Question 1
"This article only quotes people who agree with its argument, so it may not be fully balanced."
💡 This judges HOW trustworthy or balanced the source is, not just what it says.
Year 6 — Reading
Text types
Read non-fiction and poetry with full KS2 confidence, recognising conventions and reading between the lines in both forms.
Understand
By Year 6, reading non-fiction means evaluating how RELIABLE and BALANCED it is, not just understanding facts. Reading poetry means noticing how form (line breaks, structure, rhythm) works together with imagery to create meaning.
“A newspaper article citing only one expert's opinion, with no opposing view, may be less balanced than one presenting multiple perspectives.”
This is evaluative reading — not just understanding WHAT the article says, but judging HOW reliable and balanced its approach is, a more sophisticated skill than simply retrieving information.
Spot it
What reading skill is being used here?
Question 2
"The poem's short, fragmented lines mirror the character's fractured, panicked thoughts."
💡 This connects the poem's structure (short lines) to its emotional meaning.
Question 3
"The report presents statistics from three independent studies."
💡 Using multiple independent sources is generally a marker of stronger, more reliable non-fiction.
Think about it
Why might a confident, well-written non-fiction text still be unreliable or one-sided?
Try it
Evaluate the non-fiction text.
An article claims a new diet is 'proven to work for everyone', citing only a single case study of one person.
Question 1
Why might this article's claim be unreliable?
💡 Think about whether one example can really support such a broad, sweeping claim.
Practise
Evaluate the text or identify the poetic technique.
Question 1
Why might a text citing sources from multiple different experts be more reliable?
Question 2
"The poem's single, unbroken sentence stretches across the whole stanza, mirroring an unstoppable flow of memory." What is being analysed?
Question 3
A text that only presents one side of an argument is...
Question 4
In one word, what should a strong reader evaluate about a non-fiction text, beyond just its facts?
💡 It's emphasised throughout the Understand section.
Question 5
Line breaks in poetry can be used to...
Question 6
Why is good, confident writing not the same as reliable writing?
Apply
Read the passage, then answer the questions below.
"Screen time is destroying childhood," the article declares, citing a single unnamed study. It offers no statistics, no counterargument, and no acknowledgement that screens can also support learning. Meanwhile, a poem on the same theme reads: 'Glass rectangles glow / in darkened rooms, small faces lit / by borrowed, blue-white suns.'
Question 1
Why might the non-fiction article be considered unreliable?
💡 Consider what's missing from the article's approach.
Question 2
What effect does the metaphor 'borrowed, blue-white suns' create in the poem?
Question 3
What phrase describes the faces in the poem?
💡 It's the middle part of the poem's second line.
Challenge
Write an evaluative paragraph (three to four sentences) explaining why the article about screen time is unreliable, using specific evidence from the passage.
Review
A quick mastery check — 3 questions.
Question 1
Evaluating a non-fiction text's reliability means judging...
Question 2
In poetry, line breaks and structure can...
Question 3
A text presenting only one viewpoint may be considered...