Years 3 and 4 English · Key Stage 2 · Reading – comprehension

Years 3 and 4 reading: myths, legends, fiction and non-fiction

In Years 3 and 4 the aim is for children to read widely and to enjoy it, not just to read fluently. They listen to and discuss a range of fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction, meet traditional tales such as fairy stories, myths and legends, and begin to spot the themes and conventions that recur across books. They also learn to use a dictionary to check what a word means.

Reading widely, myths and legends, explained

The National Curriculum asks schools to build positive attitudes to reading alongside understanding. That is why this topic is about range as much as skill. The curriculum’s guidance expects children to listen to whole books read by their teacher, to choose books for themselves, using library services, and to read for different purposes: for pleasure, to find something out, to follow instructions, to enjoy a poem. They are also shown books that are structured in different ways, from chapter books to anthologies of short stories to reference books with contents pages and indexes.

Traditional stories are a big part of this stage. Fairy stories and folk tales usually involve ordinary people, magic and a lesson. A myth is a traditional story that explains something about the world or tells of gods and their dealings with people, such as the Greek myth of Persephone, which explains why we have seasons. A legend is a traditional tale about a hero, often loosely linked to a real person or place, such as stories of King Arthur or Robin Hood. Many classes practise retelling these stories aloud, in their own words, before writing them down.

Alongside this, children learn to spot themes and conventions. A theme is an idea that runs through a story, such as the triumph of good over evil, or the dangers of greed. A convention is a feature you expect in a particular kind of text. The curriculum’s guidance gives examples: a letter starts with a greeting, a diary is written in the first person, and instructions use numbering and headings. Schools choose which books and texts to study, so the stories and themes your child meets will depend on their class, but these are typical of the things children are asked to notice.

The last strand is using a dictionary to check the meaning of words that have been read. This isn’t about looking up every word, which would stop the story dead. It is about noticing a word that doesn’t make sense, trying to work it out from the sentence, and then checking. Over time it builds a bigger vocabulary and the habit of not skipping over what you don’t understand.

Words your child will hear

Fairy story: A traditional tale, often with magic, in which good usually wins.
Myth: A very old story that explains something about the world or tells of gods and heroes.
Legend: A traditional tale about a hero, often based loosely on real people or places.
Theme: A big idea in a story, such as greed, courage or friendship.
Convention: A feature you expect in a type of text, such as a greeting at the start of a letter.
Retell: Tell a story again in your own words, keeping the main events in order.
Reference book: A book you use to look things up rather than read from start to finish.

What the National Curriculum says

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

Develop positive attitudes to reading, and an understanding of what they read, by listening to and discussing a wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and reference books or textbooks
Develop positive attitudes to reading by reading books that are structured in different ways and reading for a range of purposes
Develop understanding of what they read by using dictionaries to check the meaning of words that they have read
Develop positive attitudes to reading by increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally
Develop understanding of what they read by identifying themes and conventions in a wide range of books

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

Try it: retelling a myth and spotting its theme

How could a child retell the myth of King Midas in their own words and say what its theme is?

Split the story into a beginning, a middle and an end, and note one key event for each. Versions differ, so use the one your child has heard.
In the version often told to children, Midas is a king who loves gold. A god offers him a wish and he asks that everything he touches should turn to gold.
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Beginning: Midas wishes for
gold at his touch.
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At first Midas is delighted, but then his food and drink turn to gold and he can’t eat. In some versions, his own daughter is turned to gold too.
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Middle: the wish goes wrong.
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Midas begs the god to take the gift back. He is told to wash in a river, and the power flows away.
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End: the gift is undone.
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Now talk about what the story is really about. It isn’t just “a king who touches things”. The theme is greed, and that getting everything you wish for can be dangerous. Retell it aloud, using words such as “once”, “but”, and “in the end” to join the parts together.
Check a word. If the version your child read uses a word they aren’t sure of, such as “granted” (as in “his wish was granted”) or “greed”, they try to work it out from the sentence, look it up in a dictionary and then explain it in their own words.

A good retelling covers the wish, how it goes wrong and how it is undone, in the right order and in the child’s own words. The theme is the danger of greed.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking a myth means something that is untrue

In everyday talk, “that’s a myth” means a false belief, so children assume myths in books are simply lies.

What helps: Explain that in literature a myth is a very old story that people told to explain the world or to pass on ideas. Compare it with a legend, which is a hero story often loosely based on real people or places.

Mixing up a theme with the plot

Plot is what happens; theme is what the story is about underneath. Children naturally describe events when asked what a story is about.

What helps: Ask “What is the story teaching us or showing us?” or “What word could be the title of the big idea?” Greed, courage, kindness and honesty are good places to start.

Thinking retelling means remembering every word

Children assume that to retell a story they must learn it by heart, which makes the task daunting and the result flat.

What helps: Focus on the main events in order. Draw a few pictures or use a story map, then tell it from those, adding detail as you speak. Telling it differently each time is fine.

Reading every kind of book the same way, from front to back

Stories are read from the first page, so children treat non-fiction and reference books the same way and get lost in them.

What helps: Show how to use the contents page, headings and the index to find just the part needed. A reference book is for dipping into.

How to help at home

Let your child choose. Visit the library regularly and let your child pick. Offer a gentle stretch, such as a book of myths or poems, alongside the favourites. Choice is part of building a reading habit.
Keep reading whole books aloud. Children in Years 3 and 4 still benefit from being read to. Share chapters of a longer book, including ones a little beyond what they can read alone, and talk about what happens.
Tell a traditional story. Tell or read a myth, legend or fairy tale at bedtime and then ask your child to tell it back in their own words. Notice the theme together: what is it really about?
Spot the conventions. Write a real letter to a relative, with a greeting and a sign-off, or keep a short diary in the first person. Look at a recipe or a set of instructions and notice the numbers and headings.
A word a day. When your child meets a word they don’t know, guess its meaning from the sentence, then check it in a dictionary. Choose one word a day to use in conversation.

Builds on

Year 2: Stories, poems and non-fiction
Year 2: Favourite words and poems by heart
Year 2: Understanding what we read
Year 2: Discussing books and poems

Leads on to

Years 5 and 6: Reading widely and recommending books
Years 5 and 6: Themes, comparisons and poetry
Years 5 and 6: Inference, prediction and summarising
Years 5 and 6: Figurative language, fact and opinion
Years 5 and 6: Discussing and debating books