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Primary English · Year 4Chapter 12 · Writing non-fiction and editing
Year 4 English · Writing non-fiction and editing · Lesson 12.2

Year 4 English: Information texts: headings, sub-headings and paragraphs

Part of the Year 4 English writing non-fiction and editing chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

12.2

Information texts: headings, sub-headings and paragraphs

Year 4
Organise an information text with a main heading, sub-headings and paragraphs (WC5, G3-6), Write facts in the present tense, each paragraph about one topic
Story. Tom is writing a page for the class newspaper about the sea. He wants readers to find the part they need quickly, so he plans a main heading, four sub-headings and a paragraph under each one.

An information text gives facts about one topic. Its main heading is the title, and a sub-heading names the topic of the paragraphs under it. Each paragraph should be about one idea. Facts are written in the present tense, because they are true now.

Read the text in the box, look at the layout, then answer the questions in exercise 12B.

Tides on the coast

What is a tide?

The sea around most of the British coast rises and falls about twice a day. This movement is called the tide.

What causes tides?

The main cause is the pull of gravity from the Moon. As the Moon travels around the Earth, its pull lifts the water in the oceans. The Sun also pulls on the sea, but its pull is weaker, because it is further away.

Why some tides are bigger

Tides are largest at full moon and new moon, when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are in a straight line. This is called a spring tide, although it has nothing to do with the season.

Staying safe

Tides can cover the sand quickly, so check the tide times before you go to the coast. Always go with a grown-up.

Main heading (the title)Sub-heading 1Sub-heading 2
A main heading, two sub-headings, and paragraphs under each sub-heading

Key ideas

  • The main heading names the whole text.
  • A sub-heading names the topic of the paragraphs under it.
  • Each paragraph should be about one idea.
  • Write facts in the present tense, such as: Tides are largest at full moon.
  • Sub-headings help a reader find the facts they need quickly.
Worked example 12.2.1
Which sub-heading goes above the sentence Tides are largest at full moon and new moon?

Method. Find the sub-heading whose topic matches the sentence.

  1. Read the sentence. It says when the tides are biggest.
    Tides are largest
  2. Match the topic. Why some tides are bigger names the topic of biggest tides.
    Why some tides are bigger
  3. Reject the others. What causes tides? and Staying safe do not name the size of the tides.
    not these
  4. Write the answer.
    Why some tides are bigger

Check. The sub-heading names the topic of the sentence. ✓

Worked example 12.2.2
Which sub-heading is above the sentence The Sun also pulls on the sea?

Method. Find the paragraph that holds the sentence, then copy its sub-heading.

  1. Find the sentence. The Sun also pulls on the sea is in the paragraph about causes.
    The Sun also pulls on the sea
  2. Find the sub-heading above it. The sub-heading above that paragraph is What causes tides?
    What causes tides?
  3. Check the topic. The Sun is one cause of tides, so the topic fits.
    one cause
  4. Write the answer.
    What causes tides?

Check. The Sun pulls on the sea, so it is a cause of tides. ✓

Worked example 12.2.3
Is the sentence Tides are largest at full moon written in the present tense or the past tense? Say why.

Method. Look at the verb, then ask whether the fact is true now.

  1. Find the verb. The verb is are, which is a present tense form.
    are
  2. Check the time. Tides are largest at full moon is true now, so it is a fact.
    true now
  3. Decide. Facts that are true now are written in the present tense.
    present tense
  4. Write the answer.
    present tense, because the fact is true now

Check. The fact is true now, so the verb is in the present tense. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a sub-heading is not a second main heading. It names one part of the text, and the paragraphs under it should be about that part only.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Look at a non-fiction book together. Ask your child to point to the main heading, then a sub-heading, then one fact. Ask them to say the fact in the present tense.

Exercise 12B  Practice: headings, sub-headings and paragraphs

1
FWhat is the main heading of the text? Copy it.
2
FCopy the sub-heading above the paragraph about staying safe.
3
FWhich sub-heading best fits a paragraph that begins: Tides can cover the sand quickly? Choose one of these:
  1. What is a tide?
  2. What causes tides?
  3. Staying safe
4
FCopy the words that say what the pull of the Moon does to the water in the oceans.
5
FHow many sub-headings does the text have? Write the number.
6
FCopy the words that say how often the sea rises and falls around most of the British coast.
7
FAccording to the text, what is the main cause of tides?
8
PSWrite a sub-heading of three words or fewer for a new paragraph about when the sea is at its highest.
9
FPut these sub-headings in the order in which they appear in the text: Staying safe; What is a tide?; Why some tides are bigger; What causes tides?
10
PSCopy the verb in the safety paragraph that tells the reader to do something before going to the coast.
11
RWhy does the text say the Sun pulls less strongly than the Moon? Answer in one sentence.

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