Hopscotch

A light, playful read-aloud about a small wobble, catching your balance, and continuing the game.

About 2 minutes · Facilitator-led

Low-data mode is on. The illustration is hidden, while the complete facilitator guide remains available.

Story audio

Play the recording before class or use it during the lesson. You can also download it for offline use.

Foundation read-aloud

At this level, you do all the reading. Pause after each short line, keep the tone light, and let the picture carry part of the meaning.

Foundation tier. About 2 minutes to tell aloud. No hardship—just a game and a small wobble that turns out fine.

“This is a story about a girl playing hopscotch. Watch the picture with me as I tell it.”

hopscotch, balance, and stone. Point to something similar in the picture or room when possible.

Preview these three prompts before you begin. Ask each one at the marked moment, then continue the story.

After the stone lands · Wh- question

“Where did Abigail’s stone land?”

After the wobble · Recall

“What happened when Abigail wobbled?”

At the end · Open-ended

“How do you think Abigail felt when her friends clapped?”

Abigail drew the hopscotch squares in the dirt with a stick.

She threw her stone. It landed in square three.

Pause after each short line. Keep the tone light and playful.

She hopped, one foot, then two feet, all the way to the end.

On the way back, she wobbled on one foot.

Natural pause point

She caught her balance and kept hopping.

She picked up her stone without stepping on the line.

Payoff moment: let this feel like a small victory.

Her friends clapped. They took their turns next.

No formal discussion is required. A simple “Did you like the story?” is enough.

If space allows, draw a simple hopscotch grid and let listeners take turns hopping through it.

A small, ordinary wobble that does not become a big problem—just a moment of catching your balance and continuing.

Children are expected to listen, look, and respond—not read the passage independently.