Finding and retrieving information
Finding information and retrieving it is a very important reading skill.
It enables you to answer questions about a text.
For example:
Fatima had black hair, brown eyes and glasses.
Q - What colour hair did Fatima have?
Fatima had 'black hair'. It tells us that in the sentence.
Watch: Finding the facts
Learn how to find facts in a text with Mr Firth
[THEME MUSIC][SCHOOL BELL RING]
Hello, I am Mr. Firth and we're going to look at some of the skills we use when we're reading to find facts.
We all love reading, don't we?
When we're reading, we're using so many different skills.
One of the main skills we use is retrieval.
This sounds harder than it actually is.
One of the main ways we can explain retrieval is that you find the information and then you retrieve it.
Let's have a look at how we can do this.
Here is some information about the local leisure centre.
When we look at this screen, there seems to be a lot of information.
However, if we look closely we can see that the information has been organised clearly to help us navigate our way through as a reader.
Look, can you see that there is a title?
Then, we have a short introduction.
A table to sort the information for us.
And lastly, a closing statement to tie up all of the loose ends.
I love when a table is included.
It just makes everything seem easy to understand.
What do you think?
Okay, let's read through the information on the table.
When looking at the table like this it's always best to read all of the information first.
Put me on pause if you'd like to have a proper read.
Okay?
Let's start to retrieve information.
I'm going to skim and scan.
Do you remember how to do that?
You choose a finger and starting at the first word move your finger across from left to right skimming and scanning.
You can practise with the table on your screen now.
OK, when we skim and scan, we're looking for any information that jumps out.
I should look for dates, numbers, days or months, names of people and places and anything underlined or in bold.
That's a lot to remember, but usually retrieval questions require us to be able to find facts quickly.
Remember, when skimming and scanning for names of days, months, people and places, they always begin with capital letters.
So, they're easy to spot.
Let's put all of this into practice.
Who has written this notice?
The question starts with "who". So, let's have a look for names.
Yes, there is one in the title, Bitesize Leisure Centre.
If we skim and scan again, at the bottom of the screen it repeats the same name.
So, the answer to "Who wrote this notice?" is Bitesize Leisure Centre.
Next fact to find: When does the reduced timetable start?
OK, this question starts with "when". So, maybe we need to look for a day or date.
Have a look. You could put me on pause if you want.
Let's take a look.
I can see 28th September 2020, the days of the week, Monday, 5th October 2020.
Which one of those answers the question?
Yes, it's week beginning 28th of September 2020.
Next: What days can I go swimming?
OK, let's skim and scan.
Did you find it in the table?
Yes, you can swim on Monday to Thursday.
Great work everyone.
I think we have time to look at one more reading skill – that's how to summarise what we've read.
Summarising means being able to sum up what's happened in a few words.
When we summarise we do not repeat the whole story, but we do need to be precise.
Let's have a try.
I've summarised a story that I think you'll all know.
I'm going to show you five short statements and I want you to guess which story it is:
Going to visit Grandma – wear red cape.
Cupcakes packed – walk through forest.
Is someone watching me?
Don't talk to strangers.
Grandma is in bed. Big ears, big eyes, big… It's not Grandma!
What story do you think it is?
Yes, it's Little Red Riding Hood.
Usually it takes a longer time to read the story, but I chose some of the key events and you guessed it.
Why don't you have a go?
Choose a story you know really well and see if you can summarise the main points like I did.
It's great fun.
If I had to summarise how well you've done today I'd say:
Top skimmers and scanners, retrieval skills sorted, summary nailed. Well done everyone!
For more help, challenges and games on this subject visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize
Skimming and scanning
In order to find the answers to questions you have to skim and scan a text.
That means moving your eyes along the lines from left to right looking for the key information you need.
If the question asks:
‘When…’ - you will need to scan for a time or date.
‘Where…’ - you will need to scan for a place.
‘Who…’ - you will need to scan for a name.
Top tip!
Remember if you are looking for the name of a person or place it will start with a capital letter.
This will make it easier to spot too!
Activity 1
We can retrieve information from videos of stories as well as written texts.
Watch the video which shows Part 1 of Jack and the Beanstalk .
Then answer the retrieval questions below and write your answers down on paper.
You can play the video as many times as you like to find the answers.
Watch Part 1 of the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' story
Once upon a time, there was a young boy called Jack who lived in a little village with his Ma.
It was a beautiful, sunny day and Jack was lying in the long, green grass under the shade of a leafy tree.His eyes were shut, but he wasn't asleep.There was a happy, beaming smile on Jack's face because he was having the most wonderful daydream ever.
In his daydream, Jack was opening the door of the kitchen cupboards.The shelves were full of the most delicious food you could imagine.On the top shelf sat freshly-baked loaves of bread and ripe yellow cheeses.On the middle shelf were big bowls of juicy apples and pears.The bottom shelf was covered with creamy cakes and ginger biscuits.Mmmm, it all smelt delicious!
Jack was about to tuck into the best meal of his life when his daydream came to a sudden end.
"Jack, where are you?" cried Ma's voice. "It's suppertime!"
Jack opened his eyes with a sigh and stood up.His clothes were ragged and his shoes were full of holes.As he walked towards home, he could feel them trying to fall off his feet.As for his tummy, he felt so hungry, he could hear it rumbling.
The tiny cottage where Jack lived was almost empty.The truth was he and Ma and all the other villagers were very poor.They were so hungry they had been forced to sell their furniture to get money for food.There were no beds, or tables or chairs.All that was left were the cupboards in the kitchen.
Jack and his Ma peered inside.The shelves weren't full of yummy food as they had been in Jack's daydream – in fact, the cupboard was almost empty.On the top shelf sat a tiny, mouldy piece of cheese.On the second shelf a rotten apple core and on the third was a pair of smelly old socks.
"I wondered where they had got to," said Jack.
"We can't eat mouldy cheese, rotten apple cores and socks!" said Ma."We've spent all our money and there's nothing left. How are we going to buy food to eat?If we don't do something soon, we'll starve!"
1. What was Jack doing at the start of the story?
2. What was on Jack's face?
3. What was on the top shelf of the cupboard?
4. Who woke Jack up from his daydream?
5. Where did Jack live?
6. What have Jack and Ma done with all the money?
See how many you got right by checking this answer sheet.
Activity 2
Read the character description of a school caretaker called Mr Simmons.
Then try answering the retrieval questions in the interactive quiz which is below the text.
You can go back and read the passage as many times as you like to find the answers.
Remember to use your skimming and scanning skills. Move your eyes over the page from left to right trying to find the key information from the questions, one at a time.
Mr Simmons was the caretaker of Dillon Road Primary School. He was small, had white grey hair, round spectacles and always wore the same white overalls. He had been there for as long as anybody could remember.
He could often be found with his old yellow bucket and mop cleaning the corridors. Children would run in from play time, leaving shoe marks and muddy footprints and Mr Simmons would tut, roll his eyes and clean up the mess. Although he was always hard at work, and never really spoke to anyone, he loved his job.
At the end of the day, once everyone went home, he would clean classrooms and leave happy messages on the whiteboards for children and teachers to find in the morning. If ever he found a missing jumper, a lost toy or hidden sweets (which were not allowed) he would always find who they belonged to (and wouldn’t tell you off). If ever he saw anyone who was sad or upset, he would pull funny faces through windows or round doorways in order to make them smile.
Activity 3
Now its time to complete Mr Firth’s story summarising challenge he set at 05:05 in the Teacher Talk clip at the start of this lesson. You can go back and watch that part of the video again if you wish.
He explained in the video how we can summarise information by just saying the key points.
The key points are the most important parts of a story that you need to know in order for the story to make sense.
First, choose a story you know well. It could be Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood or Jack and the Beanstalk for example.
Then write a short summary of the story in less than ten sentences. You still need to include all the key information.
For example: The Three Little Pigs
A house made of straw.
A house made of sticks.
'Let me come in!'
'Not by the hairs on our chinny chin chin!'
The houses are blown down.
A house made of bricks.
The house survived.
When you have written your summary, find a friend or family member at home and read it to them.
Can they guess what the story is you are summarising?
If they can’t, you have not included all the key information. Go back and add any details you missed and then see if they can guess it.
Play our fun English game Crystal Explorers! game
Use grammar, punctuation and spelling skills to explore jungles, caves and tombs on your mission.
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