Year 3 English: Contents, headings and sub-headings
Part of the Year 3 English reading non-fiction chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Contents, headings and sub-headings
A contents page is at the front of a book. It lists the main parts of the book, and the page where each one starts.
A heading names a main part of a text. A sub-heading names a smaller part inside a heading. Use the contents page and the headings to go straight to the part you need, instead of reading everything.
Read the guide in the box. Then answer the questions in exercise 9B.
Bees: A Short Guide (information guide)
Contents
- 1 What bees do: page 2
- 2 Inside the hive: page 3
- 3 Keeping bees safe: page 4
1 What bees do
Nectar and pollen
Bees visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen. Nectar is a sweet liquid, and bees turn it into honey. Bees also carry pollen from flower to flower, which helps plants make seeds.
2 Inside the hive
Workers and the queen
A honeybee colony lives in a hive. Most of the bees are workers, and they are all female. The queen is the bee that lays the eggs.
3 Keeping bees safe
Planting for bees
People can help bees by planting flowers that they like, such as lavender and clover.
Key ideas
- A contents page lists the main parts of a book and the page where each one starts.
- A heading names a main part of a text.
- A sub-heading names a smaller part inside a heading.
- Headings and sub-headings help you go straight to the information you need.
- Read the contents page first, then the headings, then the part you need.
Method. Find the sentence about honey, then look at the sub-heading above it.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: honey.honey
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Nectar is a sweet liquid, and bees turn it into honey.
- Write the answer. Nectar and pollen
Check. The honey sentence sits under the sub-heading Nectar and pollen. ✓
Method. Find the words What bees do in the contents list, and read the page number after them.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: What bees do.What bees do
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:1 What bees do: page 2
- Write the answer. page 2
Check. The contents list gives page 2. ✓
Method. Look at where the words sit in the guide.
- Find where it sits. It comes after the heading 2 Inside the hive.after 2 Inside the hive
- Think about its size. A sub-heading names a smaller part inside a heading.a smaller part of section 2
- Write the answer. It names a smaller part inside section 2.
Check. A sub-heading sits below a heading. ✓
Watch out. A heading names the whole section; a sub-heading names one part of it.
Watch out
Watch out: do not stop at the first heading you see. Check the sub-headings too, because the part you need may sit under a smaller heading.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child to find the page for one section, using the contents page only. Then ask them to find a sub-heading in that section, without reading the paragraphs.
Exercise 9B Practice: contents, headings and sub-headings
Method. Find the words Inside the hive in the contents list.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: Inside the hive.Inside the hive
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:2 Inside the hive: page 3
- Write the answer. page 3
Check. The contents list gives page 3. ✓
Method. Find the words Keeping bees safe in the contents list.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: Keeping bees safe.Keeping bees safe
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:3 Keeping bees safe: page 4
- Write the answer. page 4
Check. Section 3 starts on page 4. ✓
Method. Find the word nectar in the text.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: nectar.nectar
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Nectar is a sweet liquid
- Write the answer. 1 What bees do
Check. Nectar is explained in section 1. ✓
Method. Find the words from flower to flower in the text.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: from flower to flower.from flower to flower
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:carry pollen from flower to flower
- Write the answer. pollen
Check. Bees carry pollen, which helps plants make seeds. ✓
Method. Find the sentence about the eggs.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: eggs.eggs
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:The queen is the bee that lays the eggs
- Write the answer. the queen
Check. The queen lays the eggs. ✓
Method. Find the section about planting for bees.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: plant.plant
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:lavender and clover
- Write the answer. lavender and clover
Check. Lavender and clover are named in section 3. ✓
Method. Look for the sub-headings under section 2.
- Find the key words in the question. These words tell us where to look: workers.workers
- Find the words in the text that answer it. The text says:Workers and the queen
- Write the answer. Workers and the queen
Check. Workers and the queen is the sub-heading for that part. ✓
Method. Think about where a contents page sits in a book.
- Find where it is. A contents page is at the front of a book.at the front
- Give its job. It lists the parts and the page on which each one starts.the parts and their pages
- Write the answer. To list the main parts of a book, with the page where each one starts.
Check. The contents page is a list of parts and pages. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: to show the parts of a book and the page each one starts on.
Method. Think about size.
- Think about the main part. A heading names a whole part, such as 1 What bees do.1 What bees do
- Think about the smaller part. A sub-heading names one part inside it, such as Nectar and pollen.Nectar and pollen
- Write the answer. A heading names a main part of a text. A sub-heading names a smaller part inside a heading.
Check. Headings are bigger than sub-headings. ✓
Method. Find each heading in the guide, then put them in the order they come.
- Find each heading in the guide. Read down the page: the first heading you meet comes first.Planting for bees / Inside the hive / What bees do
- Put them in the order they come. The contents list shows the same order as the sections.What bees do, Inside the hive, Planting for bees
- Write the answer. What bees do, Inside the hive, Planting for bees
Check. What bees do is section 1, Inside the hive is section 2, and Planting for bees comes last. ✓
Method. Think about how a reader finds a part of a long book.
- Think about the reader. Without a contents page, the reader would have to read the whole book.read the whole book
- Give the reason. The headings show where each part starts, so the reader can skip to it.skip to the part
- Write the answer. Accept any reason, for example: they show where each part starts, so the reader can go straight to the right part.
Check. Headings and contents pages save time. ✓
Watch out. Also accept: they help you find facts quickly.