Read non-fiction carefully

Hi, I am Bea! Find information in a report, recognise purpose and separate what the evidence shows from an opinion. Foundation to core; Years 3–5.

Read first

Original reading text. Use the paragraph or line labels to find evidence.

A quiet corner for reading

The project and figures are invented teaching data, not research findings.

P2.1 — The question. At Merefield Primary, pupils wanted to find out whether a quiet reading corner would be useful at lunchtime. The library was open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but some pupils wanted somewhere to read on the other three school days. The school council suggested trying a corner of the covered courtyard.

P2.2 — The trial. For two weeks, volunteers put out a mat, two benches and a box of books each lunchtime. A teacher supervised the area. Signs asked visitors to speak quietly and return books to the box. The corner remained open to everyone; bringing a book from home was optional.

P2.3 — What was recorded. Volunteers counted visits, not individual children. They recorded 18 visits on the first Monday and 27 on the second Monday. Because the same child could visit more than once, these figures cannot tell us how many different children used the corner. On one wet Wednesday, the mat stayed damp and the teacher moved the session indoors.

P2.4 — What people said. “It is the best place in school,” said one pupil. Others liked being able to read with a friend. Two volunteers said that carrying the benches took too long. The school council suggested keeping the books near the courtyard and finding seats that were easier to move. It has not yet decided whether the corner will become permanent.

Short lesson

Non-fiction can inform, explain, instruct or persuade. A text may do more than one, so look at its main purpose and the audience it addresses. A heading is a signpost: use it to locate a detail, then read the paragraph properly.

A factual claim can be checked against evidence. An opinion expresses a judgement, preference or belief. Being printed in a report does not automatically make a statement reliable. In a fictional report, we can still distinguish checkable statements from opinions within its imagined setting.

Be careful with the size of a claim. Visits are not necessarily visitors. One pupil's view is not everyone's view. A proposal is not a completed decision. When reporting evidence, keep the original limit instead of silently making the claim larger.

Worked example

Question: Has the school decided to keep the corner permanently?

P2.4 says it has not yet decided. The suggested improvements show interest, but they do not prove a final decision. “The school will definitely keep it” changes a possibility into certainty.

To find how the corner worked, use the heading “The trial”, not the paragraph containing pupils' opinions.

Common mistakes

Do not bring in your own school's rules as if they appear in the passage. The answer to “What does this report say?” must come from this report. The invented figures are for reading practice; they are not evidence about real children's reading habits.

Try it

Have a go on paper or say your answer aloud, then open the answer.

Foundation
On which two days was the library already open? Use P2.1.
Show answer 1
Tuesdays and Thursdays (P2.1). These are the existing library days, not an answer about how long the trial lasts.
Foundation
Give two things visitors were asked to do during the trial. Use P2.2.
Show answer 2
Speak quietly and return books to the box (P2.2). Bringing a book from home is optional, not a required action.
Core
Which is an opinion: “The trial lasted two weeks” or “It is the best place in school”? Explain the distinction.
Show answer 3
“It is the best place in school” is an opinion: best expresses a personal judgement. The trial's duration is a checkable statement within the fictional report. Being a quotation does not automatically make something an opinion; its content matters.
Core
A reader claims, “Exactly 27 different children used the corner on the second Monday.” Why is that not supported by P2.3? Write a more accurate statement.
Show answer 4
The volunteers count visits, not different children; a child may visit more than once (P2.3). Accurate statement: “There were 27 recorded visits on the second Monday.” Do not convert this to “at least 27 children” either.
Stretch
Explain the report's main purpose. Then suggest one useful question the council should investigate before deciding whether to keep the corner. Link the question to a limitation or problem in the report.
Show answer 5
The main purpose is to inform readers about the trial and what was learned or still needs deciding. It reports aims, arrangements, observations and mixed responses rather than simply advertising the corner. Useful questions include: How many different pupils use it? Can a dry space be provided in wet weather? How can furniture be moved safely and quickly? Accept another question clearly linked to P2.2–P2.4. A personal preference with no investigation question is incomplete.

Printable revision box

Use your browser’s Print command to print this box or save it as a PDF. Practice answers stay off the printout.

Bea’s tip: Keep the size of the claim the same: visits are not necessarily different visitors.

Remember

Use headings to locate information; reread the paragraph.
Separate checkable claims, personal judgements and proposals.
Keep limits such as some, could and not yet.

Check yourself

Does your answer preserve words such as some, could and not yet? Would a reader mistake a suggestion for a fact after reading your summary?