ShortGarden Detectives · Case 8
The Gift in the Bin
Short I · Level 2
Short I with blends, digraphs, and cumulative short vowels
Before reading
Open the case file
Hear the focus words
Read and investigate
The Gift in the Bin
Natural read-along narration · AmeliaPress Read with Amelia, or choose a sentence to begin.
Pip wrapped a gift for Meg and hid it in the shed. When he went back, the gift was not there. A bit of string hung from the sill. Pip spotted a zigzag print in the dust.
The print was not a paw print. It was the thin track of a gift box that had slid on its side. The track led down a slope to a recycling bin. Inside the bin sat the gift, still wrapped.
A brisk wind had pushed through the open shed door. It tipped the gift, and the round tin inside made the box roll. Pip shut the door and fixed the gift wrap. Meg got her gift, and the bin got no surprise.
Check the evidence
Can you solve the case?
Choose the answer that is supported by the story.
What really happened?
Wind tipped the gift, and the round tin inside helped it roll into the bin.
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.