At the end of the lesson, you should be able to know the different effects of

textual aids on the understanding of different reading materials.

Do you know what textual aids are?

Textual Aids

 are visual aids that help readers to better understand the texts they are
reading
 help readers enhance their learning as they read through the material
 may include table of contents, glossaries, index/ indices, key words,
diagrams, graphs/charts/tables, maps, timelines, illustrations, bold
print, italics, titles, headings, subheadings, captions and sidebars

Purposes of Textual Aids

 to reproduce some major text materials in visual or spatial format

 to give an overview of important information
 to show relationships of different text elements
 to add numerical information to some given verbal data
 to provide a summary of the main points
 to provide visual variety on the page

Different Types of Textual Aids

Table of Contents
This is a section of the book where its major parts are listed along with their
page numbers. It is used to locate information and the book's main topics.

Glossaries
Glossaries are used to quickly find key terms and their definitions in the book.
The key terms in the glossary are alphabetically arranged.

Index/Indices
This section of the book contains a list of key information together with the
page numbers where they can be found.

Key/Guide Words
These are terms with definitions located within the page where they are
discussed. This is for the reader to highlight and remember the important idea
in a selection.

Diagrams
A diagram is used for readers to better understand detailed information in a
simplified manner. It allows readers to better understand steps, information in
the text and how certain things are made.

Graphs/Charts/Tables
These are used to organize large amounts of information within a small space.
These also help the readers to better understand the relationship of the
different information available to them. At the same time,
graphs/charts/tables compare and summarize information.

Maps
These are representations, usually on a flat surface, of a whole or a part of
something.

Timeline
This allows relevant information to be understood by the readers in a
chronological order. This helps the readers understand the order of certain
events and how a particular event leads to another.

Illustrations
Illustrations are used so that readers can visualize information. They help
readers to understand texts that are not clear.

Bold Print/Italics
Bold print are thicker in appearance and italics are slanted letters. These are
used to show readers that words written in these ways are important.

Titles
These allow the readers to identify the different topics within the text. It
allows them to better understand the main idea discussed in the material.

Headings
These make readers identify the different topics discussed within the material
as readers skim and scan its contents. Headings divide the text into different
sections.

Subheadings
Subheadings help the readers navigate through the different sections of the
text and help them better understand the main idea of each section.

Captions
Captions help readers to better understand a photo or illustration by giving
additional information that cannot be readily seen in the photo or illustration.

Sidebars
Sidebars create interest among readers as important information are
emphasized in the sidebars. They allow readers to pay attention to interesting
facts.