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Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks

A 40-minute Grade 3 lesson on using text features and search tools to locate information efficiently.

Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks is a free 40-minute Grade 3 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RI.3.5 — use key words, sidebars and links to find what you need fast. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 3
Length:
40 minutes
Standard:
RI.3.5

Grade 3 · Reading: Informational Text

RI.3.5

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Objective

Students will be able to choose a keyword that finds what they want and judge whether a link is worth following.

Students are successful when they can

  • Chooses a specific keyword rather than a question.
  • Uses a sidebar or hyperlink and says why.
  • Judges whether a result answers the question.

What you need

  • Printed pages with sidebars and marked hyperlinks
  • A set of questions to search for
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — two words, not ten

5 min
  1. Give a question. Take a whole-question search, then a two-word one.
  2. Ask which would find more of what you want.

Teach — choose, search, judge

13 min
  1. Take a question. Underline the two words that matter most.
  2. Search with those. Look at what comes back.
  3. Judge one result: does it actually answer the question, or does it merely contain the words?
  4. Then show a sidebar and say what it is for: related information the main text does not carry.
  5. Show a hyperlink and ask whether following it would help before following it.
“Which two words matter? Everything else in the question is packaging.”

Guided practice — four questions

12 min
  1. Pairs choose keywords for four questions before searching.
  2. They search, then judge each result as useful or merely matching.
  3. They use a sidebar for one and say what it added.

Independent practice

8 min
  1. Students complete the search-tools page.
  2. It shows a page layout with sidebars and links.

Close

2 min
  1. Give a question. Take the two keywords.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Types the whole question as the search.

Why: It is what you would ask a person.

Fix: Underline the two words that carry the meaning. The rest is grammar.

Accepts any result containing the words.

Why: A match looks like an answer.

Fix: Read it and ask whether the question is answered. Matching and answering are different.

Follows every hyperlink.

Why: Links are there to be followed.

Fix: Predict what is on the other side first. If it is not what you need, do not go.

If they are not there yet

  • Give the keywords.
  • Two questions rather than four.

If they finish early

  • Find a question where the obvious keyword fails.
  • Say what a sidebar would need to contain to be worth reading.
  • Compare a book index with a search box for one question.

Exit ticket

'How long do emperor penguins stay at sea?' What two words would you search?

What to look for: Two content words. The whole question means the underline-the-two step needs practising.

Printable practice for RI.3.5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks

How long does the Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks lesson take?

40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5 — RI.3.5, Reading: Informational Text for Grade 3: “Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.” In plain terms, use key words, sidebars and links to find what you need fast.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Printed pages with sidebars and marked hyperlinks, a set of questions to search for and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: types the whole question as the search; accepts any result containing the words and follows every hyperlink. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “'How long do emperor penguins stay at sea?' What two words would you search?.” Two content words. The whole question means the underline-the-two step needs practising. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks?

Yes — 1 printable RI.3.5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Keywords, Sidebars and Hyperlinks free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to RI.3.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.