What are explanation skills?
Explanation skills are the ability to understand and explain how different parts of a text work together to create meaning. These skills help children to:
Understand not only what happens in a story but also why it happens
- Spot themes and patterns in the story
- Think about the features of non-fiction books
- Think about ‘author intent’ – why the author has chosen to include certain words, events, themes or features
How you can help your child at home
Explanation reading questions:
- Why has the page been laid out like this?
- How does this feature (for example a diagram, title, subheading or glossary) help you to understand this page?
- What is this feature for?
- The character’s mood has changed. Find words that tell you this.
- How does this word make you feel?
- Which section was the most interesting/ exciting part? Why?
- How does the author help you to understand the character’s feelings?
- What does the author think about this? How do you know?
Explanation activities
Look at non-fiction books
Pick a short non-fiction book, for example on space or animals. Help your child to understand that a non-fiction book does not need to be read in order. Instead, they should use the contents page to help them to find the parts that interest them.
As you read, find features such as: headings, captions, diagrams, lists, glossary, index, contents page. Ask: “Why is this included? How does it help you understand the topic?”
Sorting texts
Have a look around your house and try to find lots of different types of texts, such as:
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Fiction (story) books
- Non-fiction (information) books
- Comics
- Recipes
- Instructions
- Adverts
If you can’t find these at home, don’t worry — you can use the images below.
Next, look carefully at each text and ask yourself: Why did the author write this? How can I tell?
Now, sort the texts into categories to show their purpose:
To persuade someone to do something
To give information
To entertain
Favourite Authors
Help your child to choose a favourite author that they like to read.
Use the school library or your local library to borrow a few books by that author. Talk to them about things that are similar in these books:
Ask: “What do you like about this author? What does the author like to write about? Are there similar events, settings or characters in each book?”
Support your child in finding out more about the author, using the internet or the ‘about the author’ section of the book.
Ask: “How does knowing more about the author help us understand why they write this way?”
Author template
Use our author template to help you identify the genres and themes that your favourite author explores in their books.
Click on the worksheet to open it full size.
