Nathan’s Next Step

Reading together

Reading age 5–8 describes the audience for this adult-led Shared Reading book, not an independent reading-level assessment. This is a read-aloud story for children aged 5–8, 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: soil, hollow, demonstrates, explanation, confident. 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 children to point, sign, gesture or join in if they want to.

After reading

Break a familiar task into visible steps, pause between them and model asking for clarification. Offer picture prompts and avoid treating a request for repetition as failure. 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

Everyday situation

Understand the next step in planting a seed

Beginning

Nathan’s class is planting seeds at the garden table. Mrs Oak explains several steps while children collect pots. Nathan hears something about soil, water and a name marker. By the time he has a pot, the middle part has slipped away.

What feels difficult

Nathan has forgotten part of a long explanation

Support and choices

He asks about one part and the teacher shows each step

What changes

He points through the planting steps beside his pot

Try together

Break a familiar task into visible steps, pause between them and model asking for clarification. Offer picture prompts and avoid treating a request for repetition as failure.

Adult support

Read with a familiar adult at the child’s pace. Accept pointing, gestures, signs, AAC, speech or listening. Feelings and sensory needs vary. Offer choices and practical support; participation, touch, tasting and sharing are optional.

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 child’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 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.