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Using Headings, Contents and an Index

A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on the parts of an information book that let you find a fact without reading the whole thing.

Using Headings, Contents and an Index is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.1.5 — use headings, contents pages and glossaries to find a fact fast. 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 1
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.1.5

Grade 1 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.1.5

Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.

Objective

Students will be able to use a contents page, a heading or an index to find a fact quickly.

Students are successful when they can

  • Chooses the right feature for the job.
  • Finds the page.
  • Says why they chose that feature.

What you need

  • Information books with contents pages, indexes and glossaries
  • A list of questions to race for
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — the slow way

5 min
  1. Give a question and ask them to find it by reading from page one.
  2. Stop them after ninety seconds. Nobody will have got there.

Teach — four ways in

13 min
  1. Name and show each: contents, headings, index, glossary.
  2. Say what each is FOR: contents for chapters in order, index for a topic anywhere, glossary for a word, headings for the part of a page.
  3. Answer the warm-up question using the index. Time it against the ninety seconds.
  4. Do a second question that needs the glossary, and a third that needs the contents.
  5. Ask which feature each question needed, and why.
“The question tells you which one to use. A word means glossary. A topic means index.”

Guided practice — the fact race

12 min
  1. Pairs race for six facts, one at a time.
  2. After each, ask which feature they used.
  3. The reason matters more than the speed.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the text-features page.
  2. Read each question aloud.

Close

2 min
  1. Give a question and ask which feature they would use before anybody opens a book.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Uses the contents page to find a topic that is not a chapter.

Why: The contents page is the first list they meet, so it becomes the default.

Fix: Contrast them directly: a chapter is in the contents, a topic is in the index. Ask which the question names.

Reads the index entry and stops, without turning to the page.

Why: Finding the entry feels like finding the answer.

Fix: Always require the fact, not the page number. The number is a step, not a destination.

Reads from page one anyway.

Why: It is what reading has always meant, and it does eventually work.

Fix: The ninety-second warm-up. Failing the slow way once makes the fast way worth learning.

If they are not there yet

  • Use one feature per session.
  • Give books where the index entry matches the question's wording exactly.

If they finish early

  • Find a fact that needs two features.
  • Say what is wrong with an index that has no entry for something in the book.
  • Write an index entry for a page.

Exit ticket

You want to know what 'nectar' means. Which part of the book do you use, and why?

What to look for: The glossary, and the reason. Contents or index means the word-versus-topic distinction needs another example.

Printable practice for RI.1.5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Using Headings, Contents and an Index

How long does the Using Headings, Contents and an Index 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 Using Headings, Contents and an Index teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.5 — RI.1.5, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 1: “Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.” In plain terms, use headings, contents pages and glossaries to find a fact fast.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Information books with contents pages, indexes and glossaries, a list of questions to race for 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: uses the contents page to find a topic that is not a chapter; reads the index entry and stops, without turning to the page and reads from page one anyway. 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 'nectar' means. Which part of the book do you use, and why?.” The glossary, and the reason. Contents or index means the word-versus-topic distinction needs another example. 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 Using Headings, Contents and an Index?

Yes — 1 printable RI.1.5 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 Using Headings, Contents and an Index 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.1.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.