The Bird in the Ferns Reading guide

Phonics focus

Lessons 73–75: er in stressed and unstressed syllables; ir and ur for /er/

Practise er, ir and ur in these words: er: Bert, fern, feathers, larger; ir: Shirley, chirp, bird, dirt, first; ur: turn, returned. Blend practice words using the focus spelling and compare short and long vowel examples where appropriate. Use the programme lessons to introduce new sounds; the story is original.

Bold red vowel letters and bold blue consonant letters show the selected focus spellings. Read each selected vowel spelling as one unit. Vowel y in oy is red; consonant r in ar, or, er, ir and ur and consonant w in ow are blue. Colour is a visual aid, and every letter in a spelling does not represent a separate sound. Read the guide note for each pattern. Help children with other letters and patterns in the word when needed. A highlighted letter does not mean the whole word is independently decodable.

Adult supported words

An adult reads the title with the child. Preview play, follow, path, between, notebook, looks, things, draw, gives, sudden, shake, Then, hear, something, hiding, there, asks, stop, listen, sees, small, Its, are, short, fluffy, fly, hops, then, little, may, learning, says, Let’s, give, space, move, back, wait, quietly, draws, lands, worm, its, beak, opens, mouth, parent, leave, peace, beside, Shirley’s, best, find, was, treasure, bird’s, flying, lesson. Help with unfamiliar spellings within focus words too. This is supported shared reading; highlighting does not mean every word is independently decodable.

Before reading

Read three practice words and name the selected spelling. Look at the cover, name the setting and predict what might happen.

During reading

Read each sentence aloud together. Point to the highlighted letters, blend the focus words and reread naturally. Use Talk Together to discuss the character, problem, actions and ending.

Narrative structure

A shaking fern interrupts an explorer game. Bert and Shirley discover a fledgling, resist picking it up, and quietly watch its parent return with food.

After reading

Invite the child to retell what happened first, what went wrong, what the character tried and how the story ended. Reread the book to build confidence.

Compare stressed er in Bert and fern with unstressed er in larger. Ir and ur represent the /er/ vowel in bird and turn. Pronunciation varies with accent; accept local pronunciation and read complete spellings together. A healthy fledgling may be on the ground while its parent cares for it. The family observes from a distance and leaves it alone. This scene is not an instruction to handle wildlife.