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Words & vocabulary

Year 6 · Reading

Choose a word that preserves the exact action or meaning.

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 a short passage and identify a detail or word connected to this skill.
  2. Explain the choice using evidence from the words on the page.
  3. Agree on one useful improvement and try the example again.

Helping your child with words & vocabulary

The Year 6 focus

Year 6 readers and writers choose words for precision as well as variety. Precise word choices focuses on differences in action, duration and purpose. Glanced is not simply a more impressive replacement for looked: it contributes the idea of a brief look. Discuss what a reader would lose if the chosen word were replaced by a broader expression without considering its meaning.

Work through an example

Compare strolled with rushed in an account of someone approaching a meeting. Both describe movement, but their pace and possible implications differ. Explain which detail the sentence actually supports before choosing. Then replace a vague verb in a short piece of writing and check whether the more precise word preserves the intended meaning rather than introducing an unsupported idea.

Use the skill beyond the screen

Read the example in a complete sentence before deciding what the word contributes. A familiar part can provide a clue, but the context must still make sense. Afterwards, find another example in a real book and explain the meaning in ordinary words. A correct match is a starting point for discussion, rather than proof that every unfamiliar word can be decoded or understood independently.

Curriculum connection

Reading and writing use the shared Years 5–6 programme of study. These Year 6 practice choices provide one possible progression; schools can sequence the shared content differently. This collection offers selected practice rather than the complete programme. Read the official English programme of study.

Questions families ask

What does the game check?

It checks the prepared examples in this collection. Use real books and writing to explore the skill more widely.

Is this a separate statutory Year 6 programme?

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