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Primary English · Year 5Chapter 8 · Reading fiction: summarising and comparing
Year 5 · Chapter 8

Reading fiction: summarising and comparing

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • Name the features of a legend and a fable
  • Find the themes in a story and say what they teach
  • Compare two stories: characters, settings and plots
  • Use evidence from the text to infer how a character feels
  • Predict what happens next, using clues from the text
  • Summarise a story in a few sentences, with the key details

You should already know

  • Stories, retelling and characters (Year 4, Chapter 8)
  • Finding evidence and inference (Year 4, Chapter 8)

Where this leads

  • Reading poetry and plays (Chapter 9 of this book)

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 2 English, Year 5. Content: Read a wide range of fiction, including myths, legends and traditional stories, and recommend books (RC-Y5a, RC1d), Identify and discuss themes and conventions (RC-Y5b, RC1e), Compare characters, settings and plots within and across texts (RC-Y5c), Infer from action, dialogue and description, with evidence (RC-Y5e, RC2c), Predict from details stated and implied, and summarise main ideas with key details (RC-Y5f, RC-Y5d, RC2d), Check that the text makes sense, explain word meanings in context, and ask questions (RC2a, RC2b, RC4, SL1).

Exercise P  Do you remember?

1
FWho is the main character in a story? Write the word for the person or animal at the centre of the story.
2
FWrite the word for the place where a story happens.
3
FWhat does the word plot mean in a story?
4
FWrite the word that means a story in which animals speak and a moral is taught at the end.
5
FWrite the word that means a word that is the opposite of brave.
8.1

Legend-style stories and recommending a book

Year 5
Read a wide range of fiction, including myths and legends, and recommend books (RC-Y5a, RC1d)
Video lesson: Legend-style stories and recommending a bookComing soon
Story. Oona's village has been dark for many winters. Read the story below, and answer the questions. A legend often explains how something came to be, and it may include a magical helper.

The Lamp of Cold Hill

Every winter, the lamp on Cold Hill went out. The village below had no light after dark, and the children stayed close to their fires. Oona, who was ten and the youngest shepherd in the valley, decided that she would climb the hill and find out why.

The path was steep, and the wind pulled at her cloak. At the top she found a small stone house with no door, only a round window. Inside, a silver fox sat beside a lamp that had gone dark.

‘You may climb here only once a year,’ said the fox. ‘The lamp needs a song sung from the heart. Sing one, and it will burn again.’

Oona had no grand song. She sang about the sheep, the snow and the grandmother who taught her to count the stars. Her voice shook at first, but she kept singing until the lamp glowed gold.

The fox smiled. ‘The lamp was never broken. It was waiting for someone to ask.’

When Oona walked home, the village was bright below her, and every window was lit.

Key ideas

  • A legend is a traditional kind of story that often explains why something is as it is.
  • Many legends include a magical helper or a special place.
  • To recommend a book, say what it is about, why you enjoyed it, and who might like it.
  • Use evidence from the text: quote a short line or name a detail.
Worked example 8.1.1
Who is the youngest shepherd in the valley?

Method. Find the sentence that gives the answer.

  1. Find the sentence. The text says Oona was ten and the youngest shepherd.
    Oona
  2. Write the answer. The youngest shepherd is Oona.
    Oona
  3. Write the answer.
    Oona

Check. Oona. ✓

Worked example 8.1.2
What did the fox ask Oona to sing?

Method. Find what the fox says the lamp needs.

  1. Find the sentence. The fox says the lamp needs a song sung from the heart.
    a song
  2. Write the answer. The fox asks for a song sung from the heart.
    a song sung from the heart
  3. Write the answer.
    a song sung from the heart

Check. A song sung from the heart. ✓

Worked example 8.1.3
Why does the story say the village children stayed close to their fires?

Method. Find the reason in the first paragraph.

  1. Find the reason. The lamp went out, so the village had no light after dark.
    no light
  2. Write the reason. The children stayed close to their fires because there was no light.
    no light after dark
  3. Write the answer.
    there was no light after dark

Check. There was no light after dark. ✓

Exercise 8A  Practice: retrieving from the legend

1
FWhy did Oona decide to climb the hill?
2
FWhere did the silver fox sit?
3
FWhat colour did the lamp glow when Oona sang?
4
FName two things Oona sang about.
5
FHow often did the lamp go out? Write the two words the story uses.
6
PSWhat does the word steep mean in The path was steep?
7
PSWhat does a grand song mean in Oona had no grand song?
8
PSWrite the sentence that tells us the lamp was not broken.
9
PSWhich phrase tells us that Oona walked home in the evening, when the village was bright?
10
RRecommend this story to a friend. Give one reason you think they would enjoy it.
11
RExplain whether this story is a legend. Use one detail from the text.
8.2

Themes and conventions: what a story teaches

Year 5
Identify and discuss themes and conventions across a wide range of books (RC-Y5b, RC1e)
Video lesson: Themes and conventions: what a story teachesComing soon
Story. Mr Pell is a tailor who is in a hurry. Read the fable below. Fables are short stories with a lesson, and they often use animals who speak.

The Tailor and the Button

Mr Pell was the finest tailor in Ashford, and he knew it. One autumn he began a coat so grand that it would have a thousand buttons. He sewed each button with great pride, but he was in such a hurry to be famous that he stitched them quickly and did not check them.

Soon the buttons began to talk. ‘We are too small to matter,’ said the brass button on the sleeve. ‘Nobody will look at us.’

‘Then we will fall off,’ said the button on the collar, and it did.

Mr Pell heard the whispering and frowned. He was too proud to listen. He sewed faster and faster, until his fingers were sore.

One morning, a sparrow landed on the window ledge and watched him work. ‘A coat is only as strong as its smallest stitch,’ she said.

Mr Pell laughed at her. But when the coat was finished, not one of its buttons stayed on. Mr Pell sat down, unpicked the coat, and sewed each button again, slowly this time. It took him a whole winter, and he never again called any job too small.

Key ideas

  • A theme is an important idea in a story, such as courage, kindness or pride.
  • A convention is a feature that many stories of one type share, such as a moral in a fable.
  • A fable often has a moral: a lesson stated at the end or clear from the story.
  • Support a theme with evidence from the text.
Worked example 8.2.1
Which animal speaks in the fable?

Method. Find the animal that speaks.

  1. Find the speaker. A sparrow landed on the window ledge and said a line.
    sparrow
  2. Write the answer. The sparrow speaks.
    the sparrow
  3. Write the answer.
    the sparrow

Check. The sparrow. ✓

Worked example 8.2.2
What is the main theme of the fable?

Method. Think about what goes wrong for Mr Pell.

  1. Find the problem. Mr Pell is too proud to listen and does not check his stitches.
    proud
  2. Write the theme. The theme is that small things matter, and pride can make us careless.
    small things matter
  3. Write the answer.
    pride, or not taking care over small things

Check. Small things matter. ✓

Worked example 8.2.3
Which convention of a fable is shown by the sparrow's words?

Method. Look for the lesson the sparrow gives.

  1. Find the words. A coat is only as strong as its smallest stitch.
    smallest stitch
  2. Name the convention. The words give a lesson that the story teaches.
    a moral lesson
  3. Write the answer.
    a moral lesson

Check. A moral lesson. ✓

Exercise 8B  Practice: themes and conventions

1
FWho is the tailor in the fable?
2
FHow many buttons did the coat have?
3
FWhy did Mr Pell stitch the buttons quickly?
4
FWhat did the button on the collar do?
5
FWhy did Mr Pell not listen to the buttons?
6
FWhat happened to the buttons when the coat was finished?
7
PSWhich word in the fable means to take out the stitches of?
8
PSWhat does the word ledge mean in a sparrow landed on the window ledge?
9
PSWhat is the moral of the fable? Choose the best answer: A be the fastest, B small things matter, C sparrows are wise.
10
PSWhich convention shows that this is a fable: an animal speaks and a lesson is taught. Write one of these two conventions.
11
RWrite one theme of the legend and one theme of the fable. Each theme must be one word.
12
RDo you agree that Mr Pell is to blame for the fallen buttons? Give one reason.
13
RAsk one question to improve your understanding of the fable.
8.3

Comparing characters, settings and plots

Year 5
Compare characters, settings and plots within and across texts (RC-Y5c)
Video lesson: Comparing characters, settings and plotsComing soon
Story. Read both stories again, and think about the people, the places and the events. Comparing two texts means finding what is the same and what is different.

The Lamp of Cold Hill

Every winter, the lamp on Cold Hill went out. The village below had no light after dark, and the children stayed close to their fires. Oona, who was ten and the youngest shepherd in the valley, decided that she would climb the hill and find out why.

The path was steep, and the wind pulled at her cloak. At the top she found a small stone house with no door, only a round window. Inside, a silver fox sat beside a lamp that had gone dark.

‘You may climb here only once a year,’ said the fox. ‘The lamp needs a song sung from the heart. Sing one, and it will burn again.’

Oona had no grand song. She sang about the sheep, the snow and the grandmother who taught her to count the stars. Her voice shook at first, but she kept singing until the lamp glowed gold.

The fox smiled. ‘The lamp was never broken. It was waiting for someone to ask.’

When Oona walked home, the village was bright below her, and every window was lit.

The Tailor and the Button

Mr Pell was the finest tailor in Ashford, and he knew it. One autumn he began a coat so grand that it would have a thousand buttons. He sewed each button with great pride, but he was in such a hurry to be famous that he stitched them quickly and did not check them.

Soon the buttons began to talk. ‘We are too small to matter,’ said the brass button on the sleeve. ‘Nobody will look at us.’

‘Then we will fall off,’ said the button on the collar, and it did.

Mr Pell heard the whispering and frowned. He was too proud to listen. He sewed faster and faster, until his fingers were sore.

One morning, a sparrow landed on the window ledge and watched him work. ‘A coat is only as strong as its smallest stitch,’ she said.

Mr Pell laughed at her. But when the coat was finished, not one of its buttons stayed on. Mr Pell sat down, unpicked the coat, and sewed each button again, slowly this time. It took him a whole winter, and he never again called any job too small.

Key ideas

  • Compare characters: what they do, how they feel and what they learn.
  • Compare settings: where and when the story happens.
  • Compare plots: the problem, the events, and the ending.
  • Use a table to organise the comparison.
Worked example 8.3.1
In which setting does the story about Oona take place: a village on a hill, or a busy city?

Method. Find the place in the first paragraph.

  1. Find the place. The lamp is on Cold Hill and the village is below.
    Cold Hill
  2. Write the setting. The setting is a village on a hill.
    a village on a hill
  3. Write the answer.
    a village on a hill

Check. A village on a hill. ✓

Worked example 8.3.2
What is the setting of the fable: when does it happen?

Method. Look for the season words.

  1. Find the words. One autumn he began a coat; it took a whole winter.
    autumn, winter
  2. Write the setting. The setting is autumn, and then the winter.
    autumn and winter
  3. Write the answer.
    in autumn, and then over a winter

Check. Autumn and winter. ✓

Worked example 8.3.3
Both stories have a small helper. Who is Oona's helper, and who is Mr Pell's?

Method. Find the helper in each story.

  1. Find Oona's helper. The silver fox helps Oona.
    the fox
  2. Find Mr Pell's helper. The sparrow tells Mr Pell what he needs to know.
    the sparrow
  3. Write the answer.
    the fox; the sparrow

Check. The fox and the sparrow. ✓

Exercise 8C  Practice: comparing two stories

1
FWho is brave and kind in the legend?
2
FWhich character is too proud to listen?
3
FWrite the setting of the legend: where is the lamp?
4
FWrite the setting of the fable: which town is Mr Pell in?
5
PSBoth stories have a problem. What is Oona's problem?
6
PSWhat is Mr Pell's problem?
7
PSHow does the legend end: what changes for the village?
8
PSHow does the fable end: what does Mr Pell do?
9
RWrite one way the two main characters are different.
10
RWrite one way the two helpers are alike.
11
RCompare the plots: say how the problem in each story is solved.
12
RMake a comparison table with two rows: characters and settings. Write one entry in each cell for the legend.
8.4

Inference: how a character feels, with evidence

Year 5
Infer from action, dialogue and description, with evidence from the text (RC-Y5e, RC2c)
Video lesson: Inference: how a character feels, with evidenceComing soon
Story. Authors often show how a character feels without saying it directly. We work this out from what the character does, says and how the text describes them. This is called inference.

The Lamp of Cold Hill

Every winter, the lamp on Cold Hill went out. The village below had no light after dark, and the children stayed close to their fires. Oona, who was ten and the youngest shepherd in the valley, decided that she would climb the hill and find out why.

The path was steep, and the wind pulled at her cloak. At the top she found a small stone house with no door, only a round window. Inside, a silver fox sat beside a lamp that had gone dark.

‘You may climb here only once a year,’ said the fox. ‘The lamp needs a song sung from the heart. Sing one, and it will burn again.’

Oona had no grand song. She sang about the sheep, the snow and the grandmother who taught her to count the stars. Her voice shook at first, but she kept singing until the lamp glowed gold.

The fox smiled. ‘The lamp was never broken. It was waiting for someone to ask.’

When Oona walked home, the village was bright below her, and every window was lit.

Key ideas

  • Inference: working out something the author does not say directly.
  • Evidence: the words in the text that support your inference.
  • Action: what the character does. Dialogue: what the character says. Description: how the text describes the character.
  • Always give the evidence: "Her voice shook, so she was nervous."
Worked example 8.4.1
How did Oona feel when she first began to sing? Give evidence from the text.

Method. Find the sentence that shows her feeling.

  1. Find the evidence. Her voice shook at first.
    her voice shook
  2. Infer the feeling. A shaking voice shows that she was nervous.
    nervous
  3. Write the answer.
    nervous; her voice shook

Check. She was nervous, because her voice shook. ✓

Worked example 8.4.2
What can we infer about the fox from the words The fox smiled?

Method. Think about what a smile shows.

  1. Find the evidence. The fox smiled after Oona sang.
    smiled
  2. Infer the feeling. A smile after the song shows the fox is pleased.
    pleased
  3. Write the answer.
    the fox is pleased or kind

Check. The fox is pleased. ✓

Worked example 8.4.3
Why did the village children stay close to their fires?

Method. Look at the first paragraph for the reason.

  1. Find the evidence. The village had no light after dark.
    no light
  2. Infer the reason. Without light, the children would stay near warmth and safety.
    afraid of the dark
  3. Write the answer.
    they were afraid of the dark

Check. Because they were afraid of the dark. ✓

Exercise 8D  Practice: inference with evidence

1
FWhat can we infer about Oona from the words decided that she would climb the hill?
2
FWhy did Oona's voice shake at first?
3
FWhat does the fox's speech show about the lamp?
4
PSWhat can we infer from the words The lamp was never broken?
5
PSHow do we know the village was happy at the end?
6
PSWhat can we infer about the fox's home from the description a small stone house with no door?
7
PSIn the fable, how do we know Mr Pell is in a hurry?
8
PSHow does the sparrow feel about Mr Pell? Give evidence.
9
RWhat can we infer about Mr Pell when he sat down after the coat was finished?
10
RWhat does Oona's song show about her? Give one piece of evidence.
11
RExplain how you know that the village is grateful to Oona at the end.
8.5

Predicting and summarising a story

Year 5
Predict from details stated and implied, and summarise the main ideas (RC-Y5f, RC-Y5d)
Video lesson: Predicting and summarising a storyComing soon
Story. A summary tells the main events in fewer words, in the order they happen. A prediction is a sensible guess about what will happen next, based on clues in the text.

The Tailor and the Button

Mr Pell was the finest tailor in Ashford, and he knew it. One autumn he began a coat so grand that it would have a thousand buttons. He sewed each button with great pride, but he was in such a hurry to be famous that he stitched them quickly and did not check them.

Soon the buttons began to talk. ‘We are too small to matter,’ said the brass button on the sleeve. ‘Nobody will look at us.’

‘Then we will fall off,’ said the button on the collar, and it did.

Mr Pell heard the whispering and frowned. He was too proud to listen. He sewed faster and faster, until his fingers were sore.

One morning, a sparrow landed on the window ledge and watched him work. ‘A coat is only as strong as its smallest stitch,’ she said.

Mr Pell laughed at her. But when the coat was finished, not one of its buttons stayed on. Mr Pell sat down, unpicked the coat, and sewed each button again, slowly this time. It took him a whole winter, and he never again called any job too small.

Key ideas

  • A prediction is based on clues: what is stated and what is implied.
  • A summary gives the main events in order, with the key details, and leaves out small details.
  • Start a summary with the main character and the problem.
  • Keep a summary short: a few sentences, not a copy.
Worked example 8.5.1
Predict what Mr Pell will do next, using a clue from the text.

Method. Use the clue that the buttons fell off.

  1. Find the clue. The buttons fell off, and Mr Pell was not careful.
    buttons fell off
  2. Make the prediction. He will probably check each stitch carefully.
    check each stitch
  3. Write the answer.
    He will check his stitches carefully

Check. A sensible prediction. ✓

Worked example 8.5.2
Summarise the fable in one sentence.

Method. Name the main character, the problem and the ending.

  1. Name the character and problem. Mr Pell is too hurried and his buttons fall off.
    Mr Pell, buttons
  2. Name the ending. He sews them again, slowly.
    sews them again
  3. Write the answer.
    Mr Pell is too hurried and proud, so his buttons fall off, and he sews them again.

Check. The summary has the main events. ✓

Worked example 8.5.3
Which detail can be left out of a summary of the fable: the sparrow's warning, or the colour of the coat?

Method. Decide which detail matters to the main events.

  1. Check the main events. The warning is part of the lesson.
    lesson
  2. Decide. The colour is a small detail not needed in a summary.
    colour
  3. Write the answer.
    the colour of the coat

Check. The colour can be left out. ✓

Exercise 8E  Practice: predicting and summarising

1
FPredict what the village will do after Oona sings. Give one clue from the legend.
2
FWrite the first event of the fable.
3
FWhich event happens after the buttons fall off?
4
PSWhich is a main event in the legend: Oona sings to the lamp, or the fox has a grey coat?
5
PSPredict what will happen if Mr Pell makes another coat. Use a clue from the text.
6
PSSummarise the legend in one sentence, with the main character and the problem.
7
PSWhich of these is a detail, not a main event: Oona was ten years old, or Oona climbs the hill?
8
RPredict the next event: the sparrow has spoken. What might Mr Pell do?
9
RWrite a summary of the fable in three sentences, with the key details.
10
RExplain why the summary of the legend should not include every detail.

Chapter summary

SkillMethod
LegendA traditional-style story that explains something, often with magic.
FableA short story with animals or characters who teach a moral lesson.
ThemeAn important idea in a story, such as courage or pride.
ComparingLook at characters, settings and plots, and say what is the same and what is different.
InferenceWork out what the author does not say, and give evidence from the text.
SummaryThe main events in order, in a few sentences, leaving out small details.

Can you…?

  • I can name the features of a legend and a fable
  • I can find themes and say what a story teaches
  • I can compare characters, settings and plots in two stories
  • I can infer how a character feels, with evidence
  • I can predict what happens next and summarise a story

Key terms

legend
a traditional kind of story that may explain how something came to be
fable
a short story, often with animals, that teaches a moral lesson
theme
an important idea that runs through a story
inference
a conclusion the reader reaches from clues in the text
evidence
the words in the text that support an idea
summary
a short account of the main events of a text

Exercise 8Z  Check-up

1
Who is the youngest shepherd in the legend?
2
Why did the fox say the lamp had gone dark?
3
What is the setting of the fable: which town?
4
Which button fell off first?
5
What does the word steep mean in The path was steep?
6
How do we know Oona was nervous at first?
7
What is a fable?
8
Predict what might happen if Mr Pell makes the next coat in a hurry.
9
Write one theme of the legend.
10
Write one sentence that summarises the legend.

Total 19 marks. Allow about 19 minutes.

Exercise 8X  Practice test questions

1
FWho is the tailor in the fable?[1 mark]
2
FWhat colour did the lamp glow?[1 mark]
3
PSGive the evidence that Mr Pell was too hurried.[2 marks]
4
RWrite one way the legend and the fable are alike.[2 marks]
5
PSPredict what the village will do in the next winter, using a clue from the legend.[2 marks]
6
RWhat is the theme of the fable?[2 marks]
7
PSWhich is a main event of the fable: Mr Pell sews the buttons again, or Mr Pell owns a shop?[1 mark]
8
PSCompare the settings: where is the legend set, and where is the fable set?[2 marks]
9
RRecommend the legend or the fable to a friend, and give one reason.[3 marks]
10
RInfer how Mr Pell feels when he sees the buttons fall off. Give evidence.[3 marks]
← Chapter 7: Brackets, dashes, commas and hyphensChapter 9: Reading poetry and plays →

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