Study type: Genre Study |
Status: Exemplar
Concepts
This study delivers 1 primary concept and 4 secondary concepts.
Primary concept: Reading for different purposes and structures (EN-Y4-C017)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 2/6
Pupils read books structured in different ways and read for a range of purposes including pleasure and information, understanding how text structure serves its purpose
Teaching guidance: Teach children to read for different purposes and to recognise how text structure supports purpose. Study how different types of texts are structured: chronological texts (recounts, instructions, narratives), non-chronological texts (reports, explanations, discussion texts), and reference texts (dictionaries, encyclopaedias, websites). Teach children to identify the purpose of a text and to select the appropriate reading strategy: reading for gist (skimming), reading for specific information (scanning), or reading for deep understanding (close reading).
Key vocabulary: purpose, structure, chronological, non-chronological, skim, scan, close reading, text type, audience, form
Common misconceptions: Children may read all texts at the same pace and with the same approach regardless of purpose. They may not recognise that the same topic can be presented in different text structures for different purposes. Some children struggle to switch between reading strategies, defaulting to reading everything from start to finish.
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Example task | Common errors |
| Entry | Recognising that different types of text look different and are read in different ways. | Look at these three texts: a story opening, a recipe, and a dictionary page. How is each one organised differently? | Describing only the content, not the structure; Not noticing presentational features like bold text or numbering |
| Developing | Reading different text types using appropriate strategies — skimming for gist, scanning for specific information, close reading for understanding. | You need to find out what year the Great Fire of London happened. Which reading strategy would you use with this encyclopaedia entry — and why wouldn't you read the whole thing? | Reading the entire text from start to finish regardless of purpose; Not knowing how to scan — reading slowly until they happen upon the answer |
| Expected | Understanding how text structure serves purpose and choosing the appropriate reading approach for different texts and purposes. | You have three texts about climate change: a newspaper article, a science textbook entry, and a poem. Explain how you would read each one differently and what you would expect to learn from each. | Approaching all three texts in the same way; Not recognising that a poem requires a different kind of reading from a textbook |
| Greater Depth | Evaluating how effectively a text's structure serves its purpose and suggesting how it could be reorganised for a different purpose or audience. | This information about rainforests is written as a report with subheadings. How would you restructure it if you wanted to persuade people to protect rainforests? | Suggesting minor changes (add pictures) rather than structural reorganisation; Not connecting structural choices to the change in purpose |
Model response (Entry): The story is written in paragraphs with long sentences. The recipe has a list of ingredients and numbered steps. The dictionary page has words in bold with definitions after them, in alphabetical order.
Model response (Developing): I would scan the text for a date, looking for numbers. I wouldn't read the whole thing because I only need one specific fact, and scanning is faster than reading every word.
Model response (Expected): The newspaper article — I would skim the headline and opening paragraph for the main news, then read more carefully if it is relevant. I'd expect recent events and opinions. The science textbook — I would use the subheadings to find the section I need, then read closely and take notes. I'd expect facts and explanations. The poem — I would read it slowly, more than once, paying attention to the language and imagery. I'd expect feelings and ideas rather than facts.
Model response (Greater Depth): The report presents facts neutrally under headings like 'Location' and 'Climate'. To make it persuasive, I would reorganise it to start with a shocking statistic about deforestation to hook the reader. Then I would use the facts about biodiversity and oxygen to build an emotional argument. I would add a section about what readers can do to help, and end with a powerful image or quote. The structure would move from problem to solution rather than listing facts.
Secondary concept: Language, structure and presentation contributing to meaning (EN-Y4-C029)
Type: Knowledge |
Teaching weight: 3/6
Pupils identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning, understanding how authors use these features to shape reader response
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Identifying basic presentational features in a non-fiction text and saying what they do. | Describing the content rather than the features; Not recognising that headings and diagrams serve a navigational purpose |
| Developing | Explaining how language and structural features contribute to meaning in both fiction and non-fiction. | Noticing short paragraphs but not connecting this to the effect on the reader; Describing the feature without analysing its purpose |
| Expected | Analysing how language, structure and presentation work together to shape the reader's response in a variety of text types. | Comparing content rather than language and presentation; Not connecting the differences to the different purposes of each text |
| Greater Depth | Evaluating whether structural and presentational choices are effective for their intended purpose and audience, suggesting improvements. | Evaluating the design but not the language, or vice versa; Suggesting improvements that do not relate to the specific audience |
Secondary concept: Retrieving and recording information from non-fiction (EN-Y4-C030)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 2/6
Pupils retrieve and record information from non-fiction, knowing what information they need before beginning and using contents pages and indexes to locate it efficiently
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Finding a specific piece of information in a non-fiction text using the contents page or index. | Flipping through the book randomly rather than using the index; Looking for the exact phrase 'elephant migration' and not finding it because it is listed differently |
| Developing | Retrieving information from a non-fiction text and recording it using key words and brief notes rather than copying. | Copying whole sentences from the text; Writing notes that are too brief to be useful later |
| Expected | Researching a question that requires information from multiple sections or sources, selecting relevant information and paraphrasing it. | Using only one source when asked for two; Not noting differences between sources |
| Greater Depth | Cross-referencing information from multiple sources, evaluating consistency and reliability, and presenting findings in an organised format. | Presenting all information without organising it around the research question; Accepting all sources as equally reliable without evaluation |
Secondary concept: Paragraphing in composition (EN-Y4-C045)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 3/6
Pupils organise writing into paragraphs around a theme, grouping related sentences together, building on the introduction to paragraphs in Year 3
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Understanding that a new paragraph signals a change and grouping related sentences together. | Starting a new paragraph after every sentence; Not recognising time, place or topic changes as paragraph triggers |
| Developing | Planning writing in paragraphs before drafting, with each paragraph focused on one main idea or event. | Planning one long paragraph rather than four focused ones; Paragraphs that overlap in content |
| Expected | Organising extended writing into well-structured paragraphs in both narrative and non-narrative texts, using paragraph breaks appropriately for changes in time, place, topic or speaker. | Uneven paragraphs — one very long, others very short; Breaking paragraphs in the middle of an idea |
| Greater Depth | Using paragraph length deliberately for effect, and linking paragraphs with cohesive devices. | Using one-sentence paragraphs so often they lose their impact; Not connecting the paragraph-length choice to the intended effect |
Secondary concept: Organisational devices in non-narrative writing (EN-Y4-C047)
Type: Skill |
Teaching weight: 2/6
Pupils structure non-fiction writing using simple organisational devices such as headings and sub-headings, understanding that these serve the reader
Differentiation
| Level | What success looks like | Common errors |
| Entry | Using headings and subheadings to organise a simple non-fiction text. | Forgetting to include subheadings; Subheadings that do not match the content beneath them |
| Developing | Choosing appropriate organisational devices for different non-fiction text types. | Using the same devices for all text types; Adding devices after writing rather than using them to organise from the start |
| Expected | Using a range of organisational devices purposefully to aid the reader's navigation and understanding. | Using devices decoratively rather than functionally; Not explaining why each device serves the reader |
| Greater Depth | Evaluating which organisational devices best serve a specific purpose and audience, adapting choices accordingly. | Changing content but not organisational devices; Not recognising that different audiences need different navigational support |
Thinking lens: Perspective and Interpretation (primary)
Key question: Whose perspective is this, what shapes it, and what might be missing?
Why this lens fits: Reading aloud own writing and evaluating it requires adopting the perspective of the intended audience, asking whether the effect intended by the writer is the effect experienced by the reader.
Question stems for KS2:
Who wrote or made this, and why?
What might they have left out?
How does this account compare to another version of the same event?
What experience or belief might have shaped this person's view?
Secondary lens: Evidence and Argument — Evaluating writing requires using the text itself as evidence — pupils assess whether the words on the page achieve the intended effect, then edit based on that judgement with criteria as the argumentative standard.
Session structure: Text Study
Text Study
A reading-to-writing cycle for primary and KS3 English. Begins with shared or guided reading of a high-quality text, moves through analysis of language features and authorial choices, builds vocabulary, then scaffolds the writing process from planning through drafting to editing and publication.
shared_reading →
analysis →
vocabulary →
planning →
drafting →
editing
Assessment: Final written outcome in the genre studied, demonstrating understanding of text features, appropriate vocabulary use, and effective application of the writing process.
Teacher note: Use the TEXT STUDY template: share a quality text and guide pupils to analyse the author's choices — vocabulary, sentence structure, and literary techniques. Build subject-specific vocabulary through discussion. Support pupils in planning and drafting their own writing, applying techniques they have identified. Include time for editing and improving their work.
KS2 question stems:
What effect does the author create with this word or phrase?
Why did the author structure the text this way?
What technique could you borrow for your own writing?
How could you improve this section of your draft?
Text type and features
Text type: Non Fiction
Features to teach: subheadings, topic sentences, technical vocabulary, present tense, formal register, diagrams and captions
Writing outcome: Write a non-chronological report (400-600 words) with subheadings, topic sentences, and integrated diagrams
Grammar focus: paragraphs to organise ideas around a theme, expanded noun phrases, Standard English verb inflections
(from Y4 Appendix 2)
Literary terms: formal register, topic sentence, technical vocabulary, third person
Suggested texts
DK Eyewitness books (topic-relevant) by DK — Clear non-fiction layout with excellent organisational features
National Geographic Kids articles by Various — Accessible online articles with subheadings and diagrams
Genre
Report: Texts that present factual information organised by topic rather than chronologically. A core non-fiction form across KS1-KS3 that develops research, retrieval, and organisational skills. Cross-curricular by nature: report writing in English draws on content from Science, Geography, and History.
Why this study matters
Non-chronological reports develop pupils' ability to organise factual information logically using subheadings, topic sentences, and technical vocabulary. The cross-curricular link to Science or Geography provides authentic content for report writing, ensuring pupils write with genuine knowledge rather than padding. Retrieval and recording skills are also explicitly statutory at Y4.
Pitfalls to avoid
Reports become lists of copied facts rather than synthesised and reorganised information
Subheadings used as decoration rather than as genuine organisational tools for the reader
Technical vocabulary inserted without understanding, leading to inaccurate usage
Cross-curricular opportunities
| Link | Subject | Connection | Strength |
| Data Handling with Spreadsheets | Computing | Using digital tools for research and presentation | Moderate |
| Rivers and the Water Cycle | Geography | Reports on countries, rivers, or geographical features | Strong |
| Human Body: Digestion and Teeth | Science | Non-chronological reports on habitats, states of matter, or the digestive system | Strong |
Reading and writing skills (KS2)
These disciplinary skills should be woven through teaching, not taught in isolation:
Language choices and their effects — Identify and explain how the author's choice of specific words and phrases enhances or shapes meaning, considering the connotations, imagery and deliberate effects created by those linguistic choices.
Information retrieval from simple texts — Find and report specific information or key facts from a short piece of fiction or non-fiction, identifying the part of the text where the answer is located.
Prediction from text clues — Predict what is likely to happen next in a story or sequence of events, drawing on what has already been read and on prior knowledge of similar texts and situations.
Comparing and contrasting across texts — Compare and contrast the content, style, purpose and viewpoint of two or more texts on related themes, synthesising evidence from multiple sources to construct an evaluative response that goes beyond listing similarities and differences.
Prediction from stated and implied details — Predict what might happen next or later in a text on the basis of information both explicitly stated and strongly implied, drawing on the internal logic of the narrative or argument.
Making comparisons within a text — Make comparisons between different characters, events, viewpoints or sections within a single text, identifying similarities and differences and explaining what these comparisons reveal about meaning or theme.
Vocabulary word mat
| adverbial | A word, phrase, or clause that works like an adverb, telling when, where, how, or why something happened. |
| audience |
| author's choice | A deliberate decision made by the writer about language, structure, or content. |
| bullet point | A dot or symbol (•) used to introduce items in a list, making information clear and easy to scan. |
| caption | A short piece of text beneath an image or photograph that explains what it shows. |
| chronological | Arranged in the order in which events happened, from earliest to latest. |
| close reading | Reading a text very carefully and slowly, paying attention to every word and detail. |
| cohesion | The way ideas in a text are linked together using connectives, pronouns, and repeated words. |
| compare | To examine similarities and differences between texts, characters, or ideas. |
| cross-reference | To compare information from different parts of a text or from different sources. |
| diagram | A labelled drawing or visual representation used to explain information in non-fiction texts. |
| effect | The result or impact of something; in writing, the response a technique creates in the reader. |
| form |
| heading |
| key words | The most important words in a text, question, or topic that help focus understanding. |
| language |
| layout |
| link |
| main idea |
| navigation |
| non-chronological | Not arranged in time order; organised by topic, theme, or category instead. |
| non-fiction |
| note-taking | Writing brief, organised notes while reading or listening, capturing key points. |
| organise |
| paragraph |
| paraphrase | To restate the meaning of a text in your own words while keeping the original meaning. |
| place |
| presentation |
| purpose |
| record |
| research |
| retrieve |
| scan |
| skim |
| source |
| speaker |
| structure |
| subheading |
| table | A way of organising information in rows and columns for easy reference. |
| technique | A specific method or approach used by a writer to achieve a particular effect. |
| text box |
| text feature | A structural element of a non-fiction text such as headings, bullet points, captions, diagrams, or glossaries. |
| text type |
| time |
| topic |
| topic sentence |
| report |
| technical vocabulary |
| glossary |
Prior knowledge (retrieval plan)
Pupils should already know the following from earlier units:
| Prior knowledge needed | For concept | Description |
| Reading for different purposes | Reading for different purposes and structures | Pupils experience and understand different text structures and read for a range of purposes, incl... |
| Language, structure and presentation contributing to meaning | Language, structure and presentation contributing to meaning | Pupils understand how authors use language choices, text structure and presentational features to... |
| Retrieving and recording information from non-fiction | Retrieving and recording information from non-fiction | Pupils locate specific information in non-fiction texts using contents pages and indexes, knowing... |
| Paragraphing in composition | Paragraphing in composition | Pupils organise writing into paragraphs around a theme, grouping related sentences together |
| Organisational devices in non-narrative writing | Organisational devices in non-narrative writing | Pupils structure non-fiction writing using simple organisational devices such as headings and sub... |
Scaffolding and inclusion (Y4)
| Reading level | Fluent Reader (Emerging) (Lexile 300–500) |
| Text-to-speech | Available |
| Max sentence length | 18 words |
| Vocabulary | Curriculum vocabulary expected to be known (with in-context reminder). Some academic vocabulary (e.g., 'evidence', 'conclusion') acceptable. Technical terms in context. |
| Scaffolding level | Moderate |
| Hint tiers | 3 tiers |
| Session length | 15–25 minutes |
| Worked examples | Required — Text-based with inline questions. Not fully narrated — child reads the example. |
| Feedback tone | Respectful And Precise |
| Normalize struggle | Yes |
| Example correct feedback | Your inference was correct — the text never said the character was nervous, but you worked it out from the clues: the short sentences and the word 'paced'. That is sophisticated reading. |
| Example error feedback | This is a common misconception: plants do not get their food from the soil — they make it from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. The soil provides minerals, but food is made in the leaves. |
Knowledge organiser
Key terms:
non-chronological
report
subheading
topic sentence
technical vocabulary
diagram
caption
glossary
Core facts (expected standard):
Reading for different purposes and structures: Understanding how text structure serves purpose and choosing the appropriate reading approach for different texts and purposes.
Graph context
Node type: EnglishUnit |
Study ID: EU-EN-Y4-005
Concept IDs:
EN-Y4-C017: Reading for different purposes and structures (primary)
EN-Y4-C029: Language, structure and presentation contributing to meaning
EN-Y4-C030: Retrieving and recording information from non-fiction
EN-Y4-C045: Paragraphing in composition
EN-Y4-C047: Organisational devices in non-narrative writing
Cypher query:
``cypher
MATCH (ts:EnglishUnit {unit_id: 'EU-EN-Y4-005'})
-[:DELIVERS_VIA]->(c:Concept)
-[:HAS_DIFFICULTY_LEVEL]->(dl)
RETURN c.name, dl.label, dl.description
``
Generated from the UK Curriculum Knowledge Graph — zero LLM generation.