Websink Prep UKKS2 EnglishYear 5 chaptersEnglish textbooksReceptionYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6Year 7Year 8Year 9Browse allPast papersFind a tutorBecome a tutor
Primary English · Year 5Chapter 10 · Reading non-fiction: retrieving, summarising and fact or opinion
Year 5 · Chapter 10

Reading non-fiction: retrieving, summarising and fact or opinion

By the end of this chapter you will be able to

  • Name the text type and its purpose
  • Find and note information in a text and in a table
  • Summarise the main idea of each paragraph and the whole text
  • Use a glossary or a dictionary to check a word
  • Say whether a sentence is fact or opinion, and find bias
  • Give reasons in a short discussion

You should already know

  • Non-fiction, headings and captions (Year 4, Chapter 10)
  • Dictionaries and alphabetical order (Year 4, Chapter 2; Chapter 3 of this book)

Where this leads

  • Writing stories and poems (Chapter 11 of this book)

National Curriculum for England, Key Stage 2 English, Year 5. Content: Read non-fiction for a purpose, from a range of text types: reports, explanations, instructions, biographies and recounts (RC-Y5j, RC1b), Retrieve and record information, with notes (RC3), Identify and summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph, with key details (RC2e, RC-Y5d), Use dictionaries, glossaries and reference texts to check meaning (RC1c), Distinguish fact from opinion and bias (RC-Y5k), Take part in a discussion or debate, listening and giving reasons (SL2, SL4).

Exercise P  Do you remember?

1
FWrite the word for the title of a section in a non-fiction text.
2
FWrite the word that means a short description under a picture.
3
FWhich is in alphabetical order: bee, ant, cat or ant, bee, cat?
4
FWrite the word that means a statement that can be checked as true or false.
5
FWhat is the main idea of a paragraph? Write the word for it: the key, the name or the main idea.
10.1

Text types and their purposes

Year 5
Read non-fiction for a purpose, from a range of text types (RC-Y5j, RC1b)
Video lesson: Text types and their purposesComing soon
Story. Hana has to read two non-fiction texts for her science project. She asks herself two questions: what is the text for, and how is it set out? Her answers help her decide how to read each one.

Why Bees Matter (a report)

Bees are insects that help plants to make seeds and fruit. When a bee lands on a flower to collect nectar, pollen sticks to its fur. The bee carries the pollen to the next flower it visits.

Many of the foods we eat depend on bees. Apples, strawberries and runner beans all need to be pollinated before they can produce fruit or seeds.

Bees are in danger. Some farm sprays can harm them, and wild meadows have been turned into roads and houses. Gardeners can help by planting flowers of many colours and by leaving a patch of grass to grow long.

Key ideas

  • A report gives facts about a topic, in clear sections.
  • An explanation tells how or why something happens.
  • Instructions tell the reader how to do something, in order.
  • A biography tells the life story of a real or fictional person; a recount tells what happened, in order.
Worked example 10.1.1
What is the purpose of Why Bees Matter: to tell a story, or to give facts about bees?

Method. Look at the text type and what it does.

  1. Look at the content. It gives facts about bees and why they matter.
    facts
  2. Name the purpose. The purpose is to inform the reader.
    to inform
  3. Write the answer.
    to give facts about bees

Check. To give facts. ✓

Worked example 10.1.2
Which text type is Why Bees Matter: a recount, a report or instructions?

Method. Look at the layout and the purpose.

  1. Look at the layout. The text has bold headings and facts.
    bold headings
  2. Name the type. Its purpose is to report facts, so it is a report.
    a report
  3. Write the answer.
    a report

Check. A report. ✓

Worked example 10.1.3
How many paragraphs does Why Bees Matter have?

Method. Count the paragraphs.

  1. Count. There are three paragraphs.
    three
  2. Write. Three.
    3
  3. Write the answer.
    3

Check. Three. ✓

Exercise 10A  Practice: text types and purposes

1
FWhich text type gives instructions in order: a report or a set of instructions?
2
FWhich text type tells the life story of a person: a biography or a recount?
3
FWhich text type tells what happened on a trip, in order: an explanation or a recount?
4
FWhat is the purpose of an explanation text?
5
PSHow do we know that Why Bees Matter is not a recount?
6
PSWhich of these features is typical of a report: headings, a story character or a list of steps?
7
PSWhich text type would most likely use the word first, next and finally?
8
PSWhy might a reader use the headings in a report before reading the whole text?
9
RName one non-fiction text you have read this year, and say its text type and purpose.
10
RExplain why a writer might choose a report rather than a story to share facts.
10.2

Retrieving and noting information

Year 5
Retrieve and record information, with notes (RC3)
Video lesson: Retrieving and noting informationComing soon
Story. Dev needs to find facts about bees for a class presentation. He reads the report, notes the key words, and writes short notes in his own words. He also reads the table from the school garden.

Why Bees Matter (a report)

Bees are insects that help plants to make seeds and fruit. When a bee lands on a flower to collect nectar, pollen sticks to its fur. The bee carries the pollen to the next flower it visits.

Many of the foods we eat depend on bees. Apples, strawberries and runner beans all need to be pollinated before they can produce fruit or seeds.

Bees are in danger. Some farm sprays can harm them, and wild meadows have been turned into roads and houses. Gardeners can help by planting flowers of many colours and by leaving a patch of grass to grow long.

Bee visits in one week (a table from a school garden)

The pupils counted the bee visits to four plants on sunny afternoons.

PlantBee visits
Lavender24
Clover31
Sunflower18
Mint9

Key ideas

  • To retrieve information, find the key words in the question, then scan the text for them.
  • Notes are short: key words and short phrases, not whole sentences.
  • Write notes in your own words, so you show that you understand.
  • Check the notes against the text to make sure they are right.
Worked example 10.2.1
Find the plant that pollen sticks to: which key word would you look for?

Method. Look for the key word in the question.

  1. Choose the key word. The question asks about pollen.
    pollen
  2. Scan the text. Pollen is in the first paragraph, on the bee's fur.
    first paragraph
  3. Write the answer.
    pollen

Check. Pollen. ✓

Worked example 10.2.2
Write a short note about which foods need pollinating.

Method. Find the list in the second paragraph.

  1. Find the list. Apples, strawberries and runner beans are named.
    three foods
  2. Write the note. Foods: apples, strawberries, runner beans.
    apples, strawberries, runner beans
  3. Write the answer.
    apples, strawberries, runner beans

Check. The three foods. ✓

Worked example 10.2.3
According to the table, which plant had the most bee visits?

Method. Find the largest number in the table.

  1. Read the numbers. Lavender 24, Clover 31, Sunflower 18, Mint 9.
    31
  2. Choose the largest. 31 is the largest number, for clover.
    Clover
  3. Write the answer.
    Clover

Check. Clover had 31 visits. ✓

Exercise 10B  Practice: retrieving and noting

1
FWhich key word in the report tells us what bees carry on their fur?
2
FWhat do bees collect from flowers?
3
FWrite a short note on one danger to bees, in your own words.
4
FHow many plants are in the table?
5
FHow many bee visits did the sunflower have?
6
PSWhich plant had the fewest bee visits?
7
PSHow many more visits did clover have than mint?
8
PSWhich two plants together had 42 bee visits?
9
RWrite a note for the table, in short words, that says what it shows.
10
RWhy did the pupils count the bee visits on sunny afternoons? Use the text to explain.
11
RWhich information is not in the report Why Bees Matter? Name one thing you would need to look up elsewhere.
10.3

Summarising the main ideas

Year 5
Identify and summarise main ideas from more than one paragraph, with key details (RC2e, RC-Y5d)
Video lesson: Summarising the main ideasComing soon
Story. Mia is writing a short summary of Why Bees Matter for her friend. She reads each paragraph and asks: what is the main idea? Then she asks: which key details support it? Then she puts the ideas in one or two sentences.

Why Bees Matter (a report)

Bees are insects that help plants to make seeds and fruit. When a bee lands on a flower to collect nectar, pollen sticks to its fur. The bee carries the pollen to the next flower it visits.

Many of the foods we eat depend on bees. Apples, strawberries and runner beans all need to be pollinated before they can produce fruit or seeds.

Bees are in danger. Some farm sprays can harm them, and wild meadows have been turned into roads and houses. Gardeners can help by planting flowers of many colours and by leaving a patch of grass to grow long.

Key ideas

  • A summary keeps the main ideas and key details, and leaves out examples and repeated information.
  • Find the main idea of each paragraph first.
  • Put the main ideas in the order of the text.
  • Write the summary in your own words.
Worked example 10.3.1
What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

Method. Read the first sentence, then check the rest.

  1. Read the first sentence. Bees are insects that help plants to make seeds and fruit.
    help plants
  2. Check the rest. The rest explains how pollen moves, which is a detail.
    a detail
  3. Write the answer.
    bees help plants make seeds and fruit

Check. Bees help plants to make seeds and fruit. ✓

Worked example 10.3.2
What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

Method. Read the first sentence of the paragraph.

  1. Read the first sentence. Many of the foods we eat depend on bees.
    depend on bees
  2. Check the detail. Apples, strawberries and beans are examples.
    examples
  3. Write the answer.
    many foods depend on bees

Check. Many foods depend on bees. ✓

Worked example 10.3.3
Write a one-sentence summary of the whole report.

Method. Combine the main ideas from each paragraph.

  1. Paragraph 1. Bees help plants to make seeds and fruit.
    help plants
  2. Paragraphs 2 and 3. Many foods depend on bees, but bees are in danger.
    in danger
  3. Combine. Bees help plants, but they are in danger, and gardeners can help.
    gardeners can help
  4. Write the answer.
    Bees help plants and foods, but they are in danger, so gardeners can help.

Check. The summary has the three main ideas. ✓

Exercise 10C  Practice: summarising

1
FWhat is the main idea of the third paragraph?
2
FName one food that needs bees to be pollinated.
3
FName one thing a gardener can do to help bees.
4
PSWhich idea is a detail and not a main idea: Bees are in danger or pollen sticks to fur?
5
PSPut these main ideas in the order they appear in the text: the danger to bees, what bees do, foods that need bees.
6
PSWhich key detail supports the idea that bees matter for food?
7
PSWrite one sentence that summarises the second paragraph.
8
PSWhich paragraph gives advice to the reader?
9
RWrite a summary of the first paragraph in one sentence, using your own words.
10
RWhy is it important that a summary leaves out examples such as apples and strawberries?
10.4

Using a glossary and a dictionary

Year 5
Use dictionaries, glossaries and reference texts to check meaning (RC1c)
Video lesson: Using a glossary and a dictionaryComing soon
Story. Ali finds the word pollinated in the report and does not know what it means. He checks the glossary at the back of his book, and then a dictionary, to see if the two meanings match.

Glossary (from a science book)

nectar: a sweet liquid made by flowers, which bees drink.

pollen: a fine powder made by flowers, which carries the male cells of a plant.

pollinate: to move pollen to a flower so that it can make seeds or fruit.

Key ideas

  • A glossary lists key words from a book, in alphabetical order, with their meanings.
  • A dictionary gives meanings, spellings and word classes for many more words.
  • Use the first letters to find a word quickly.
  • Check the meaning fits the sentence in the text.
Worked example 10.4.1
Which word in the glossary comes first in alphabetical order: pollen or nectar?

Method. Compare the first letters.

  1. Compare the first letters. n comes before p.
    n, p
  2. Choose. Nectar comes first.
    nectar
  3. Write the answer.
    nectar

Check. Nectar. ✓

Worked example 10.4.2
What does pollinate mean in the glossary?

Method. Read the glossary entry.

  1. Read the entry. Pollinate: to move pollen to a flower.
    move pollen
  2. Write the meaning. It means to move pollen so that seeds or fruit can grow.
    seeds or fruit
  3. Write the answer.
    to move pollen to a flower so it can make seeds or fruit

Check. To move pollen so seeds or fruit can grow. ✓

Worked example 10.4.3
Is pollen between the guide words pollinate and poplar in alphabetical order? Write Yes or No.

Method. Check whether pollen comes between the guide words.

  1. Compare with pollinate. Pollen comes before pollinate, so it is before the first guide word.
    before pollinate
  2. Decide. Pollen is not between the two guide words.
    No
  3. Write the answer.
    No

Check. No. ✓

Exercise 10D  Practice: glossary and dictionary

1
FWhich word in the glossary comes last: nectar, pollen or pollinate?
2
FWhat does nectar mean in the glossary?
3
FWhich word means a fine powder made by flowers?
4
FWrite the first two letters you would look for to find pollinate in a dictionary.
5
PSWhich word in the glossary has the most letters?
6
PSAli says pollinate is a noun. Is he right? Use the glossary entry to check.
7
PSWhich entry in the glossary is about a plant's male cells? Write the word.
8
PSPut the words pollen, nectar and pollinate in alphabetical order.
9
RAli finds that the dictionary and the glossary say slightly different things about pollen. Which one would you use in a report on bees?
10.5

Fact, opinion and bias

Year 5
Distinguish fact from opinion and bias (RC-Y5k); take part in discussion and debate (SL2, SL4)
Video lesson: Fact, opinion and biasComing soon
Story. The school council has written an article about a new garden. Some sentences give facts, which can be checked. Some give opinions, which show what the writer thinks. Some are biased: they try to push the reader to one view.

Should Our School Have a Garden? (a persuasive article)

The problem. Our school has a large playground and very little green space. The school council has asked whether we should build a garden. This article gives some facts, then some opinions.

Fact. A garden gives pupils the chance to grow vegetables, learn about the seasons and watch insects. The school council's survey found that 84 of the 120 pupils who replied wanted a garden.

Opinion. A garden is the best idea the school council has had in years. Anyone who says gardens are boring has never grown a sunflower.

Fact. The council estimates that the garden would cost £1,200 to build. The parent association has promised to pay for it.

Bias. Only a silly school would turn down a chance to be green and happy.

Key ideas

  • A fact can be checked and proved true or false.
  • An opinion is what someone thinks or feels, and cannot be proved.
  • Bias is when a writer shows only one side, or uses loaded words to push the reader towards a view.
  • Look for words such as best, silly, boring: they often show opinion or bias.
Worked example 10.5.1
Is this a fact or an opinion: A garden is the best idea the school council has had in years.

Method. Can it be proved true?

  1. Check it. Best is a judgement, and different people think differently.
    judgement
  2. Decide. It is an opinion.
    opinion
  3. Write the answer.
    opinion

Check. Opinion. ✓

Worked example 10.5.2
Is this a fact: The council estimates that the garden would cost £1,200.

Method. Can it be checked?

  1. Check it. A cost estimate can be checked against a price list or a quote.
    checked
  2. Decide. It is a fact, stated as an estimate.
    fact
  3. Write the answer.
    fact

Check. Fact. ✓

Worked example 10.5.3
Which sentence shows bias: Only a silly school would turn down a chance to be green and happy. or The survey found that 84 pupils wanted a garden.?

Method. Look for loaded words that push a view.

  1. Read both. The second states a survey result.
    survey
  2. Read the first. Silly pushes the reader to one view, so it is biased.
    silly
  3. Write the answer.
    Only a silly school would turn down a chance

Check. The first sentence shows bias. ✓

Exercise 10E  Practice: fact, opinion and bias

1
FIs Gardens give pupils the chance to grow vegetables. a fact or an opinion?
2
FIs Anyone who says gardens are boring has never grown a sunflower. a fact or an opinion?
3
FIs 84 of the 120 pupils who replied wanted a garden. a fact or an opinion?
4
FWhich word shows that the sentence Only a silly school would turn down a chance is biased?
5
FWhich word in The best idea in years shows opinion?
6
PSIs The parent association has promised to pay for it. a fact or an opinion?
7
PSFind one sentence in the article that gives only one side of the argument. Write the first three words.
8
PSRewrite the biased sentence Only a silly school would turn down a chance without the loaded word.
9
PSWhich two words in Gardens are boring show an opinion?
10
RPair up with a partner. Say one fact and one opinion about school lunches, and give a reason for the opinion.
11
RIn a short debate, give one reason for and one reason against a school garden, using the article.
12
RExplain why the article writer might be biased, using one example from the text.

Chapter summary

SkillMethod
Text typesA report gives facts; an explanation says how or why; instructions say how to do something; a recount tells what happened.
Retrieving informationFind the key words, scan the text, and write short notes in your own words.
SummarisingFind the main idea of each paragraph; leave out examples and repeated detail.
Glossaries and dictionariesA glossary gives meanings of key words; a dictionary gives more words, spellings and word classes.
Fact, opinion and biasA fact can be checked; an opinion is a view; bias pushes the reader to one side.

Can you…?

  • I can name a text type and its purpose
  • I can retrieve and note information from a text and a table
  • I can summarise the main ideas from more than one paragraph
  • I can use a glossary or a dictionary to check meaning
  • I can tell fact from opinion, and find bias
  • I can give reasons in a short discussion

Key terms

report
a non-fiction text that gives facts about a topic
explanation
a text that tells how or why something happens
recount
a text that tells what happened, in order
glossary
a list of key words and meanings at the back of a book
fact
a statement that can be checked and proved true or false
bias
when a writer favours one side and uses loaded words to push the reader

Exercise 10Z  Check-up

1
What is the text type of Why Bees Matter: a report or a recount?
2
What does the glossary say nectar is?
3
How many bee visits did clover have in the table?
4
Which plant in the table had 24 visits?
5
What is the main idea of the third paragraph of Why Bees Matter?
6
How many more bee visits did lavender have than mint?
7
Put the words nectar, pollinate and pollen in alphabetical order.
8
Is Anyone who says gardens are boring has never grown a sunflower. a fact or an opinion?
9
Write one word that shows bias in the article.
10
Write a one-sentence summary of the bee report.

Total 16 marks. Allow about 16 minutes.

Exercise 10X  Practice test questions

1
FWhich text type tells what happened on a trip, in order?[1 mark]
2
FFind the bee visits to sunflowers in the table.[1 mark]
3
FWhat does pollinate mean, using the glossary?[2 marks]
4
PSWhich plant had the fewest bee visits in the table?[1 mark]
5
PSWhat is the main idea of the second paragraph of Why Bees Matter?[2 marks]
6
PSIs The council estimates that the garden would cost £1,200. a fact or an opinion?[1 mark]
7
FWrite one word from the glossary that means a sweet liquid made by flowers.[1 mark]
8
PSWhich text feature helps a reader find a section quickly: a heading or a story character?[1 mark]
9
RExplain whether Only a silly school would turn down a chance is fact, opinion or bias, and why.[3 marks]
10
RExplain the difference between a fact and an opinion, with one example of each from Should Our School Have a Garden?[3 marks]
← Chapter 9: Reading poetry and playsChapter 11: Writing stories and poems →

Websink Prep UK is an independent site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, Eduqas, CCEA, SQA, GL Assessment, CEM or the Department for Education. All exam board names and trademarks belong to their owners. Past papers are linked from the exam boards' own websites and are not hosted here.

About Websink Prep UK · Find a tutor · Privacy · Terms · Cookie settings