word, or to add emphasis, helping readers notice it.
• Explain how an author’s use of both print features and graphic features can work together to help a reader understand a text.
  Answer: Print features like headings organize information, while graphic features like diagrams show details visually. Together, they make the text clearer and easier to understand by combining words and pictures.

Real-Life Application

Encourage students to look for print and graphic features in books or magazines at home. Ask them to share with family members how these features help them understand what they read.

Homework or Home Connection

• Encourage students to look for print and graphic features in books or magazines at home. Ask them to share with family members how these features help them understand what they read.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, students learned to identify and discuss how authors use print features like bold and italics, and graphic features like pictures and diagrams, to help readers understand texts. They also explored descriptive, literal, and figurative language and practiced explaining how these author choices communicate meaning. These skills help students become thoughtful readers and effective communicators.

Teacher Notes

Use the exact standards alignment and retrieved-source provenance stored with this enrichment.

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