Level 5
Vincent and Erin had spent the night at a spot next to an old shed. Vincent had slept in a swag, and Erin slept leaning up against a swaying gum tree. Vincent had told Erin that he was going to help her get back to her flock. She had gotten lost on her way back from collecting seeds for her chicks in the scrub. As she was collecting seeds, she had run into Vincent as he drank from the stream. Erin felt glad that she had him to help her get back to her flock and her chicks.
Erin had been for a long stroll from her flock to collect seeds for her chicks. Vincent told her that it was best to follow her tracks to get back to her flock. Vincent got Erin to lift up her feet to see the imprint her feet left in the sand. Her feet had three long bits.
Vincent got Erin to go for a stroll in the sand to see the tracks that she left. Vincent and Erin had to go on a quest for the tracks that Erin left with her feet. Following the tracks might help Erin get back to her flock and her chicks. She was getting upset that she was not with them and had not given them the seeds that she had collected.
Erin and Vincent set off to spot Erin’s tracks in the sand. On the trail, Vincent spotted a few tracks leading to the stream. The tracks did not have three long bits. The imprints in the sand that he saw had dots at the top. Erin told Vincent, “That is not an imprint from me. That is an imprint from a red fox.”
She told Vincent that she had seen a red fox creeping in the scrub when she was collecting seeds. The red fox was cunning, so she hid and kept still when the fox was sniffing and hunting. Vincent told Erin that she was intelligent for not letting the red fox spot her. The tracks from the red fox led into the stream. Back on the trail, Vincent and Erin continued the quest for Erin’s tracks.
It was getting hot. Erin and Vincent sat to rest next to an ant hill. Erin had an ant feast. Just as Vincent went to munch on the few plant stems that he had collected, he spied tracks in the sand. The imprints had three long bits and led off into the scrub. Vincent ran to get Erin to show her the tracks that he had seen in the sand. Erin bent her long neck to see the imprints in the sand that Vincent had found.
“My tracks, my tracks!” she cried with glee.
Vincent did a backflip and Erin did a quick rap.
“Let’s follow my tracks to get back to my chicks!” cried Erin.
Vincent led the way. Erin’s tracks did lots of zigzags in the scrub.
“This is the spot where I was collecting the seeds for my chicks,” she told Vincent.
The tracks led them a long way into the thick scrub and across a dried-up creek bed. Just then, Vincent stopped suddenly.
When Vincent led Erin across the dried-up creek bed, he had no tracks to follow. The bank of the creek bed had lots of plants and weeds growing on it. Vincent told Erin that it was difficult to see her tracks unless the imprint was in the sand. Erin got upset and thought her chicks must be missing her. She still had the seeds to feed them. Vincent tried to think of a plan.
Just then, Erin got a fright as the branches of the trees that she was standing next to went swish. Then swish, swish, swish. Just as Erin was about to scream with fright, her three chicks sprang from the trees.
“Mum, mum, mum!” each of them cried.
Erin bent her long neck to kiss her chicks. Erin told Vincent, “Thanks so much for helping me follow my tracks to get back to my chicks!”
Let’s Talk About the Story!
- Did you understand what you read?
- What was Erin doing when she got lost?
- How did Vincent say he was going to help Erin to find her way back?
- Why did Vincent tell Erin that she was intelligent for not letting the red fox see her?
- Why where there lots of Erin’s tracks zig zagging through the scrub?
- Why weren’t there any more of Erin’s tracks to be seen on the bank of the creek bed?
- Why would people want to follow an animal’s tracks?
Find the words
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指でさわってね 👇🏻 このパズルは動くよ！
key words
- Tracks – footprints or marks left on the ground
- Imprint – a mark left by pressing something
- Swag – a rolled-up bed used outdoors
- Flock – a group of birds
- Scrub – bush or low vegetation
- Chicks – baby birds
- Creek – small stream
- Fox – wild animal
- Feast – a large meal
- Sand – grainy soil near water
- Neck – part of the body
- Seeds – what plants grow from
Phonics Patterns Covered:
- Short vowels: swag, fox, scrub, sand, neck, chicks
- Long vowels: creek, feast, seeds
- Vowel teams: creek (ee), feast (ea), seeds (ee)
- Blends: tracks (tr, ck), flock (fl, ck), scrub (scr), imprint (pr), chicks (ch)
- Digraphs: chicks (ch), neck (ck), tracks (ck), flock (ck)
Spelling & Phonics Skills Needed
Understanding Short Vowels
- Words like swag, fox, scrub, sand, neck, and chicks require children to identify and blend short vowel sounds (a, o, u, e, i).
- Skill: Hearing and spelling CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) and CVCC patterns.
Recognising Long Vowels
- Creek, feast, and seeds feature long vowel sounds spelled with vowel teams.
- Skill: Distinguishing between short and long vowels, identifying long vowel patterns.
Recognising Long Vowels
- Creek, feast, and seeds feature long vowel sounds spelled with vowel teams.
- Skill: Distinguishing between short and long vowels, identifying long vowel patterns.
Vowel Teams
- Creek (ee), feast (ea), seeds (ee)
- Skill: Recognising vowel teams and understanding that two vowels together often make one long sound.
Consonant Blends
- Words like tracks, flock, scrub, imprint, and chicks start or end with blends.
- Skill: Blending two or more consonants together smoothly, e.g., tr, fl, scr, pr, ch, ck.
Digraphs and Double Consonants
- Chicks, neck, tracks, flock all use ck, and chicks uses ch.
- Skill: Knowing that ck often follows a short vowel and that ch makes a new sound.
Suffixes/Plural Endings
- Tracks, chicks, and seeds end in -s.
- Skill: Understanding regular plural spelling and reading conventions.
Prefixes (Simple)
- Imprint begins with the prefix im- meaning “in” or “on.”
- Skill: Developing awareness of how prefixes change word meaning.
ヴィンセントとエリンのたび
ヴィンセントとエリンは、ふるい 小屋(こや)のそばで よるを すごしました。
ヴィンセントは スワッグで ねむり、
エリンは ゆれる ユーカリの 木(き)にもたれて ねむりました。
ヴィンセントが いいました。
「むれに もどるのを てつだうよ。」
エリンは、ひなたちのために 種(たね)を あつめに やぶへ いったとき、
みちに まよって しまったのです。
種を あつめていると、エリンは 川(かわ)で 水(みず)を のんでいる ヴィンセントに であいました。
「むれに もどれるように てつだってくれて うれしい！」 と エリンは おもいました。
エリンは ひなたちのために、むれから ずいぶん おさんぽを しました。
ヴィンセントは いいました。
「じぶんの 足跡(あしあと)を たどるのが いちばんだよ。」
ヴィンセントは エリンの 足(あし)を もちあげて、砂(すな)に のこった 足跡を みせました。
「ほら、足に ３つの ながい 線(せん) が あるね。」
ふたりは 砂のうえを 歩きながら、足跡を たしかめました。
これを たどれば、エリンは ひなたちのもとに もどれるかもしれません。
でも、まだ ひなたちには 会えず、あつめた 種も あげられていません。
道(みち)で、ヴィンセントは いくつか 足跡を みつけました。
「ん？ これは ちがう…」
足跡には ３つの ながい 線がなく、上には まるい ぽち が ついていました。
エリンは いいました。
「それは わたしのじゃないよ。あれは 赤(あか)ぎつねの 足跡！」
エリンは、やぶで 赤ぎつねが こっそり うろつくのを みたことが ありました。
ずるがしこい 赤ぎつねに みつからないよう、エリンは かくれて じっとしていたのです。
ヴィンセントは ほめました。
「かしこいね！ 赤ぎつねに みつからなかったなんて。」
赤ぎつねの 足跡は 川のほうに つづいていました。
ふたりは もとの 道に もどり、エリンの 足跡を さがす たびを つづけました。
あつく なってきて、ふたりは ありの すのそばで やすみました。
エリンは もぐもぐ ごちそうを たべました。
ヴィンセントが すこしの くきを かじろうとしたとき、砂に 足跡を みつけました。
「これだ！」
足跡には ３つの ながい 線 があり、やぶの なかへ つづいていました。
エリンは ながい くびを まげて 見ました。
「わたしの 足跡！ わたしの 足跡！」 と よろこびの こえを あげました。
ヴィンセントは うしろまわり、エリンは ぴょんと リズムを とりました。
「わたしの 足跡を たどって、ひなたちの ところへ いこう！」
ヴィンセントが みちを さきに あるきました。
足跡は やぶを ジグザグに ぬけ、乾いた 川(かわ)の 川原(かわら)を わたりました。
「ここは ひなたちのために 種を あつめた ばしょだよ」 と エリンが いいました。
川の 川原に さしかかると、足跡が みえなくなりました。
草(くさ)や やぶが はえていて、砂に 足跡が ないと たどるのは むずかしいのです。
エリンは こまりました。
「ひなたちが わたしを まっているかも…」
まだ 種も あげられていません。
そのとき、エリンの そばの 木(き)の 枝(えだ)が さっとうごきました。
びっくりして さけびそうに なったとき、木の あいだから ３わの ひなたちが とびだしました。
「ママ！ ママ！ ママ！」
エリンは くびを まげて、ひなたちに キスを しました。
「わたしの 足跡を たどるのを てつだってくれて、ありがとう！」
エリンは ヴィンセントに 言いました。
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