Duck on a bike read aloud
Duck on a Bike
None HOMER is an early learning program for kids ages 2-8. It includes access to hundreds of interactive stories and a personalized learn-to-read plan. Try it free for 30 days! Duck sees a bike and gets a wild idea—to ride it! But he's never seen a duck on a bike. Have you? At first, he wobbles a bit, but then . . . he rides fast past Cow, who thinks it’s the silliest thing she’s ever seen, and past Sheep, who thinks he’d better be careful. He rides past all of his animal friends and shows that following his wild idea leads to a great ride. Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done. In fact, all of Duck’s animal friends want to try Duck’s wild idea too! Do you have a wild idea that you haven’t tried yet? Well, what are you waiting for? show full description Show Short DescriptionClassics
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One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. “I bet I could ride a bike!” he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on, and began to ride. At first he rode very slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun! Duck rode past Cow and waved to her.
“Hello, Cow!” said Duck. “M-o-o-o,” said Cow. But what she thought was, “A duck on a bike? That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever seen!” Then Duck rode past Sheep. “Hello, Sheep!” said Duck. “B-a-a-a,” said Sheep. But what she thought was, “He’s going to hurt himself if he’s not careful!” Duck was riding better now. He rode past Dog. “Hello, Dog!” said Duck. “Woof!” said Dog. But what he thought was, “That is a mighty neat trick!” Then Duck rode past Cat. “Hello, Cat!” said Duck. “Meow,” said Cat. But what she thought was, “I wouldn’t waste my time riding a bike!” Duck pedaled a little faster. He rode past Horse. “Hello, Horse!” said Duck. “Ne-e-e-igh!” said Horse. But what he thought was, “You’re still not as fast as me, Duck!” Duck rang his bell as he rode toward Chicken. “Hello, Chicken!” said Duck. “Cluck! Cluck!” said Chicken. But what she thought was, “Watch where you’re going, Duck!” Then Duck rode past Goat. “Hello, Goat!” said Duck. “M-a-a-a,” said Goat. But what he thought was, “I'd like to eat that bike!” Duck stood on the seat and rode past Pig and Pig.
“Hello, Pigs!” said Duck. “Oink,” said Pig and Pig. But what they thought was, “Duck is such a show-off!” Then duck rode no-hands past Mouse. “Hello, Mouse!” said Duck. “Squeak,” said Mouse. But what he thought was, “I wish I could ride a bike just like Duck.” Suddenly, a whole bunch of kids came down the road on bikes. They were in such a hurry that they didn’t see Duck. They parked their bikes by the house and went inside. Now all the animals had bikes! They rode around and around the barnyard. “This is fun!” they all said. “Good idea, Duck!” Then they put the bikes back by the house. And no one knew that on that afternoon, there had been a cow, a sheep, a dog, a cat, a horse, a chicken, a goat, two pigs, a mouse, and a duck on a bike.
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Duck on a Bike Activities and Lesson Plans for 2023 - Clutter-Free Classroom
Elementary teachers looking for lesson plans and activities for Duck on a Bike will find this post helpful.
It includes resource recommendations, free teaching ideas, and information about the book. You’ll have everything you need to deliver engaging interactive read aloud lessons based on this story.
With themes of individuality and teamwork, this Duck on a Bike picture book by David Shannon a favorite in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms. It will be a big hit in your classroom too! Learn more about this book below!
Engage Your Students with Duck on a Bike Lesson Plans & Activities in 3 Easy Steps:
- Read a summary of Duck on a Bike. You can find it in the section below.
- Check out the teaching ideas for reading comprehension strategies, grammar topics and social emotional learning skills that can be taught using this children’s book.
- Download the book companion to make lesson planning simple with Duck on a Bike reading comprehension questions, writing prompts, teaching ideas & no-prep extension activities.
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DUCK ON A BIKE SUMMARY
One day, Duck had an idea: he wanted to ride a bike! Duck got on a bike and rode around the farm, passing animals as he went.
Each animal squeaked or neighed, but the story shows what they are really thinking. Eventually, a group of bike riders leave their bikes to go inside, and all of the barnyard animals hop on! No one knows about their secret adventure, but the animals thank Duck for the idea and the fun!
Each of our 400+ Starts With a Story book companions come with a teacher’s guide to make lesson planning quick and easy, printable worksheets and digital resources that cover ALL of the standards-based reading comprehension skills.
When it comes to writing lesson plans and finding activities for Duck on a Bike, we’ve already done all of the heavy lifting for you.
We found this book was especially good at teaching the topics listed below.
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READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
The text-based Duck on a Bike reading comprehension questions focus on:
- analyzing setting
- making connections
- point of view
- visualizing
LITERATURE-BASED SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING LESSONS
We found this story to be a great SEL picture book to promote:
- individuality
- teamwork
GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY & WORD STUDY
- homophones
- verbs
- exclamation points
You’ll receive all of the following resources aligned to the story:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
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BOOK INFO FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS
What are the reading levels for Duck on a Bike?
- Lexile® Measure: N/A
- Guided Reading Level: N/A
- DRA Level: N/A
- Accelerated Reader Level (ARC): N/A
The book was written by David Shannon.
It was illustrated by David Shannon.
What genre is Duck on a Bike?
It is a fiction book. You may want to check out our genre activities or read our blog post, How to Teach Genre to Elementary Students.
How many pages are in the book?
The story is 32 pages long.
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“On Particularly Important Matters…” read online for free
Boris Ekimov
“On Particularly Important Matters…”
Several years ago, in my village, I was sitting in one of the offices of the district authorities.
The conversation went on as usual: about this and that. In this conversation flashed: "investigator for especially important cases." It turns out we have some. “I thought it was only in Moscow and in the city,” my interlocutor said, “it turns out that we have it too. Plus, it's a woman." He gave his last name and title.
I heard this last name. But I learned for the first time about what was “especially important”. It was also thought that "in special" is somewhere far and high, for some great crimes and criminals. What do we have? They had a fight, they stole potatoes from the cellar, they stole a bicycle. Cars are stolen from garages. But more than bikes. I've already lost three. I'll put it near the store, post office. I'll go out - no. The police just laugh. The third was stolen - I stopped buying them. Every time to adjoin and wrap with chains is not a habit. So we walk, in the village all the ways are not far. nine0003
Bicycles are stolen, livestock is stolen from farms and houses are ransacked.
This is all we have. But the great crimes, thank God, did not live up to. Although, it turns out, we have an investigator "for especially important." You can be proud: you are not born with a bast.
It was a long-standing conversation, fleeting, casual. But I remember. I even, on occasion, looked at this "investigator for especially important." An ordinary woman, not yet old, with a pleasant face.
But then, after a while, our neighbor, an old friend of my mother, got into trouble. Her grandchildren are upset. The guys are already adults, but without a king in their heads. And now the youngest, for the second time already, got into the story. Some kind of fight, and even with a gun. Thank God no one was killed. But the matter turned out to be serious. I, at the very beginning, called my friend from the prosecutor's office, consulted and received the answer: "They will slap you for eight years." He looked into the water. And this is understandable: profession, experience.
nine0003
I asked, but I didn't say anything to anyone. For me, it’s a third-party matter, although it’s a pity for the person, but for a neighbor and her family, it’s a living pain, daily and hourly. The grandson was arrested, placed in a detention center, the investigation went on for a long time: interrogations and questions were not a quick matter, it dragged on and on.
And shortly before that, the neighbor's grandchildren received an inheritance: an apartment with all the property. By the way, the inheritance has ripened: for transfers and for a lawyer, money is needed. The apartment was sold, but to whom and how they paid, I did not delve into. Someone else's trouble, why climb into it. Especially in a case like this. I knew how it would all end, ahead of time, but I kept silent, because in such matters advising is an empty and ungrateful occupation. There can be no sober account and logic. When your own child is in trouble, you will grab at straws, just not to sit idly by.
nine0003
The investigation dragged on and on. In conversations with my mother, a neighbor mentioned the woman investigator more than once, praising her: they say that she treats her grandson well, she is polite in conversation, there are no problems with programs, she allows meetings - in a word, a kind person.
But no matter how much the rope twists... In the end there was a trial, and the neighbor's grandson got as much as I was told at the beginning - eight years. They convicted him, sent him to a long prison term.
Time passed. Our neighbor gradually got used to the fact that her grandson is behind bars. It was already talked about calmly. With sadness, but no tears. nine0003
One day there was talk of the woman investigator who was in charge of the case. I remembered that the neighbor approved of her: they say, she treats her well. And now, as if assenting, I remembered: I tried, but it didn’t work out...
My answer was a long sigh, and then a bitter one:
— This one tried.
.. And everything worked out for her. The duck is ruthless. Ready to grab with your mouth, and ... It’s already ridiculous to remember.
I was surprised:
— Did you take it?
- I swallowed, I'm talking like a duck. No shame. Money, money ... Then he sees - there is no money, the refrigerator was taken away. She took the carpet. Forgive my sinful soul, but there is no cross on it. The fence from the dacha pulled that one away. nine0003
- Fence?
- Yes. Good fence. Iron. And he fit right in. She drove the car and the whole, in rings, loaded and took away. Lieutenant-colonel, for especially important...
What could I say. He only sighed and repeated aloud: “For especially important ones…”
And then for a long time I couldn't get it out of my head. It seems to be used to everything in life. Moreover, TV, newspapers… We talk about these bribes almost every day. It happened before, but now it doesn't. Hardly anyone will say good things about our police.
But all the same, it seems ... Either you judge by yourself and your loved ones, or you have read good books in your life. nine0003
Read more
CHAPTER III
IN THE RAIN
The next morning, when the Young Detectives arrived at Alexandra Park, dark, menacing clouds hung in the sky. Putting the bicycles to the tree, the guys fastened them together with a chain.
"Let's go look for a place to hide," Holly suggested. nine0003
“It is desirable that it doesn’t rain on us from above,” Miranda muttered and, wrinkling her nose, looked at the clouds. “Looks like it's going to rain like a bucket now.
"I hope the rain doesn't scare the ME," Peter sighed. The guys climbed a steep slope and crossed the parking lot. How many cars are there! he exclaimed in surprise, looking around. All these people can't skate.
Holly showed him the poster.
- You see, today there are some competitions .
..
Peter turned gloomy.
- I hope everyone will have dispersed by this time. It will be terrible if we don't see ME because of the crowd of spectators.
"If he comes by car, he won't find a place to park," Miranda pointed out, nodding at the "no space" sign posted in front of the gate.
The guys looked sadly at the inscription.
- Oh, what a shame! Why did we make an appointment here! Holly exclaimed.
nine0002 "Maybe he'll come by bus or subway," Miranda said hopefully.Thick bushes grew along the far side of the parking lot.
"Let's run there," said Peter. Crawling under the branches of the largest bush, he squatted down and called the girls. - What you need. From here, the meeting place is clearly visible, but we ourselves are not visible.
Miranda and Holly ran after Peter and also crawled under the bush.
Move over a little, said Miranda. - It's starting to rain. nine0003
Clinging closely to each other, they took up position and watched the entrance to the rink.
The bush was covered with dense foliage. She protected them from the downpour, but sometimes cold drops still made their way through it and splashed on the guys.
“I wish he showed up,” Holly groaned after they waited twenty minutes. - I'm already down the collar.
- Ts - s - s! Someone is coming,” Peter warned. The guys started up and began to peer into the rain screen. Past them, on their way to Alexandra Palace, passed a small figure in a dark raincoat and under an umbrella. nine0003
- Do you think it's him? Miranda asked loudly.
- Ts - s - s! Holly hissed. - He will hear you.
The figure turned around sharply, and the guys saw that it was a woman.
- Where are you, Spot? she called. - Come to me, my good! Leaning down, she stroked the wet back of the terrier that ran up to her.
"False alarm," Holly moaned as the woman and the dog disappeared around the corner. She got up to stretch her stiff legs, and accidentally brushed against a branch of a bush.
A cold waterfall hit the guys. nine0003
- Watch out, Holly! Miranda yelled. “I got soaked to the skin.
A man appeared from around the corner of the palace.
"Look," Holly whispered and hurriedly sat down. The young detectives watched as he hurried along the wall, trying to hide from the rain there. Then he turned up his collar, stepped away from the building, and walked quickly through the parking lot.
"That's not him either," Peter sighed dejectedly and looked at his watch. “It's already eleven. Let's hope the rain doesn't scare him off. nine0003
"Maybe he had to park somewhere else," Holly said.
- Eh, when will he come? The rain keeps getting stronger,” Miranda groaned.
In gloomy silence they looked at the gray wall of rain. What if the DOE decided not to leave the house in such weather? The drops now fell with such force that they even bounced off the road. The leaves above the children's heads bent under the weight of the water, shaking it off on the unfortunate detectives.
In a few minutes, everyone was soaked to the skin. nine0003
“Now he certainly won’t come,” Peter finally announced, wiping streams of water from his face with his wet sleeve.
- What a pity! Miranda exclaimed angrily. - It turns out that we were wet in vain. She got up. - Let's go home.
- Wait! There is someone else! Holly hissed and tugged at her sleeve.
A tall, stocky man hurriedly emerged from around the corner of the palace, covering himself from the rain with a newspaper. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and black jeans. Approaching the entrance to the skating rink, he stood under the visor and looked around. The young detectives involuntarily recoiled, although they were already too far away for the man to see them anyway. nine0003
- He? How do you think? Peter whispered.
- For sure! Miranda squeaked excitedly. “Who else would stand here in such a terrible rain?”
The man began to pace back and forth under the visor, looking impatiently at his watch every few seconds.
"He looks terribly dissatisfied," Holly remarked in an undertone.
- Exactly, dissatisfied! Miranda exclaimed. “Criminals always look gloomy, don't they? nine0003
"In this rain, anyone will seem displeased, unless it's a duck or a goose," Peter muttered with a grim smile. “He must have gotten wet on his way here. What's so surprising that he's in a bad mood now? As of yet, we don't know if he's really a criminal.
"I already know," Holly said firmly. “I have no doubt that Miranda is right and he just got out of jail.
The man stopped walking and looked around again, staring at the cars in the parking lot and the bushes where the Young Detectives were hiding. The boys saw that he was bubbling with anger. nine0003
"It's good that he only knows your email address, Peter," Miranda said. "I think he's ready to kill you now."
"Exactly," Holly confirmed and turned to Peter. Her brown eyes filled with concern. — He can't find out via the Internet where you live, huh?
- I don't think so.
Peter looked at the man and winced. At least, I hope not. I don't want to wake up at night and see him in my bedroom.
"He's leaving," Miranda whispered. - Went. You need to follow him.
They climbed out of the bush into the rain.
- What a terrible day! Miranda complained. — Yes, we still have to ride a bike to the house. She smiled sourly. “Well, at least we won’t get too wet.”
- It doesn't matter now! Holly exclaimed. The main thing is not to lose sight of him. She shook the water from her eyelashes. “Where did he go?” The man had already gone down the slope and crossed the road. Now he was moving hurriedly through the park. nine0003
"My Beginning Investigator's Guide advises to be as natural as possible so as not to arouse suspicion in others," whispered Miranda. Let's pretend we're just walking in the park. She shoved her hands into her pockets and whistled as she followed the man.
Peter and Holly laughed.
"He'll think we're crazy if we show up in the park now," said Peter. Normal people don't walk in this rain.
nine0002 Wearing water-chomping shoes, they trotted after the man, peering into the rain so as not to lose sight of him. He reached the park gate and turned left.- Faster! Holly called, and the Young Detectives picked up speed as they jumped over the puddles. A little further away, a man was unlocking the door of an expensive car.
- No! We can't follow him! Miranda exclaimed.
- we'll memorize the number of his car - breathing heavily, Peter said as he ran. Holly and Miranda could barely keep up with him. nine0003
- The stranger threw the newspaper into the bin and got behind the wheel. Then he closed the door and started the engine. The young detectives ran to the car just at the moment when it had already started and was moving away. They managed to make out his number - "T828 YFE". Peter pulled out a small, rather damp notepad and pen from his pocket and scribbled down the number, hunched over and covering the ink with his shoulders to keep it from smearing.
“It was a silver BMW,” Holly said. Peter fixed that too. nine0003
Miranda pulled a soaked newspaper out of the bin.
"He's reading the Daily Mirror," she said, looking hopefully at the front page.
— What do you hope to see there? Peter asked.
- I thought that his address might have been written there. If he is a subscriber of this newspaper, then it would have his house number and, possibly, the name of the street.
"That makes sense," Holly nodded. - So how is it? Is there anything there?
nine0002 "No," Miranda sighed. “Apparently he bought it on the way.Peter put away his notebook.
“Nothing,” he reassured the girls. - We are so good. We know what he looks like, what car he has, and what newspaper he reads. Not so bad for a couple of hours of outdoor surveillance.
— For a couple of hours of outdoor surveillance in the pouring rain, Miranda added, wringing out her long hair. Water flowed from them in streams.
“And now,” Holly declared with mock cheerfulness, “we have a long and pleasant road home ahead of us. Under rain. nine0003
A few hours later, the Young Detectives gathered at Holly's.
— Well, are you dry? Peter asked as he followed Miranda into the house.
"Yes, finally," Miranda replied and turned to Holly. “Just promise we won't have to babysit Jamie when we clear out the attic tonight. Yes?
Holly shook her head.
- Mom took him to the store to buy new school trousers. He grew up so much that the old ones were above his ankles. He looks terribly stupid in them. nine0003
"Poor Jamie," Peter sighed. There is nothing worse than buying a school uniform.
"That's what he needs after yesterday's tricks," Miranda said. She lowered down the ladder, and everyone climbed into the attic.
"It's a little freer today," Peter said with satisfaction, looking around. Where did those boxes of clothes go that we sorted yesterday?
- Dad took them with him. On the way to work, he will take them to the charity bazaar. Holly took a new box from the stack and opened it. “There are some newspaper bundles here. She took out one of them and ripped off the newspaper. Inside was a porcelain jug painted with flowers. Holly put it in a bazaar box and tossed the crumpled newspaper into a trash bag. nine0003
Peter took out another package.
- What's going on here? he asked, tearing off the paper and showing the girls a green vase. "I bet you'd like to put it in your bedroom, right Miranda?"
Do me a favor, Miranda replied. She took the vase from Peter and put it in the box next to the jug. “Holly, how much rubbish is lying around in your attic!”
Holly raised her head and gave her an absent-minded look.
- Sorry. Did you say something? I'm just thinking about ME. How can we find out more about him? nine0003
Peter became serious.
- We can send him a new letter in which we apologize for not being able to meet him.
If we can come up with a convincing excuse, perhaps he will agree to a second meeting.
- If he comes by car, the same problem will arise, Miranda said. - We can't keep up with him on bicycles ...
"Then let's try to set up a meeting near his house," suggested Peter. “Then we will have his address, which is not bad. nine0003
— What if he doesn't want to answer our letter? Holly was scared. “Because he looked terribly annoyed when he realized that Peter Hamilton was not going to show himself.
Miranda shrugged.
- Then we'll think of something else. She opened a new box and groaned loudly. “Oh, how sick of this terrible china!
- Listen - ka! Peter suddenly exclaimed. “That is a truly strange story. He smoothed out the sheet of newspaper in which the teapot was wrapped and read aloud the article: “Thieves broke into the house on Highgate yesterday morning and stole a porcelain figurine of a clown. They did not take anything else, although there were several valuable paintings and a lot of jewelry in the house.
According to Dorothy Quile, a seventy-year-old mistress of the house, the strange theft plunged her into amazement. Mrs. Quile bought this clown just the day before at a street market for five pounds. nine0003
- Who needed to steal a porcelain clown? Miranda was surprised.
"It must have been very expensive, and Mrs. Quile and the market trader didn't know that," Holly suggested.
"Or there was something hidden inside," Peter added.
- Exactly - something small and valuable, like a diamond ring or a key to a safe!
"We need to start an investigation," Miranda said suddenly. “We bet we can figure out who stole that clown and why.” nine0003
Peter laughed:
— I think the police have already solved this problem. After all, this is news from four years ago.
Miranda grabbed the paper from him.
- Four years old? she repeated. - What a pity!
They continued unpacking, throwing newspapers and broken crockery into a trash bag and putting everything else in a charity bazaar box.
Suddenly Holly jumped up and wildly waved the newspaper. nine0003
- Look! she yelled.
Peter and Miranda ran up to her. They saw a photograph of a man standing near the truck.
- Well, what's wrong with that? Why are you yelling like that? Miranda was surprised.
"His name," Holly replied. His name is Peter Hamilton!
— Is there another one? Peter laughed. - I already wanted to be called Tarkin Palmer - Thompson, to be a little different from the rest.
Miranda grabbed the newspaper. nine0003
"Peter Hamilton during the raid," she read.
Holly took the sheet from her.
- It says here that the hijacker has been sentenced to five years in prison. His name was…” She paused and looked sadly at her friends. — The paper is torn up. The name starts with M for a... but the rest is gone.
- Perhaps he is the same ME! Peter exclaimed. “The first letter of the name is the same as that of the raider. He took a new bundle and hurriedly unwrapped it.
- Let's look through all these newspapers - maybe we will find a continuation of that story. Then we'll find out his name. nine0003
The young detectives quickly emptied the box, but the other half of the newspaper they needed was never found.
“We need to check again those sheets that we already threw away,” Holly muttered, emptying everything from the bag onto the floor. They began to unroll each piece of paper and examine it carefully.
This procedure took them about an hour and did not bring any result. Finally Miranda straightened up.
- Wait a minute, the ME can't be the same raider that the newspaper is talking about. nine0003
— Why do you think so? Peter and Holly exclaimed in unison.
- Due to inconsistencies with the deadlines. Miranda pushed her hair back from her face with dusty fingers and looked at her friends. “The DOE wrote in his email that he was out for four years, right?
Holly nodded.
- The newspaper says that the hijacker went to jail for five years.
..
"Perhaps he made a mistake in his letter," suggested Peter. “Or he lost track of time in prison. nine0003
Miranda snorted contemptuously:
- Does it happen? All prisoners are counting the days until their release, let alone years!
"The date on the paper is indeed four years old," Holly confirmed, "so the DOE obviously couldn't be the kidnapper." Otherwise, he would still be in prison.
Peter sat down wearily on the box, but immediately jumped up because the lid buckled under his weight.
- I - then thought that we attacked some interesting riddle ...
Miranda began to put the torn newspapers in a garbage bag.
- How I wish ME was a truck hijacker. He looks quite appropriate.
“I want it too,” Holly agreed. “I'm sure he's a criminal after all. She leaned over to help Miranda, but suddenly froze in place.
- Wait a minute!
- What's the matter? Peter asked.
- Do not put newspapers in a bag! Holly exclaimed.
