Pupils should be taught to:

♦ maintain positive attitudes to reading and an understanding of what they read by:

­­• continuing to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
• reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
• increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions
• recommending books that they have read to their peers, giving reasons for their choices
• identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
• making comparisons within and across books
• learning a wider range of poetry by heart
• preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience

♦ understand what they read by:

• checking that the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring the meaning of words in context
• asking questions to improve their understanding
• drawing inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence
• predicting what might happen from details stated and implied
• summarising the main ideas drawn from more than 1 paragraph, identifying key details that support the main ideas
• identifying how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning

♦ discuss and evaluate how authors use language, including figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
♦ distinguish between statements of fact and opinion
♦ retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction
♦ participate in discussions about books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, building on their own and others’ ideas and challenging views courteously
♦ explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read, including through formal presentations and debates, maintaining a focus on the topic and using notes where necessary
♦ provide reasoned justifications for their views