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Explaining & discussing

Year 5 · Speaking & listening

Match a claim to the evidence that directly supports it.

Choose a game

Take your time, try a game and collect stars.

Activities to try together away from the screen

Take it beyond the game

Use one example in a real piece of reading, writing or discussion.

  1. Choose an example and explain it to a partner who can listen and respond.
  2. Invite a relevant question, then clarify or develop the explanation.
  3. Agree on one useful improvement and try the example again.

Helping your child with explaining & discussing

The Year 5 focus

Year 5 explanations and discussions should distinguish a claim from evidence that supports it. Claims and support pairs a specific statement with a direct observation, recorded result or detail in a supplied text. The examples do not establish universal rules: four groups succeeding with revised instructions support a claim about that group and task, rather than proving that nobody could ever find the instructions confusing.

Work through an example

For the library example, explain that recorded visits increasing from twenty to thirty-five support greater use during the trial. They do not automatically establish why the increase happened. Ask what other information would be needed to discuss a cause. Encourage precise wording about what a result shows, what it suggests and what still needs checking.

Use the skill beyond the screen

After a match, explain the connection to a listening partner using your own words. The partner can ask a relevant question or offer a different idea to consider. Several real discussions have more than one defensible answer; this game uses carefully prepared examples with a clear intended link. The website checks those links, while thoughtful listening, turn-taking and spoken clarity need feedback from people.

Curriculum connection

Spoken-language requirements are shared across Years 1–6. These tasks prepare selected skills at a level intended for Year 5. Read the official English programme of study.

Questions families ask

What does the game check?

It checks a prepared connection between ideas or evidence. A real discussion can include other defensible views and needs a listening partner.

Is this a separate statutory Year 5 programme?

The National Curriculum groups reading and writing in Years 5 and 6. These Year 5 examples provide a practice progression within that shared programme; schools can sequence the content differently. Spoken-language requirements apply across Years 1–6.