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Years 5 and 6 English · Key Stage 2 · Reading – comprehension

Years 5 and 6 reading: themes, comparing books and learning poetry

In Years 5 and 6 reading goes beyond what happens in a story. Children learn to spot the big ideas, called themes, that run through writing, and to compare characters, settings and books with one another. They also learn a wider range of poetry by heart and prepare poems and plays to read aloud, using their voices to show that they understand the meaning. These skills prepare children for the closer analysis of texts they will do in secondary school.

Themes, comparisons and poetry, explained

A theme is an idea that a piece of writing keeps coming back to, such as loss, courage, friendship or fairness. It is different from the plot, which is what happens, and from the topic, which is what the story is about on the surface. A story about a dog that goes missing has a plot (the search) and a topic (a lost pet), but its theme might be hope or loyalty. Children learn to identify themes and to explain which details in the text lead them to that idea. They also learn the conventions of different kinds of writing, such as a diary being written in the first person with a date at the top.

Comparing is the second skill. Children are asked to compare within a book, for example how a character changes from the start to the end, and across books, such as two heroes, two settings or two accounts of the same event told by different people. Good comparison goes beyond saying that two things are alike or different. It uses connecting words such as “whereas” and “in the same way”, and gives evidence for each point from both texts.

The curriculum also asks children to learn a wider range of poetry by heart. Learning a poem by heart makes children notice how the words, rhythm and rhyme fit together. Schools choose the poems, usually a mix of older and modern ones and of serious and funny ones. Your child may bring home a poem to learn over a few weeks.

Finally, children prepare poems and plays to read aloud and perform. The curriculum says they should show that they understand the meaning through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience. In practice that means deciding where to pause, which words to stress, when to speed up, soften or get louder, and how the speaker feels. A performance is a form of comprehension: you can’t read a line with the right feeling unless you know what it means.

Words your child will hear

Theme
A big idea that a text keeps returning to, such as loss or courage.
Convention
A feature readers expect in a type of writing, like a date and “I” in a diary.
Compare
To look at how two things are alike and how they differ, using evidence.
Intonation
The rise and fall of the voice when speaking.
Tone
The mood or attitude in the voice or writing, such as gentle, cross or playful.
Stanza
A group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph.
By heart
Learned so well that you can say it without looking at the words.

What the National Curriculum says

In Years 5 and 6, pupils should be taught to:

  • Maintain positive attitudes to reading by identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing
  • Maintain positive attitudes to reading by making comparisons within and across books
  • Maintain positive attitudes to reading by learning a wider range of poetry by heart
  • Maintain positive attitudes to reading by 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

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

Try it: finding a theme and making a comparison

In a short story, Mina’s grandfather has died. Near the start the writer says: “She refused to let anyone wash his scarf, and wore it every day.” The last line is: “She wrapped the scarf around her baby cousin and smiled.” What is the theme, and how could it be compared with another text?

  1. Start with what happens, in a sentence: Mina keeps her grandfather’s scarf after his death and finally passes it on to a baby.
  2. Ask what the events seem to say about life, rather than just what they are. The scarf stands for her love for him. Giving it away shows that she has found a way to keep his memory without holding on to it.
  3. Name the theme as an idea, not a sentence about the plot: loss, and the way love can be passed on.
  4. Back it up with evidence: “She refused to let anyone wash his scarf” shows that she is clinging to him, and “She wrapped the scarf around her baby cousin and smiled” shows that she is ready to share his memory.
  5. Compare with a second text. If another story also deals with loss, for instance a poem in which the speaker keeps a memory alive, ask how the theme is handled in each. Whereas Mina’s story shows grief through an object and an action, the poem might show it through images and rhythm.

The theme is loss and the way love is passed on. The evidence is the scarf: Mina clings to it at first, and by the end she gives it to a baby.

Common mistakes and how to help

Retelling the plot when asked for the theme

Plot is the easiest thing to remember and describe, so children give a summary of the story and stop.

What helps: Prompt with “what is the author saying about life?” and suggest single-word answers such as friendship or courage. Then ask which part of the story made them think of it.

Believing a text has only one correct theme

Children are used to questions with one right answer, so they look for what the teacher wants.

What helps: Explain that several themes may be present and that a theme is a good answer if it is supported by evidence from the text. Ask them to find a second theme in a book they know.

Comparing by listing two separate descriptions

Children write about one book and then the other, without making a link between them.

What helps: Show them how to use linking words: “both”, “whereas”, “unlike”, “in the same way”. Try a two-column table and draw lines between points that match.

Reciting a poem quickly and flatly

Children focus on remembering the words and rush to get through them, and may worry about getting it wrong.

What helps: Once the words are secure, ask them what each stanza is about and how the speaker feels. Mark pauses and stressed words in pencil, and practise one line in three different tones.

How to help at home

  • Talk about the big idea. After a film or a book, ask “what was it really about?” Aim for one or two words such as bravery, being different or forgiveness. Then ask what made your child think so.
  • Compare two characters. Choose two characters from two different stories and make a simple chart of how they are alike and different. Ask your child how each one changes over the course of their story.
  • Learn a short poem together. Choose a poem you both like, learn a line or two each day and say it at tea time or on the school run. Learning together makes it more fun, and it is surprising how quickly it sticks.
  • Perform it. Let your child read a poem or a scene from a play to the family. Encourage them to try different voices, speeds and volumes and to explain the choices. Praise the clarity, as well as the confidence.

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