ShortGarden Detectives · Case 25
The Empty Seed Chest
Short E · Level 6
Short E review with quantity clues and an evidence-based reconstruction
Before reading
Open the case file
Hear the focus words
Read and investigate
The Empty Seed Chest
Natural read-along narration · AmeliaPress Read with Amelia, or choose a sentence to begin.
Ben kept packets of seed in a chest on the shed shelf. One morning, the chest was open and nearly empty. No packet was torn, and no seed lay on the floor. Ben found a bent mesh basket under the shelf.
A packet label rested on the garden step. There were more labels along the path, but still no loose seed. Meg checked the compost station at the end of the path. All the packets sat inside a dry collection bin.
A helper had planned to move old empty packets for recycling. The full packets and empty packets had looked the same from the back. The bent basket tipped when it was lifted from the shelf. Some labels slipped out on the walk to the bin.
Ben checked the dates and returned the full packets. He marked the empty ones before the next collection.
Check the evidence
Can you solve the case?
Choose the answer that is supported by the story.
What really happened?
A helper mistook full seed packets for empty ones. A bent basket dropped labels along the route to the recycling 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.