Year 1 English: Titles and headings
Part of the Year 1 English facts and information chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Titles and headings
A title tells you what the whole text is about. It is usually at the top, in bigger writing.
A heading is a short line that tells you what one part of the text is about. Headings help you find the part you need, without reading every word.
Look at the hedgehog picture. Then read the hedgehog text in the box. Find the title first.
Hedgehogs
What hedgehogs eat
Hedgehogs eat worms, slugs and beetles. They look for food in gardens at night.
Where hedgehogs sleep
In the day, hedgehogs sleep in a nest of leaves. They come out at night.
Winter sleep
In winter, some hedgehogs sleep for a long time. This long sleep is called hibernation.
Spines
A hedgehog has sharp spines on its back. The spines keep it safe.
Key ideas
- The title is at the top. It tells you what the whole text is about.
- A heading tells you what one part is about.
- Read the headings first, to find the part you need.
- Headings are often in bold, or in bigger writing.
Method. Read the list of headings. Find the one that matches the question.
- Read the headings. Look for the key word in the question.Bees and flowers
- Find the word flowers. The heading with flowers in it is about flowers.Bees and flowers = about flowers
- Write the answer. Bees and flowers
Check. Read the other headings. None of them is about flowers. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole heading, not only the first word.
Method. A title tells us about the whole text. Think about what the whole text is about.
- Read the two words. One is the title, and one is a heading.Owls or Night hunters
- Think about the whole text. The title is about the whole text. A heading is about one part.Whole text = Owls
- Write the answer. Night hunters is only one part, so it is a heading.Owls
Check. Owls is the name of the whole text. Night hunters is one part of it. ✓
Watch out. A heading is smaller than the title. It names one part.
Method. Think about what the sentence is about. Then choose the heading that fits it.
- Read the sentence. It tells us what a hedgehog can do when it is scared.A hedgehog can roll into a ball.
- Match it to a heading. Rolling into a ball keeps the hedgehog safe.Keeping safe fits. Food does not.
- Write the answer. Keeping safe
Check. Read the sentence and the heading together. They match. ✓
Watch out. Read the sentence, then choose the heading it fits best.
Watch out
Watch out: a heading is not the title. The title is the name of the whole text. A heading is the name of one part.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Look at a newspaper or a book about animals together. Ask: “What is the title?” Then ask: “Which heading tells us about food?” Your child can point to each one.
Exercise 10B Titles and headings
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What is the title of the hedgehog text?
- Find the part of the text. The title tells us what the whole text is about.The title is at the top: Hedgehogs. It names the whole text.
- Write the answer. Hedgehogs
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading tells us about food?
- Find the part of the text. The word eat tells us it is about food.The heading What hedgehogs eat is about food.
- Write the answer. What hedgehogs eat
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading tells us about the winter sleep?
- Find the part of the text. The heading names the part of the text that you need.The heading Winter sleep is over the part about the long sleep.
- Write the answer. Winter sleep
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What do hedgehogs eat?
- Find the part of the text. The answer is in the part with the food heading.Under What hedgehogs eat: worms, slugs and beetles.
- Write the answer. Worms and slugs
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Also correct: any two of worms, slugs and beetles.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Where do hedgehogs sleep in the day?
- Find the part of the text. The heading tells us which part to read.Under Where hedgehogs sleep: they sleep in a nest of leaves.
- Write the answer. In a nest of leaves
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Key words. Hibernation is a long, deep sleep that some animals have in winter.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What is the long sleep called?
- Find the part of the text. The word is in the sentence after the heading.Under Winter sleep: This long sleep is called hibernation.
- Write the answer. Hibernation
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading is about spines?
- Find the part of the text. The heading names the part.The heading Spines is over the part about the spines.
- Write the answer. Spines
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading is this sentence under?
- Find the part of the text. Look at the heading above the sentence.The sentence is in the part with the food heading.
- Write the answer. What hedgehogs eat
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading is this sentence under?
- Find the part of the text. Look at the heading above the sentence.The sentence is in the part about the spines.
- Write the answer. Spines
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.Which heading is this sentence under?
- Find the part of the text. Look at the heading above the sentence.The sentence is in the part about the winter sleep.
- Write the answer. Winter sleep
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Puppies drink their mum’s milk when they are small. They grow fur, and they learn to walk and play.
Method. The best title names the whole text. This text is about puppies.
- Read the text. It tells us about puppies, their milk, their fur and how they grow.Puppies
- Check the other titles. The park and cats and fish are not in the text.Not in the text
- Write the answer. Puppies is the title that names the whole text.A
Check. Read the text again. Every sentence is about puppies. ✓
Watch out. Choose the title that names the whole text, not one small part.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What do puppies drink when they are small?
- Find the part of the text. The first sentence of the puppies text tells us.The text says: Puppies drink their mum’s milk when they are small.
- Write the answer. Their mum’s milk
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Also correct: their mum’s milk, or just milk.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What grows on a puppy?
- Find the part of the text. Find the word that names something that grows on a puppy.The text says: They grow fur, and they learn to walk and play.
- Write the answer. Fur
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Read the whole sentence, not only the first word.
Method. Read the question first. Then find the part of the text that answers it.
- Read the question. Look for the key words in it.What do puppies learn to do?
- Find the part of the text. Look at the end of the second sentence.The text says: they learn to walk and play.
- Write the answer. Walk and play
Check. Read the text again and point to the words that answer it. ✓
Watch out. Also correct: to walk, or to play.
Method. Think about what you need to know before you start to read.
- Think about the reader. You want to know what the text is about first.Before you read
- Think about the title. The title is at the top, so you see it first.The title is first
- Write the answer. So you know what the whole text is about before you read it.
Check. The title helps you choose whether to read the text. ✓
Watch out. A title tells you the topic of the whole text.