Riley’s Trail Surprise
Dear Diary,
Today I went to Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail with Dad. It is near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
I wanted to see a bear. Dad said we might not see one, and that was fine.
The trail was smooth and flat. Tall trees stood on both sides. Sunlight made spots on the path.
At first, I looked only for bears. I peered behind trees and into the woods. But I did not see one.
Then Dad stopped. “Listen,” he said.
I heard water rush over rocks. We walked a little farther and saw a stream beside the trail. It flashed in the sun.
I heard a bird call, too. I looked up, but I could not find it in the green leaves.
Near the path, I saw an old stone wall. Dad said people had lived in this valley long ago. I tried to picture a home beside those stones.
A tiny bug crawled across the path. I almost stepped on it! I moved my foot just in time.
“Good catch,” Dad said.
We stood still while the bug made its slow trip. It reached the leaves at the edge of the path. Then it was gone.
On the way back, I heard the stream again. I saw a fallen leaf spin in the water.
- trail:
- A path for walking outdoors.
- peered:
- Looked closely or carefully.
- stream:
- A small flow of water.
- valley:
- Low land between hills or mountains.
- edge:
- The place where something ends.
Educational example text · Diary Entry
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Who went on the trail with Riley?
- 2Where was the nature trail?
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About this diary entry passage for Lower Elementary
“Riley’s Trail Surprise” is a diary entry reading passage about Exploring nature, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (256 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.