ShortGarden Detectives · Case 3
The Black Hat Clue
Short A · Level 3
Cumulative Short A families in connected text
Before reading
Open the case file
Hear the focus words
Read and investigate
The Black Hat Clue
Natural read-along narration · AmeliaPress Read with Amelia, or choose a sentence to begin.
The garden fair had a band, a snack stand, and a craft tent. Sam set his black hat on a rack beside the tent. After the band played, the hat had vanished. Sam checked the rack and found a strand of tan grass.
A second strand sat by the snack stand. Next to it was a small splash of jam. Sam made a plan. He followed the grass past the band and down a narrow track.
At the end sat a cart packed with plants. The black hat was on top of a tall plant. A gust had sent the hat from the rack. It landed in a patch of grass, then stuck to the plant cart.
The jam came from a snack that had also blown off the stand. Sam gave the hat a tap and put it back on. The band gave Sam a grand clap. The case was cracked before the last song.
Check the evidence
Can you solve the case?
Choose the answer that is supported by the story.
What really happened?
A gust blew the hat through the grass and onto the plant cart. The grass strands and jam marked its path.
For adults
Use evidence, not guesses
Ask the learner to point to the sentence that proves each answer. If decoding is effortful, reread one paragraph at a time. A fluent second reading is more valuable than rushing to the next story.