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Level: A1

A Camping Trip

A tent by a river, a campfire, marshmallows and s'mores, a sky full of stars, and a raccoon in the night.

CEFR A1 · 233 words · ~2 min read · US English

๐Ÿ”Š Listen to this passage

7:16 ๐ŸŽฌ Watch this lesson on YouTube A Camping Trip โ€” Slow English Reading Practice for Beginners (A1) ยท Lesson 24 Read the lesson below first. When you understand every line, open the YouTube link above and play this video in your earbuds โ€” while you walk, cook or ride the bus, with nothing to look up and nothing to pause. English you already understand, heard again and again, is what turns reading into listening.
๐Ÿ“– Open in interactive ESL Reader โ†’

In the reader, tap any word or sentence to hear it in English, translate it, or look up a definition.

Words to know

go camping
to sleep outside in a tent for fun
state park
a big natural area with trails and campsites that a US state takes care of
campsite
the place where you put your tent
tent
a small cloth house that you put up and sleep in outside
hike
to take a long walk in nature
campfire
a fire that you make outside to cook and stay warm
marshmallow
a soft white sweet that you can toast over a fire
s'more
a snack of a toasted marshmallow and chocolate between two crackers
sleeping bag
a warm bag that you sleep in when you camp
flashlight
a small light that you hold in your hand
raccoon
a gray animal with a black mask on its face; it comes out at night and likes people's food

Picture words from this story

Tap ๐Ÿ”Š to hear a word, or ๏ผ‹ to save just that one to My Flashcards.

  • tent

    tent

    A small cloth house for one night.

  • campfire

    campfire

    Warm and bright at night.

  • marshmallows

    marshmallows

    Soft, white, and sweet.

  • sleeping bag

    sleeping bag

    A warm bag for sleeping outside.

  • flashlight

    flashlight

    A small light in your hand.

Every sentence has a โ–ถ button โ€” tap it to hear that sentence read slowly, one word at a time.

Going camping
Going camping

This weekend, Marta, Leo, and I go camping.

camping

Max comes, too.

Max

We drive to a state park two hours away.

a state park
Our campsite
Our campsite

Our campsite is next to a river.

a river

First, we put up the tent.

tent
Putting up the tent
Putting up the tent

Leo holds the poles, and I read the instructions.

the instructions

It takes a long time, but we do it!

we do it!
Sticks and a squirrel
Sticks and a squirrel

Marta collects sticks for the fire.

sticks

Max runs after a squirrel.

a squirrel
The waterfall
The waterfall

In the afternoon, we hike to a small waterfall.

a waterfall
A frog
A frog

Leo finds a frog by the water.

a frog

He wants to keep it. Marta says no.

says no
The campfire
The campfire

At night, we make a campfire.

campfire

We cook beans and corn over the fire.

beans and corn
Marshmallows
Marshmallows

Then we roast marshmallows on long sticks.

marshmallows

Leo's marshmallow catches fire! He blows it out.

catches fire

We make s'mores with chocolate and crackers.

s'mores
Stars
Stars

The sky is full of stars.

stars

Leo counts the stars, but there are too many.

counts

We hear an owl in the trees.

an owl
In the tent
In the tent

We climb into our sleeping bags.

sleeping bag

The tent is small, and Max sleeps on my feet.

sleeps
Two eyes in the dark
Two eyes in the dark

In the night, I hear a noise outside.

In the night

I turn on my flashlight.

flashlight

Two eyes look at me. It is a raccoon!

a raccoon

He wants our crackers.

crackers

Max barks, and the raccoon runs away.

runs away
Packing up
Packing up

In the morning, Marta makes coffee on a little stove.

a little stove

We pack the tent and put out the fire with water.

put out the fire

We leave the campsite clean.

clean

Leo asks, Can we come back next summer?

next summer

Max sleeps all the way home.

all the way home

Check your understanding

  1. What is this text about?

    Show answer

    A camping trip โ€” The writer, her sister, her nephew and the dog camp by a river, make a fire, and meet a raccoon.

  2. Who holds the tent poles?

    Show answer

    Leo โ€” The text says: Leo holds the poles, and I read the instructions.

  3. What animal comes to the tent at night?

    Show answer

    A raccoon โ€” The text says: Two eyes look at me. It is a raccoon!

  4. Max sleeps all the way home

    Show answer

    True โ€” The text says: Max sleeps all the way home.

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