Charlie’s Fossil Clue

Reading together

Reading age 7–8 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for ages 7–8, not an independent reading-level text. Read at the child’s pace. Children can listen, point, gesture, sign or join in with familiar words. Joining in is optional.

Before reading

Look at the title and cover. Introduce the characters and setting. Explore these five words with pictures, actions and familiar examples: fossil, specimen, sediment, impression, model. Invite a prediction about what might happen.

During reading

Use Talk Together for a prompt on each page. Talk about observations, predictions, materials, living things and changes. Compare what the characters expected with what they noticed. Invite children to join in with repeated words or gestures.

After reading

Retell Charlie’s discovery and explain the difference between a fossil and his model. Describe what the characters noticed and how their ideas changed. Invite different experiences and respect a child’s choice not to share.

Explore and investigate

Science idea

Fossils preserve evidence of past life; a clay impression models only part of a possible formation process.

Notice together

Compare the first idea with the evidence the characters collect. What changed their thinking?

Try together

Press a clean safe shell into modelling clay and compare it with a photograph of a fossil. Discuss what the model does and does not show.

Careful thinking

Do not chip rocks or collect without permission. Fossil formation is varied, rare and usually takes very long periods.

Activities with an adult

The eleven separate question cards include recall, word meaning, observation, “why”, inference and evidence questions and discussion. Read the questions and choices aloud and offer picture support. Explore five vocabulary words, build them from movable letters and order three story pictures. Model a vocabulary word for the child to copy; letter recognition and independent decoding are not required. Mouse dragging, finger dragging, tap controls and keyboard controls are available. Use the light green and red feedback as a chance to look at the story again.

Choose a few activities that suit the child’s interest. Offer pictures, drawings, gestures or spoken answers, and model word building when useful. Activities are optional.