A short mystery about Mr. Higgins and his missing carrot, set out over three pages for Year 3 English. Pupils read the story, work out what "gaping" and "culprit" mean, and use the muddy footprints to infer how Mr. Higgins feels. They then predict what waits in the old wooden garden shed. The sheet ends with a one-sentence summary and a partner talk task, and each question links to the England National Curriculum reading comprehension objectives.
Reading - comprehension
“Checking that the text makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and explaining the meaning of words in context”
Questions 1 and 2 ask for the meaning of "gaping" and "culprit" as they are used in the story.
Reading - comprehension
“Drawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence”
Question 3 asks how Mr. Higgins felt and for the evidence from the text.
Reading - comprehension
“Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied”
Question 4 asks pupils to predict what is inside the garden shed.
Reading - comprehension
“Identifying main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarising these”
Question 5 asks for one sentence that sums up the whole story.
Reading - comprehension
“Participate in discussion about both books that are read to them and those they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say.”
The closing partner talk asks pupils to take turns and listen to each other.
Three short paragraphs. Mr. Higgins finds a gaping hole where his biggest carrot used to be, with tiny, muddy footprints leading to the garden shed.
Pupils choose the meaning of "gaping" from three options, then reread the last sentence to work out what a culprit is.
One question asks how Mr. Higgins felt when he saw the footprints and what evidence in the text shows it. He chuckles warmly, so the clue is there to find.
Pupils predict what Mr. Higgins will find when he opens the shed door.
Pupils write one sentence to summarise the story, then talk with a partner about what they would do with the animal in the shed.
Guided reading
Read the story aloud and stop after the footprints. Ask the group who they think the culprit is before anyone reaches question 4.
Paired talk
Keep the partner task for the end. Pairs have to agree on a plan for the animal in the shed, which gets quieter pupils talking.
Cover lesson
The story is short and the five questions need no new teaching, so it suits a supply teacher or a lesson you cannot plan in detail.
Get started today
