Nate Digs and Finds: Past-Tense Verbs
Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min
- sniffed 27: “He sniffed me.”
- watched 28: “I watched Fang run.”
- asked 29: “"Why would he bury a picture?" Annie asked.”
- jumped 39: “Little Hex jumped onto Annie's lap.”
- tripped 41: “I tripped over something.”
- Show each word card and say it aloud, emphasizing the -ed ending sound.
- Students chorus the word, then act out the action (sniff, watch, ask, jump, trip).
- Freeze after acting and chorus the past-tense word together three times.
- Hunt for the -ed ending on each page; students point and say the word when they find it.
- sniffed — like a dog
- I can hear the -ed at the end
- jumped is when you go up in the air
Fast finishers: find three more -ed words on the pages; quiet kids: pair with acting partner.
Tap the word card twice — Reading Time.
Don't skip the freeze moment after acting — that's when the -ed sound lands.
Reading in Class· 10 min
- Picture-walk pages 27-43: Nate meets Fang the dog, they dig in the yard, visit Rosamond's house full of cats, and find Super Hex under a chair.
- Read aloud once at storytelling pace, pausing on pages with -ed verbs (sniffed, watched, asked, jumped, tripped).
- Read again, students chorus the -ed words when you point to them on the page.
- What did Nate say? 29: “"IT, Nate the Great, think of everything.”
- I, Nate the Great, think of everything
- Fang is a big dog with big teeth
- They found Super Hex under the chair
Struggling readers: follow along with your finger on the -ed words; fast finishers: count how many -ed words they hear.
Close the book and tap your head — Questions Time.
Don't rush the chorus — count to three before moving to the next page.
Questions Time· 7 min
- Find a word on this page that ends with -ed. What did Nate do? 28: “I watched Fang run. I watched him eat. I watched him bury a bone.”
- Which word on this page tells us what Little Hex did? 39: “Little Hex jumped onto Annie's lap.”
Pick one -ed word. Use it in your own sentence.
41: “I tripped over something.”
What students produce: One sentence using an -ed verb from the story (sniffed, watched, asked, jumped, or tripped).
- watched — Nate watched Fang
- jumped — the cat jumped on the lap
- I tripped over my shoe this morning
Quiet kids: draw the action first, then say the sentence; fast finishers: write two sentences using different -ed words.
Hold up one finger — Conclusion Time.
Don't accept present-tense verbs — gently redirect to the -ed form.
Conclusion· 3 min
Take-home: Tonight, tell someone three things you did today using -ed words.
- it already happened
- -ed is the past
- you add -ed to make the past
Quiet kids: whisper to a partner first; fast finishers: name five -ed verbs they know.
Don't let one loud answerer dominate — count to three before accepting responses.