The Missing Football

Reading together

This original reader uses short sentences, familiar school vocabulary, repeated words and simple dialogue. The teenage characters and setting are intended for secondary students. Level 10 is our intended difficulty; this book has not been formally assessed by PM.

Before reading

Introduce Ben, Ella, Max and Mr Hill. Read the title together. Practise football, bench, behind, tracks, cart and found. Talk about what a school caretaker does.

During reading

Introduce unfamiliar character names and useful topic words before reading. Help the student blend unfamiliar words using letter–sound patterns they have learned. Explain a word with an untaught pattern, then reread the sentence. Use illustrations to discuss meaning and check understanding; do not ask students to guess printed words from pictures. These School Readers are not a phonics-sequenced decodable programme.

Pause at the missing ball. Ask what the friends could try. Help with new words, then reread the whole sentence for meaning. Use Talk Together to discuss the clues.

After reading

What does Ben want to do with the football? What does Ben notice after Ella and Max put down their bags? Which places do Ben, Ella and Max search? How do the tracks help? Why do the friends ask Mr Hill about the football? Why is the ball on the cart? What can the friends do after Mr Hill returns their ball? Why does Max say the ball went for a ride?

Reading-age guide

Levels 1–20 describe this library’s editorial progression. Reading-age ranges are approximate orientation guides, not tested scores or automatic equivalents to PM, Oxford Levels or Reading Recovery. Choose a book by listening to the student read and checking fluency and understanding. Match the characters and subject matter to the student’s age and interests separately from text difficulty.