ShortGarden Detectives · Case 33
The Dusty Glove
Short U · Level 5
Cumulative Short U patterns with drag marks and material evidence
Before reading
Open the case file
Hear the focus words
Read and investigate
The Dusty Glove
Read one sentence at a time, then reread for smooth phrasing.
Gus left one work glove on a hook in the garden hut. After lunch, the hook was bare. A dusty thumb mark showed on the hut step. Below it, a soft drag line crossed the path.
The line ran under a shrub and stopped at a stump. Gus found the glove tucked behind the stump. A dry brush was caught inside its cuff. The brush handle had rested across the hook.
When the hut door shut, it bumped the long handle. The handle flipped, pulled the glove from the hook, and fell inside it. The stiff bristles dragged the glove along the dusty step. A gust then pushed the light bundle under the shrub.
Gus hung the brush and glove on separate hooks. The door shut again without a bump.
Check the evidence
Can you solve the case?
Choose the answer that is supported by the story.
What really happened?
The closing door hit a brush handle, which pulled down the glove. Bristles and wind then carried the bundle to the stump.
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.