Year 4 English · Reading fiction and vocabulary · Summary

Year 4 English Reading fiction and vocabulary: summary and key words

Part of the Year 4 English reading fiction and vocabulary chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

Chapter summary

Skill	Method
Retrieve	Find a fact the writer states, and point to the sentence that gives it.
Record	Write facts in a list or table: who, where, when, what.
Word in context	Use the clues around the word, and check that the meaning fits the sentence.
Shades of meaning	Choose the word whose strength or feeling fits: crept is quiet; stomped is loud.
Figurative language	Simile: like or as. Metaphor: one thing is another. Personification: a human action for a thing.
Infer	Work out a feeling or a reason from actions, words and reactions, then give evidence.
Effect	What a word or sentence makes the reader feel or picture, such as suspense from a short sentence.
Structure	Beginning, build-up, climax and resolution.
Predict	A sensible guess that uses a clue from the text. Ask a question that helps you understand.
Theme and convention	The theme is the big message; conventions are features of traditional tales, such as Long ago.

I can find a fact the writer has stated, and record it in a list or table
I can work out what a word means from the clues around it
I can explain a shade of meaning, and name a simile, a metaphor or personification
I can infer how a character feels or why they act, and give evidence from the text
I can explain the effect of a word choice or a short sentence on the reader
I can name the parts of a story: beginning, build-up, climax and resolution
I can predict what happens next using clues, and ask a question that helps me understand
I can name a theme and the features of a traditional tale, and retell one in order

retrieve: to find a fact that the writer has stated
record: to write facts down clearly, in a list or a table
inference: a sensible idea about something the writer does not say directly, based on evidence
evidence: the words from the text that support an idea
context: the words, sentences and ideas around a word, which help you work out its meaning
character: a person, animal or creature in a story
setting: where and when a story happens
effect: the feeling or picture that a word or sentence creates for the reader
structure: how a story is organised: beginning, build-up, climax and resolution
climax: the most tense or exciting moment of a story
theme: the big message of a story, such as kindness is rewarded
convention: a feature that many stories of one kind share, such as Long ago or a rule of three
shades of meaning: words with similar meanings that differ in strength or feeling, such as crept, walked and stomped
simile: a comparison using like or as, such as as sweet as honey
metaphor: a comparison that says one thing is another, without like or as
personification: giving a human action to something that is not human, such as the wind whispered
traditional tale: a fairy story, myth or legend that has been told for many years
legend: a traditional tale that often explains something in nature