Years 3 and 4 English · Key Stage 2 · Spoken language

Years 3 and 4 explaining and justifying ideas: parent guide

Between Years 3 and 4, children are expected to move from simply giving answers to defending them: saying what they think, giving reasons and evidence, and accepting that another sensible person might think differently. They also learn to structure a spoken description or story, to talk about feelings with more precise words, and to use talk to try out ideas by imagining and asking “what if?”.

Explaining and justifying ideas, explained

To articulate an idea is to put it into clear words, and to justify it is to say why. Teachers use a simple pattern: say what you think, give a reason, and back it up with evidence or an example (“I think… because… for example…”). Common prompts in maths are “Explain how you know” and “Convince me”, and in science, “What makes you say that?” At this stage the reasoning matters at least as much as the answer, and a wrong answer with a sensible reason is still worth discussing.

Spoken explanations, descriptions and narratives are expected to be well structured and to suit their purpose. An explanation links causes and effects (“The ice melted because the sun warmed it”). A description picks details and places them in an order that helps the listener picture the scene. Many schools teach a story shape such as opening, build-up, problem, resolution and ending. Different purposes bring different language: instructions use “first” and “then”, a story uses “suddenly”. Children are also taught to express feelings more exactly, with words such as thrilled, disappointed or anxious rather than good or bad.

Children use talk to explore ideas. They speculate (“It might be…”), hypothesise (“I predict… because…”) and imagine (“What if the Roman soldiers had never come?”). Words such as might, could, probably and possibly let a speaker show how sure they are. In science a prediction with a reason is a first step towards a hypothesis. In English, teachers may ask a child to speak as a character or to say what the character is thinking at a key moment. Each of these builds a broader, richer vocabulary for a wider range of topics.

Children are asked to consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on what others say. That means more than letting someone else finish. It means saying, “I see why you think that, but I’d add…”, or “I agree with Jo, and another reason is…”. Sentence stems like these are scaffolds and are meant to be dropped as children grow in confidence. The point is for children to see that reasonable people can differ, and that listening to a different view can change your own.

Teachers give pupils guidance about the kinds of explanations and questions expected of them, by showing and sharing examples of what a strong answer sounds like and giving feedback. This is not separate from written work. A child who can explain aloud why 25 does not fit a pattern, or why a character behaved as she did, is much better prepared to write the same thing down. Spoken language is not tested at the end of Key Stage 2, so teachers rely on what they hear in lessons.

Words your child will hear

Justify: Give reasons to show why your answer or opinion makes sense.
Evidence: Facts, examples or observations that support what you say.
Viewpoint: A way of seeing something. Two people can have different viewpoints on the same thing.
Speculate: Think aloud about what could be true or could happen, without being sure.
Narrative: A spoken or written account of events, such as a story or a recount.
Precise: Exact. A precise word, like “furious”, says more than a general one, like “cross”.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 3 and 4, pupils should be taught to:

Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
Use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: justifying an “odd one out” answer

In a Year 4 maths lesson, once the 6 and 9 times tables are known, the class is asked: which is the odd one out, 12, 18, 24 or 25? Give an answer and justify it.

State the answer clearly: “I think 25 is the odd one out.”
Give a reason: “It is the only number that is not in the 6 times table.”
Back the reason up with evidence: “12 is 6 × 2, 18 is 6 × 3 and 24 is 6 × 4. 6 × 4 is 24 and 6 × 5 is 30, so 25 gets skipped.”
Offer a second reason if there is one: “25 is also the only odd number. The other three are all even.”
Listen to a different viewpoint. A classmate says, “I think 18 is the odd one out, because it is the only multiple of 9. 9 × 2 is 18, and 12, 24 and 25 are not in the 9 times table.” Check it: they are right.
Respond fairly: “That is a good reason too, and I had not thought of the 9s. We can both be right, because the question does not say which rule to use.”

25 is the odd one out because it is the only number not in the 6 times table (and the only odd number). 18 can also be justified as the odd one out, because it is the only multiple of 9. Both answers are right because both are backed up with a reason.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking the answer is enough and the reason is optional

Children often feel that getting the answer is the whole job, so the “how do you know?” seems like an extra.

What helps: Ask “How do you know?” when your child is right as well as when they are wrong, so it does not feel like a sign of a mistake.

Giving a reason that just says the same thing again

“It’s the best because it’s better than the others” sounds like a reason but adds nothing. Children copy the shape of an argument before they can fill it.

What helps: Ask, “What could we point to that would show it?” An example, a fact or something they have seen or tried usually gives the real reason.

Staying quiet or going along with others to avoid falling out

Friendships matter a great deal at this age, and disagreeing can feel unfriendly.

What helps: Practise polite disagreement at home: “I see it differently because…”. Show that you can disagree with someone and still get on.

Believing that changing your mind means you have lost

Children notice who “won” the argument. Being talked round can feel like being wrong, so they hold on to their first idea.

What helps: Praise it when your child changes their mind for a reason, and say it aloud yourself: “That is a good point. I have changed my mind.”

How to help at home

Ask “How do you know?” casually. Use it about everyday things, such as which road is quickest or whether it will rain, not just homework. Keep it curious rather than testing.
Odd one out. Put four household things together, such as a sock, a glove, a hat and a mug, and ask which is the odd one out. See how many different answers each of you can justify.
What if…? Over dinner or on a walk, try a “what if” question: “What if we had no school for a month?” Use might, could and probably in your own answers, and ask what makes your child think so.
Tell it in order. Ask your child to explain how something works or happened, such as how ice melts or how a shop makes money, using “because” and “so”. For a story, listen for an opening, a problem and an ending.
Agree to disagree. Choose a harmless question, such as the best pizza topping. Each person gives a reason, then says one good point about someone else’s choice. Then see if anyone wants to change their mind.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Listening and joining in conversations
Key Stage 1: Explaining, describing and sharing ideas
Key Stage 1: Speaking clearly to an audience

Leads on to

Years 5 and 6: Active listening and discussion
Years 5 and 6: Arguing, hypothesising and evaluating
Years 5 and 6: Public speaking, performance and register