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 mathematics, 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 choose the right text feature for a question and use it to find a fact.
Students are successful when they can
- Names six text features and what each is for.
- Chooses the right one for a given question.
- Finds the fact.
What you need
- Information books with varied features
- A screenshot of a menu or a website index
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — spot the feature
5 min- Show one page and name every feature on it.
- Ask which are new since last year: captions, bold print, electronic menus.
Teach — the feature the question asks for
13 min- Read six questions. For each, name the feature before opening anything.
- Do three of them, checking the feature was the right choice.
- Show bold print: it marks a word the glossary defines. Two features working together.
- Show the electronic menu and compare it with a contents page. Same job, different surface.
- Say the rule: the shape of the question picks the feature.
“Name the feature before you open the book. The question already told you.”
Guided practice — six questions
12 min- Pairs name a feature for each of six questions before searching.
- They then search and record whether the choice worked.
- Discuss any question two features could answer.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the text-features page.
- It shows a page layout with features labelled.
Close
2 min- Read one question. Take the feature, with a reason.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Skips captions.
Why: They sit under pictures, where reading is not expected.
Fix: Read every caption on one page aloud. They frequently hold facts the body text does not.
Treats bold print as emphasis only.
Why: That is what bold means everywhere else.
Fix: Check one bold word in the glossary. In information books the bold is a cross-reference.
Cannot transfer from a book index to an electronic menu.
Why: One is alphabetical and one is not; they do not look alike.
Fix: Ask what job each does. Both narrow a whole to a part, which is the transferable idea.
If they are not there yet
- Three features rather than six.
- Give the feature and find the fact.
If they finish early
- Answer a question needing two features.
- Say what a page is missing.
- Compare a book's index with a site's menu.
Exit ticket
You want the photograph's date. Which feature, and why?
What to look for: The caption, with a reason. Index or contents means captions still need reading aloud in shared sessions.
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 SubheadingsRead the text, then answer the questions.
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?
Information books with varied features, a screenshot of a menu or a website index 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: skips captions; treats bold print as emphasis only and cannot transfer from a book index to an electronic menu. 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 the photograph's date. Which feature, and why?.” The caption, with a reason. Index or contents means captions still need reading aloud in shared sessions. 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 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to RI.2.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.