Bull Dare

Bull Dare is a realistic fiction story about a girl recounting her experiences with the big black bull on her farm. She was always scared of the bull, but her brother dared her to walk across the paddock. The girl trips while walking near the angry bull. Her dad came to stop the bull. She learned not to do something just because someone dared her. The story is narrated from the girls’ perspective with dialogue between characters.

Bull Dare is a simple recount story. Critical thinking questions are provided to guide the reader. Illustrations match the text. A visual information guide is provided for teachers to draw students’ attention to the illustrative text, layout, and design. There is an infographic at the end of the book outlining the parts of a recount including the who, where, when, what happened, and conclusion. An activity on drawing their own visual map of a recount is provided for teachers to extend students’ learning.

Readers develop vocabulary such as singular/plural (maker/makers), homonyms (our/hour), synonyms (scared/frightened), antonyms (tough/weak), and similes. Opportunities arise to discuss apostrophes to show possession (brother’s jacket) and apostrophes within contractions (won’t). Focus on long and short vowel a and discuss suffix ly (loudly), base words (jumped), and silent letters (flight).

This title is from the Sails Literacy series. Hook readers and ignite their curiosity - over 850 levelled texts with bright, colourful, sophisticated designs.