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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 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 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, heading, glossary or index to find a fact quickly, and say why they chose that part.

Students are successful when they can

  • Uses the contents page to find the chapter "Caterpillars" on page 6.
  • Uses the glossary to find what "nectar" means.
  • Says which feature they would use for a given job: "I want to find a word's meaning — I use the glossary."

What you need

  • A mock "Butterflies" book on the board: contents page, headings, glossary and index (details in the Teach section)
  • One real information book per pair from the class library
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — the slow way

5 min
  1. Hold up a real information book. Say: "I want to know what caterpillars eat." Start reading from page 1, slowly, page by page.
  2. After a minute, stop. Ask: "Is there a faster way?" Take ideas.
  3. Say: "Information books have special parts to help us find things fast."

Teach — four ways in

13 min
  1. Draw a contents page: "Contents. What is a butterfly? ... 2. Eggs ... 4. Caterpillars ... 6. Chrysalis ... 8. Glossary ... 10. Index ... 12."
  2. Ask: "Where would I find out about caterpillars?" Run your finger along: page 6. Say: "The contents page is at the front. It lists the big parts in order."
  3. Show page 6 with a heading in big letters: "Caterpillars." Say: "A heading tells you what this part is about. If it does not match your question, skip it."
  4. Show the glossary: "Glossary. chrysalis: the hard case a caterpillar makes before it becomes a butterfly. nectar: the sweet juice inside a flower." Ask: "What does nectar mean?" Find it in a-b-c order.
  5. Show the index: "Index. eggs 4, 5. food 7, 11. leaves 4, 7. wings 2, 10." Say: "The index is at the back. It lists small things in a-b-c order and every page they are on." Ask: "Where can I read about food?" Pages 7 and 11.
  6. Make a four-row chart: contents (big parts, front), heading (top of a part), glossary (word meanings, back), index (small things, back).
“Ask yourself: what job do I need doing? Big part — contents. What this page is about — heading. What a word means — glossary. A small thing — index.”

Guided practice — the fact race

12 min
  1. Give each pair a real information book. Call out a question that the book can answer, such as "Find a page about eggs."
  2. Pairs race to find it. When they find it, they must say which feature they used.
  3. Do four rounds: one contents question, one glossary question, one index question, one heading question.
  4. Circulate and ask: "Why did you choose that one?" A good reason: "Because I wanted a word's meaning."
  5. After the race, ask which feature was fastest for each job.
“Before you start turning pages, tell your partner which part of the book you are going to use and why.”

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the headings-and-index page, circling which feature to use for each job.
  2. Keep the four-row chart on the board while they work.
  3. Children who finish make a contents page for a book they would like to write.

Close

2 min
  1. Ask: "You want to know what chrysalis means. Which part do you use?"
  2. Fish for "the glossary, because it tells you what words mean."

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 look up a single small thing, like "food," and gives up when it is not listed.

Why: The contents page was the first feature they learned, so it is used for every search, even when the thing is too small to be a chapter.

Fix: Show the same question in the contents (not there) and the index (pages 7 and 11). Ask "Is food a big part or a small thing?" Small things go to the index.

Mixes up the glossary and the index, because both are at the back in a-b-c order.

Why: They look the same on the page — a list of words in a-b-c order at the back — so the difference in job is not obvious.

Fix: Point out what comes after each word. Glossary: a meaning. Index: page numbers. Say "Words then meanings, or words then numbers?"

Reads every heading but does not use them to skip pages.

Why: They read headings as part of the text, not as signposts, and reading everything feels like what good readers do.

Fix: Play "skip it": read a heading and ask "Will my question be answered here?" If not, turn the page without reading. Praise the skip.

If they are not there yet

  • Start with two features only, contents and glossary, and add the index next lesson.
  • Put a sticky note on each feature in the pair's book, with its job written on it.
  • Use question cards with a picture of the feature to use on the back to check.

If they finish early

  • Write a short glossary of three words for the class topic, in a-b-c order.
  • Make an index for a short four-page book the class wrote together.
  • Find a feature not on the chart, such as a caption or bold word, and explain its job.

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, because it tells what words mean." "The index" means they are mixing the two back-of-book lists: show numbers versus meanings. "Contents" means they are using it for everything. A right answer with no reason is a guess until they explain it.

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?

A mock "Butterflies" book on the board: contents page, headings, glossary and index (details in the Teach section), one real information book per pair from the class library 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 look up a single small thing, like "food," and gives up when it is not listed; mixes up the glossary and the index, because both are at the back in a-b-c order and reads every heading but does not use them to skip pages. 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, because it tells what words mean." "The index" means they are mixing the two back-of-book lists: show numbers versus meanings. "Contents" means they are using it for everything. A right answer with no reason is a guess until they explain it. 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 October 8, 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-10-08. Aligned to RI.1.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.