Harriet’s Bus Stop Plan

Reading together

Reading age 13–18 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for young people aged 13–18, not an independent reading-level text. Read at the learner’s pace. Learners 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: temporary, replacement, confirm, route, reliable. Invite a prediction about what might happen.

During reading

Use Talk Together for a prompt on each page. Talk about what happens, how the characters feel and which support or choices help. Accept different experiences. Do not use the story to demand a particular behaviour. Invite learners to point, sign, gesture or join in if they want to.

After reading

With appropriate travel support, identify official sources for a changed journey and a trusted contact. Practise checking a destination without sharing a learner’s private travel details. Describe what the characters noticed and how their ideas changed. Invite different experiences and respect a learner’s choice not to share.

Explore the situation

Everyday situation

Check a changed bus stop before continuing a journey

Beginning

Harriet and Anna are practising the bus journey from school to the leisure centre. Harriet recognises the bakery beside their usual stop. Today, orange barriers close the pavement in front of it. A temporary sign points away from the shelter, and people are waiting farther along the road.

What feels difficult

The usual stop is closed and the notes no longer match

Support and choices

Harriet and Anna check official information and ask the driver

What changes

Harriet confirms the destination before boarding

Try together

With appropriate travel support, identify official sources for a changed journey and a trusted contact. Practise checking a destination without sharing a learner’s private travel details.

Adult support

Read at the learner’s pace with a trusted adult when helpful. Accept speech, AAC, writing, gestures or listening. Respect privacy, sensory needs and the right to pause or decline. Discuss choices without judging personal feelings.

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. The feedback checks recall of this story, not whether the learner’s own feelings or needs are right or wrong. Explore five vocabulary words, build them from movable letters and order three story pictures. Model a vocabulary word for the learner 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 learner’s interest. Offer pictures, drawings, gestures or spoken answers, and model word building when useful. Activities are optional.