Ernest’s Shadow Bridge

Reading together

Reading age 6–7 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for Year 2 children aged 6–7, 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: puppet, screen, shadow, rehearse, pause. Invite a prediction about what might happen.

During reading

Use Talk Together for a prompt on each page. Talk about the marks, colours, sounds, space, movement and materials the characters explore. Notice their choices and how the artwork or performance changes. Compare what the characters expected with what they noticed. Invite children to join in with repeated words or gestures.

After reading

With an adult setting up a stable cool lamp, compare a card puppet near and far from a screen. Plan a short journey with a pause. Keep hands and leads clear of the light source. Describe what the characters noticed and how their ideas changed. Invite different experiences and respect a child’s choice not to share.

Explore and play

Arts idea

Make a fox shadow play with Rose

Beginning

Ernest and Rose are making a shadow play. A card fox must cross a bridge to visit a friend. Aunt May sets a steady lamp behind the screen. Ernest holds the fox between the lamp and the cloth.

Problem

The fox shadow is too large for the bridge

Exploration

They move the puppet nearer the screen

Review and response

They add a pause so the second fox can answer

Try together

With an adult setting up a stable cool lamp, compare a card puppet near and far from a screen. Plan a short journey with a pause. Keep hands and leads clear of the light source.

Adult support

Prepare age-appropriate materials and a comfortable space. Read aloud, invite noticing and accept different artistic responses. Children may speak, gesture, sign, draw, act or observe.

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.