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Grades 3–5 · Language

How do headings organize information?

A heading is a short label for a section of a text. It tells readers what that part is about. Several headings can organize one larger subject into smaller, related topics.

L20 visual explanationAn original fictional park page contains Garden, Paths and Benches sections. The selected heading is Garden. Headings label sections and help organize information; a heading is not evidence that its content is true.Headings organize an information pageA fictional park bulletinGardenFlowers grow in the raised beds.PathsThe wide path leads to the gate.BenchesThree benches stand by the wall.A heading names a section’s topic.Selected section: Garden

In the diagramHeadings organize an information pageA fictional park bulletinGardenFlowers grow in the raised beds.PathsThe wide path leads to the gate.BenchesThree benches stand by the wall.A heading names a section’s topic.Selected section: Garden

Garden labels the section about the raised beds. Paths and Benches label the other topics on this fictional park page.

The original park bulletin has Garden, Paths and Benches sections. Flowers in raised beds appear under Garden. A wide path leading to the gate belongs under Paths. The three benches by the wall are described under Benches. The headings make the page’s grouping visible before every detail is read.

A heading does not replace its section. Garden tells us the topic, but the sentence below supplies the particular information about the beds. Readers can move between an overview of the page and the details of a selected section. Headings help organize and locate information; their wording alone does not establish whether the information is accurate.

About this explanation

Starting knowledge: Read short informational sentences and distinguish a section label from its supporting details.

Sources

  • Common Core State Standards Initiative — English Language Arts Standards: Informational Text, Grade 3 (RI.3.4–5)
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