Captions, Bold Print and Menus
A 40-minute Grade 2 lesson on using captions, bold print, subheadings, indexes and electronic menus to find facts.
Captions, Bold Print and Menus is a free 40-minute Grade 2 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.2.5 — use captions, bold print, subheadings and the index to find a fact quickly. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the meaning, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- RI.2.5
Grade 2 · Reading: Informational Text
RI.2.5
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
Objective
Students will be able to use captions, bold print, subheadings, a glossary, an index and an electronic menu to find a fact quickly.
Students are successful when they can
- Names each feature and says what it is for: a subheading tells you what a section is about.
- Uses an index to find the page for "blubber" in under a minute.
- Uses a website menu or icon to reach the right page.
- Chooses the feature that would answer a question fastest.
What you need
- A two-page information spread on polar bears with a subheading, a photo and caption, bold words, a glossary and an index
- A projected simple website page with a menu bar and icons (Home, Animals, Habitats, Search)
- Feature cards: caption, bold print, subheading, glossary, index, menu
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — feature hunt
5 min- Hold up an information book. Ask children to point to anything that is not ordinary sentences: big headings, photos, words in thick print, a list at the back.
- Name each as they point: subheading, caption, bold print, glossary, index.
- Say these are text features. They help us find facts without reading every word.
“Text features are signposts. They point you to the fact you need.”
Teach — what each feature does
13 min- Show the polar bear spread. Subheading "Staying Warm": "This tells me the section is about how polar bears keep warm. If I want to know what they eat, I skip it."
- Bold word "blubber": "Bold print means the word is important, and it is usually in the glossary." Turn to the glossary: "blubber — a thick layer of fat under the skin."
- Caption under the photo: "A mother polar bear with two cubs." Ask: "What does the caption tell you that the photo alone did not?" (That it is a mother and how many cubs.)
- Index: "cubs, 6; food, 8; fur, 4." Ask a child to find "food" and go to page 8. Say the index is in ABC order and gives a page number.
- Show the website. Point to the menu bar: Home, Animals, Habitats, Search. Click "Animals" then "Polar bear." Point to a magnifying-glass icon: "This is search." A menu works like a contents page on a screen.
- Ask: "I want to know what polar bear cubs are called. Which feature would I use first?" Fish for "index — look up cubs."
“Ask yourself: which signpost will get me there fastest?”
Guided practice — fastest finder
12 min- Read questions; pairs hold up the feature card they would use first and then find the answer: "What does blubber mean?" (glossary) "Where is the section about food?" (subheading or index) "Who is in the photo?" (caption).
- Two pairs at a time use the projected website to find "Habitats" using only the menu.
- After each question, ask one pair to explain why their feature was faster than reading every page.
- Finish with: "Which feature would you use to find out how fast polar bears swim?" (index: "swimming").
“Say the feature first, then go and find it.”
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the printable. One sheet asks them to use captions, bold print and subheadings to find a fact in a text; the other asks whether a heading or other feature would help a passage and what it would add.
- Remind them to look at the features first, before reading the whole text.
Close
2 min- Ask: "A word is in bold. Where else in the book will you probably find it?" (The glossary.)
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Reads every page from the start to find what cubs are called, ignoring the index.
Why: Reading from the beginning is how stories work, and it has always found the answer eventually.
Fix: Race it: one child reads from the start, another uses the index. The index wins. Then model the index again step by step.
Thinks bold words are the ones to shout or the most exciting ones.
Why: In stories, big or bold text often means a loud voice, so they carry that meaning over.
Fix: Show that every bold word is also in the glossary. Bold in information books means "important word with a meaning."
Clicks random icons on a website, then says "it's not there."
Why: Icons are small pictures without words, and trying things is how they usually use tablets.
Fix: Before clicking, say what each icon is for: house = home, magnifying glass = search. Choose one with a reason.
If they are not there yet
- Teach three features only (subheading, caption, bold print) with one example each.
- Use an index with only four entries and a picture beside each.
- Practice the website menu with an adult first, one click at a time.
If they finish early
- Add a caption, a subheading and two bold words to a plain paragraph about camels, and write a glossary entry.
- Make an index for a four-page class book, in ABC order.
- Compare a printed contents page with a website menu and explain two ways they are alike.
Exit ticket
You want to know what "blubber" means. Which feature would you use? You want to find the page about cubs. Which feature?
What to look for: Glossary for blubber, index for cubs. Glossary twice: they know one feature well but not the index. "Read the book": they do not yet use features as shortcuts. "Caption": confusing features — revisit the feature cards.
Printable practice for RI.2.5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Captions, Bold Print and SubheadingsWrite the letter of the match next to each one.
Questions about Captions, Bold Print and Menus
How long does the Captions, Bold Print and Menus lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Captions, Bold Print and Menus teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.5 — RI.2.5, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 2: “Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.” In plain terms, use captions, bold print, subheadings and the index to find a fact quickly.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
A two-page information spread on polar bears with a subheading, a photo and caption, bold words, a glossary and an index, a projected simple website page with a menu bar and icons (Home, Animals, Habitats, Search), feature cards: caption, bold print, subheading, glossary, index, menu and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: reads every page from the start to find what cubs are called, ignoring the index; thinks bold words are the ones to shout or the most exciting ones and clicks random icons on a website, then says "it's not there.". The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “You want to know what "blubber" means. Which feature would you use? You want to find the page about cubs. Which feature?.” Glossary for blubber, index for cubs. Glossary twice: they know one feature well but not the index. "Read the book": they do not yet use features as shortcuts. "Caption": confusing features — revisit the feature cards. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Captions, Bold Print and Menus?
Yes — 1 printable RI.2.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Captions, Bold Print and Menus free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.2.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.