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Reading Excellence for Every Student

LEVEL 1

LEVEL 5

LEVEL 2

LEVEL 6

LEVEL 3

LEVEL 7

LEVEL 4

LEVEL 8

LEVEL 4READER

Sheila Clark-Edmands

3rd Edition3rd Edition

Specialized Program Individualizing Reading ExcellenceSpecialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence

S.P.I.R

.E.

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ER

SH

EIL

A C

LA

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Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence

3rd Edition

ReaderLevel 4


Editorial Project Manager: Tracey NewmanSenior Editor: Laura A. WoollettAssistant Editor: Rachel L. Smith

© 2012 by School Specialty, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in Benton Harbor, MI, in July 2011ISBN 978-0-8388-5712-0

1 2 3 4 5 PPG 15 14 13 12 11

Contents

Contents

ea: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

New Sight Words, Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Basketball Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A Funny Snack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Decoding and Sentence Reading C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The King of Peanut Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Consonant-le Syllables: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

New Sight Words, Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

A Simple Cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A Great Mess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Decoding and Sentence Reading C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Miss Giggle-Higgle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

oa: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

New Sight Words, Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27–28


Rob’s Wish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30


Mitch and the Ditch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34


The Boat Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Decoding and Sentence Reading D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

A Wonderful Day, Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44–45

iii

ai: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46



A Kind of Fairy Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49


Just Like Old Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54


Sayings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58


Rainy Day Complaining, My Wish, A Sister and Brother Speak Out . . . . . . . . 60–62

ee: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63


Decoding and Sentence Reading Review A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

A Fearful Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Decoding and Sentence Reading Review B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Live Your Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70


This Will Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73


A Bee and a Flea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

oo: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Review Sight Words, New Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79


A Lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81


Shooting Hoops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85


Rainy Day Picnic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88


A Good Rule (Poem), Goofy Zoo (Poem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92–93

Contentsiv

Contents

igh: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94



A Crash in the Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96


Light (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Decoding and Sentence Reading C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

The Lightning Bug (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

ie: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Review Sight Words, New Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

The Oak and the Reeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

To Tell the Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Decoding and Sentence Reading C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

The Little Golden Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

v

S. P. I.R.E.® Level 4 © SSI • Do Not Copy

ea (eat)

ea (eat)

eat

leaf

team

read

meal

seam

beach

cheap

squeak

beat

least

heave

steal

ease

leash

ear

weak

meat

leak

lean

bean

teach

speak

dream

heat

sea

eaves

beam

fear

tease

each

year

real

beak

heap

reap

wheat

streak

cream

neat

tea

flea

leak

near

deal

mean

seat

hear

peak

tear

reach

clear

sneak

treat

feast

leave

each

stream

shear

reason

dear

east

bead

heal

leap

peach

clean

steam

beast

yeast

weave

seal

please

bleach

sneaker

1


ea (bread, steak)

ea (bread)head

ready

spread

health

meant

sweat

breakfast

already

thread

healthy

feather

sweater

threat

dead

lead

deaf

wealth

leather

breath

bread

threaten

wealthy

weather

heavy

instead

ea (steak)

steak

bear

great

pear

break

wear

greater

tear

Review Sight Wordsthe, has, is, a, his, I, was, to, do, said, what, you, who, into, of, full, pull, push, put, through, your, gone, walk, talk, want, live, give, have, one, done, some, come, something, someone, where, there, were, are, somewhere, love, gone, both, climb, clothes, they, says, today, goes, does, strange, danger, listen, wonder, could, would, should

2


ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

treat

prize

mouse

peach

speaker

matching

costume

real

problem

hear

singing

dear

neat

stayed

here

joke

read

sea

helmet

heat

The old dog is deaf and cannot hear you.

I hear with my ears.

Do not eat the peach until it is ripe.

Jade likes to swim in the cold sea.

I like to go to the seaside and sit on the beach.

It is great to have time to read.

The problem is that I did not hear you.

Please pass the meat so I may eat.

Your costume is really neat!

We gave the cat some treats to eat.

3


Basketball Dreams

Some kids dream of being in a rock band . Some want to

act in films . Dean Hong dreamed of playing basketball . He

spent all his spare time on his basketball skills .

He could run fast . He could pass well . He could make

his shots . He was small, but he could leap up and touch the

rim of the basket . His pals felt he could make the team .

“You play like a real champ!” said Rex . “I love to watch

you dunk the ball!”

“And you are a great passer!” said Mick . “You get the

ball just where a player can reach it to make the shot .”

On the day of the tryouts, Dean woke up at six . To get

in shape, he ran before breakfast .

When he got back, he walked into the kitchen . Dad

was there .

“Dad, I take care of myself . I am fit and healthy,” he

said . “I have played basketball each day to get better . Do

you think I will make the team?”

ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck,

qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsBasketball Dreams

4


“You are in peak shape,” Dad said . “Try not to think so

much about the tryouts . Just do the best you can . I think

you will be fine . If you do not make the team this time,

there is always the next time to try .”

“Thanks, Dad,” said Dean . “Wish me luck!”

“I wish you luck,” said Dad . “But you can’t go yet . Sit

here and have a big breakfast!”

At tryouts, Dean was ready . He played well . He was

hopeful that the team would pick him . The next day, the

team list was posted . Dean had made the team .

Dean’s team, the Wildcats, went on to play well that

year . He had a great time playing . And his dad and his pals

had a great time watching him play . Dean and his team did

not win at the County Games, but they came close .

“The Wildcats will win it all next year,” said Dad .

“That would be great,” said Dean .

ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsBasketball Dreams

5


It is foggy at the lake today .

Do you want cream in your tea?

Be careful what you put into a landfill .

I want to be a teacher when I am older .

I am dreaming of a hot meal .

Put your napkin on your lap before you eat .

Listen carefully to the speaker .

I said “Ouch” when the ball hit me .

Dad will teach himself to swim .

I hate to drive on foggy days .


qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

each

summer

himself

landfill

peas

ouch

ease

foggy

teach

careful

speak

dream

round

napkin

teacher

basket

speaker

meal

bigger

drive

teabag

cream

pound

insult

6


A Funny Snack

I came home from school and was really hungry .

My dad had a snack ready . The snack was bread and jam .

“Yum .”

I ate it quickly and asked for something else .

Dad had to think awhile; then he gave me some bread

and peanut butter .

“Yum .”

I quickly ate that also . I still asked for something else .

Dad had to think . “Well,” he said, “I meant to go to the

store, but I did not have time . I still do have some bread,

and you can put Fluff on it .”

“Yum! That really was filling .” I was full .

Just then, Mom came home . “I could eat everything

around,” said Mom . “I am really hungry . Would you please

make a sandwich that I could eat?” asked Mom .

ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Funny Snack

7


“Dear, dear,” said Dad . “The bread is all gone . It was

just eaten . I meant to go to the store when I got a call . I

talked and talked and the next thing, Jake was home . I lost

track of time . Jake was so hungry, he ate all the bread .”

“That’s okay . Do you have crackers?” said Mom .

“Yes, I do,” said Dad . “Would you like some?”

“I have not had crackers and jam in a long time,” said

Mom . “In fact, I was small the last time I had crackers and

jam . I would love some . It would be a real treat!”

Mom and Dad sat and had crackers and jam . I had to

smile . It was funny to see Dad with jam on his chin .


qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Funny Snack

8


Today is the hottest day of the year.

Lin made us a fine picnic lunch.

Put on a helmet when you bat.

It was a cold and cloudy day.

Jack was grounded after he stayed out late.

The puffin sat on the rock.

The butter melted on the plate.

The teacher asked the class to listen carefully as the speaker

spoke about reptiles.

Nell got some thread to fix her costume.

Peanut butter and jam make a great snack.

dreaming

shouting

grounded

hottest

peach

contest

useless

reptile

helmet

pouted

costume

dentist

teacher

sneaker

played

bread

rubber

butter

puffin

cloudy

head

lunch

stayed

upset

until

ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

9


The King of Peanut Butter

A Fluffernutter sandwich is made by mixing together

peanut butter and Fluff . Thus, it is called by the name

Fluffernutter .

Fred loved Fluffernutter sandwiches . In fact, that was all

he would eat!

When his mom made him peach muffins for breakfast,

he would not eat them . When his mom made him soup and

crackers for lunch, he would not eat that . When his mom

made him meatballs for dinner, he screamed, “I ONLY

WANT FLUFFERNUTTER SANDWICHES!”

“You have to eat something else besides Fluffernutter

sandwiches,” his mom begged .

“Nothing else,” said Fred . “Only Fluffernutter .”

So, Fred’s mom made him Fluffernutter sandwiches . On

and on it went, day after day .


qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe King of Peanut Butter

10


“Fluffernutter sandwiches, Fluffernutter sandwiches!”

screamed Fred .

One day, things about Fred began to be different . He

found that he could not speak as well . When he spoke, his

mouth and lips quickly stuck together .

“What did you say?” said Mom . “Speak up, I cannot

hear you .”

“Help . I cannot speak louder,” whispered Fred .

Mom gasped and ran to get Dad . “What can we do?”

she asked . “Fred cannot open his mouth . He cannot speak!”

“Go to bed and get some rest, Fred,” Dad said . “When

you wake up, you should be fine .”

Fred lay back in bed and slept . He had a wild dream . A

big man in a tan costume spoke to him . “I am the King of

Peanut Butter . It is I who stuck your mouth shut,” the big

man said proudly .

ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe King of Peanut Butter

11


“I am not a mean man,” said the King of Peanut Butter .

“But I am quite mad at you, young Fred . You use all the

peanut butter . You use all the Fluff . What are the rest of

the kids supposed to do? You must leave them some . You

cannot eat it all . That is so selfish!”

“Listen to me,” said the King . “Next time you eat

breakfast, have a muffin . Eat some pancakes . When you eat

lunch, have a ham sandwich . Do NOT eat Fluffernutter

sandwiches all the time . If you do, your mouth will stick

shut . Do you hear me?”

Fred woke up screaming . From then on, he ate lots of

things, as well as Fluffernutter sandwiches .


qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe King of Peanut Butter

12


Consonant -le syllables

ble

bubble

stumble

tumble

rumble

tremble

thimble

double

couple

trouble

cle

uncle

dle

middle

handle

puddle

saddle

riddle

bundle

fle

riffle

sniffle

raffle

ruffle

consonant-le syllables

ble cle dle fle gle kle ple tle zle

thim|ble sim|ple lit|tle

13


consonant-le syllables

gle

wiggle

giggle

shingle

jingle

tingle

jungle

juggle

tangle

mangle

kle

buckle

pickle

tickle

chuckle

twinkle

sprinkle

tackle

crackle

grackle

ple

simple

apple

dimple

pimple

temple

topple

tle

little

rattle

cattle

kettle

bottle

zle

puzzle

muzzle

guzzle

dazzle

drizzle

sizzle

New Sight Words

castle, whistle

Review Sight Wordsthe, has, is, a, his, I, was, to, do, said, what, you, who, into, of, full, pull, push, put, through, your, walk, talk, want, live, give, have, one, done, some, come, something, someone, where, there, were, are, somewhere, love, gone, both, climb, clothes, they, says, today, goes, does, strange, danger, listen, wonder, could, would, should

14


Shout if you have the winning raffle ticket.

Did you pack a picnic basket?

The thunder was loud.

I will tell you a funny riddle.

The robber fled from the crime.

I will have soup and crackers for lunch on this cold day.

I had to chuckle at the jingle the little children sang.

Please quit snapping that rubber band.

Miss Galvin will teach me to tumble.

Do not wiggle in your seat when the speaker is talking.

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

buckle

snapping

inside

funny

played

thanks

seating

simple

thunder

fussy

riddle

staying

tumble

ticket

candle

under

house

apple

stuck

saddle

picnic

teacher

cracker

understand

bravely

fled

treat

raffle

15


A Simple Cold

Patrick was in bed on a lovely, sunny day . His mom was

sitting by his side .

“Your nose is all stuffed up,” she said . “You have a bad

case of the sniffles, young man .”

“Mom, I am not a little kid!” Patrick said . His stuffed-up

nose made him speak in a squeaky way . “What I have is a

cold, a simple cold . Not the sniffles!”

“OK, old man,” said Mom with a giggle . “You have a

simple cold . And maybe something more . Let me check .”

She leaned in and pressed her hand to his forehead . “Yes,

your forehead is hot . You also have the chills .”

“I am chilly,” Patrick had to admit . He grabbed his

sweater and pulled it on . “But Tommy and I are planning

to go to the big game . We want to watch the team win!

Listen, I can handle this cold, Mom . And I will bundle up

to take care of the chills .”

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e,

tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Simple Cold

16


“No, that will not do,” said Mom . “You would just get

sicker if you went out . You need to stay in bed, get plenty

of rest, and eat healthy stuff .”

“But, Mom,” Patrick said .

“Listen to me, Patrick,” said Mom . “It’s bad enough

that you could get sicker if you went out . But here is what’s

really bad . You could give your cold to the rest of the kids

at the game . What will they think?”

“They would all be mad at me,” said Patrick . “And

Tommy would be the maddest! He hates to get colds .”

“Then that settles it,” said Mom . She got up off his bed .

“I could make you something to eat, unless you want to

rest . What would you like to do?”

Patrick sat up . “I would like something to eat, please,”

he said .

“What would you like?” asked Mom . “Some bread and

jam? A bran muffin? An apple? I could also make you some

hot tea .”

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Simple Cold

17


“A muffin and some tea, please,” said Patrick .

“Thanks, Mom .”

“What are you going to do while I make your breakfast?”

asked Mom .

“I am going to call Tommy and tell him why I cannot go

to the game,” said Patrick . “Then I will do this .” He pulled

something off the shelf beside his bed . “Math puzzles,” he

told his Mom . “I love to do them . Then I will not mind

staying in bed .”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Mom with a chuckle . She left

to make his breakfast .


tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Simple Cold

18


When you are deaf, you cannot hear.

The child was sitting on the steps.

The little child could not speak.

My dad is a meat packer at the plant.

I have lots of sea shells in my pocket.

I wonder if Mommy is ready to go.

Please put the dinner plates into the dishwasher.

The tot carefully climbed up the steps.

Little Betty ate a lot of treats.

Please put your things neatly on the bed.

swinging

getting

stove

mouse

packer

bottle

dishpan

climbed

Benny

things

neatly

meatless

jumped

little

cross

landed

treats

ready

house

pocket

hands

better

shell

child

eat

real

deaf

couch

round

found

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

19


A Great Mess

Kaylin was dreaming . In her dream, she was eating a pile

of Wheat Crackles, grinning, and rubbing her tummy . She

woke up . It was just six, but she had to get up . She had to

have some Wheat Crackles! She rushed into the kitchen

and searched the shelf for the Wheat Crackles box .

Where was it? Kaylin checked under the counter,

pulling out pots and pans . She was being quite loud . She

woke up her dad . He came into the kitchen and spoke to

Kaylin . He was not happy .

“You woke me up with all your banging around,” her

dad said . “What is the problem?”

So Kaylin told him what the problem was .

“This is a simple problem to fix, Kaylin,” he said . “The

Wheat Crackles may be gone . But there are lots of things

to eat .”

“I really did not mean to be rude and wake you up,

Dad,” said Kaylin .


tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Great Mess

20


“It’s fine, Kaylin . Well, as long as I am up, both of

us can think of something to eat . Maybe we can make

something . What do we have on hand?”

“There’s a little bit of flour left,” said Kaylin, pulling out

a bag .

“And a ripe apple on this plate,” said Dad, picking up

the red apple .

“Here is an egg,” said Kaylin .

“We have milk,” said Dad, grabbing the milk bottle .

“And some butter .”

“This is fun . It’s like a puzzle,” said Kaylin . “What can

we make with all these things? We have flour, milk, an egg,

butter, and an apple .”

“I can think of something,” said Dad as he picked up the

pancake flipper . “Can you tell me what it is?”

“I love riddles,” said Kaylin . “Let me think .” Her

forehead puckered . Then she grinned . “Apple pancakes,”

she said .

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Great Mess

21


So Kaylin and Dad made apple pancakes . Dad flipped

them, and Kaylin put them on the plates . She put pats of

butter on top of each pile . It melted on the hot pancakes .

They had made a real feast!

“Yum!” said Kaylin as she dug into her pile of pancakes .

Just then, Kaylin’s mom walked into the kitchen .

“What’s that great smell?” she asked . She spun around .

Pots and pans filled the sink . The counter top was dusty

with flour .

“Yikes!” she shouted . “The smell is great, but so is

the mess!”

Kaylin and her dad grinned and nodded . Dad held up a

plate of pancakes . “There are plenty left . Want some?”

“Well,” Mom said with a chuckle . “Great meals

sometimes leave great messes . I’ll help you eat, and then I’ll

pitch in to help you clean up this mess!”


tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Great Mess

22


The feather tickles.

Put the napkin on your lap.

I hope you can stay and have dinner with us.

The plants will sprout in the spring.

Why do you talk in class when the teacher is speaking?

When the peas were shelled, Bonny came running back.

It will hold lots of bottles of milk.

What did you take out?

The day passed quickly.

Jill walked proudly.

speaking

problem

cleaning

feather

proudly

thank

staying

shouted

himself

lifting

grass

asked

sprout

tickle

summer

really

picnic

flour

dinner

round

reach

napkin

lonely

mean

our

leaf

must

read

tell

clam

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

23


Miss Giggle-Higgle

Miss Giggle-Higgle was old and lived in an old house by

herself .

Miss Giggle-Higgle had a big dimple on her chin . It made

her smile bigger, and it was funny when she talked . The

dimple would go in and out like a big bubble .

Miss Giggle-Higgle was a great baseball player . When she

was little, it was said she could hit a ball all the way across the

country . But Miss Giggle-Higgle hadn’t played baseball in a

long time . All she did was sit day after day, often yelling at the

kids who walked on her grass . She was mean and angry all the

time . Her dimple never would come, and she never had a smile .

Most of the kids stayed away from Miss Giggle-Higgle’s

house . They didn’t want her to yell at them . Miss Giggle-

Higgle became more and more unhappy . She didn’t think it,

but she was really lonely .

Miss Giggle-Higgle’s house was near where the children

played baseball . She would sit inside and listen to the children


tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMiss Giggle-Higgle

24


playing . She could tell when they had a home run because of

all the shouting . Sometimes, Miss Giggle-Higgle would find

herself shouting also . Then she would quickly sit and slouch in

her rocker . She felt so bad!

It was not fun to be old . Miss Giggle-Higgle could not run

fast or get around well at all . She could not get out, and no one

came to visit . No wonder she felt grouchy all the time! She was

thinking, “I wish I were young, or at least I wish I could try to

hit a baseball . I wonder if I can still do it as well as before .”

Just then, a big thump hit the side of Miss Giggle-Higgle’s

house . It was so loud that Miss Giggle-Higgle put her hands on

her ears . Miss Giggle-Higgle jumped out of her rocker and ran

out of her house . No one was around . All the children ran and

hid because they feared what Miss Giggle-Higgle would do .

Miss Giggle-Higgle picked up the ball . She saw that it was

just like the baseball she had when she was young!

Miss Giggle-Higgle held up the ball and held up her cane .

With the cane, Miss Giggle-Higgle gave the ball the biggest hit

you ever saw . The ball went flying back to home base .

consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMiss Giggle-Higgle

25


The children were in wonder . They came out from where

they hid . Miss Giggle-Higgle could hear loud clapping and

shouting for her .

The children ran up to Miss Giggle-Higgle to shake her

hand . Miss Giggle-Higgle suddenly had the biggest smile,

and her dimple popped . She suddenly felt proud and younger

than before .

The children asked her to hit the ball more . From that day

on, Miss Giggle-Higgle sat outside and watched the children

play ball . She shouted louder than all the rest . And after the

games, all the children went to her house for cake and milk .

Miss Giggle-Higgle was not lonely, and she never minded

the children walking on her grass .


tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMiss Giggle-Higgle

26


oa

New Sight Words

oak

boat

foam

poach

roam

soar

coast

coach

float

roadrunner

toad

goat

loan

groan

roar

boast

oat

cockroach

blackboard

scoreboard

loaf

coat

goal

cloak

board

throat

coarse

meatloaf

dashboard

load

soak

coal

croak

roast

goad

coax

oatmeal

tugboat

road

moan

soap

oar

toast

hoarse

hoax

steamboat

skateboard

although, dough, doughnut, though

oa 27


oa

Review Sight Words

the, has, is, a, his, I, was, to, do, said, what, you, who,

into, of, full, pull, push, put, through, your, walk, talk,

want, live, give, have, one, done, some, come, something,

someone, where, there, were, are, somewhere, love, gone,

both, climb, clothes, they, says, today, goes, does, strange,

danger, listen, wonder, could, would, should, castle,

whistle

28


Mom chopped a handful of nuts to put into the cake batter.

Beth stayed home with a sore throat.

Do not make rude comments.

Please stop slouching in your seat.

Lex groaned as he lifted the heavy box.

My dad coached our winning team.

The frog croaked in the pond.

At breakfast, I had poached eggs and toast.

The film was a thriller.

That box has a big hole.

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

toasted

temple

hopeful

seat

stayed

sounded

happened

useless

comment

groaning

treated

restless

thriller

slouch

coached

floats

boasting

boss

throat

sitting

little

roasted

risky

sore

handful

29


Rob’s Wish

Cape Cod was home to Rob Santos . The sea was all

around him on the Cape, which was fine with Rob . He

wanted to spend as much time as he could by the sea and

on the sea . His goal was to make enough cash, with help

from his dad, to get a small boat . Then he would roam the

seas, maybe head up the coast .

Rob had just one problem, and it was not a small one . He

had to coax his dad into letting him have a boat . This would

not be so simple . Last summer, Rob was careless with his

dad’s boat . He had lost one of the oars . Then he had badly

banged the boat when he had pulled in to the dock . His dad

had said that Rob hadn’t treated the boat with care .

Rob had gone to the store to get an oar . He had fixed the

boat . But his dad did not think that was enough . He did not

trust Rob to take care of a boat . Rob had to make it clear to

his dad that he could be trusted . But what could he do?

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,

vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRob’s Wish

30


Then one summer day, Rob was at the beach, near the

dock, soaking up some sun . Suddenly, there was a loud

scream . Rob quickly sat up . A small child was floating on

a rubber raft out at sea . The wind must have come up

suddenly and pushed the rubber raft out from shore . The

child’s mom was the one who had screamed . Rob watched

her run into the waves to get her child, but the child was

out of reach .

Rob quickly jumped up, dashed to the dock, and leaped

into his dad’s boat . He grabbed the oars and locked them

into the oarlocks . He headed out quickly . As Rob pulled

on the oars, sweat dripped off his chin . He pushed the boat

faster and faster through the waves .

At last, Rob reached the child and pulled her into his

boat . She was happy to be safe and gave him a hug . Tying

the raft to his boat with a rope, Rob dragged the raft

behind him to shore .

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRob’s Wish

31


When Rob got back on land, the child’s mom ran and

hugged him . As she held her child, some watchers came up

to Rob and patted him on the back . He had acted quickly

and bravely, they told him .

“Rob,” someone said . Rob spun around . It was his dad .

“I am proud of what you just did . So here is what I am

going to do . I will let you use my boat all summer . If you

take care of it, then I will help you get a boat that is all

yours . What do you say?”

Rob stuck out his hand . “It’s a deal, Dad,” he said with a

big grin .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRob’s Wish

32


All insects, such as ants, have six legs.

The sun is nearest to us in the wintertime.

The campfire gave us plenty of heat.

Sally asks tricky riddles.

Lately, the singer has not sung well.

The goat crunched on all the junk in the dump.

The jungle is full of wild things.

Tam could outrun and outjump the rest of us.

The coach gave Billy a pat on the back.

Pascal went off to get a loaf of French bread.

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

selfish

longest

camper

outside

insect

shipment

coach

jungle

daytime

dinner

lifeless

fluffy

riddle

trip

campfire

wiggle

teacher

singer

crunched

nearest

pickle

toaster

lately

dumped

bigger

33


Mitch and the Ditch

Vic sat in the kitchen on a hot summer day . He had just

eaten his Oat Clusters . He pushed his plate around and

began to mumble, “What a bore, what a bore, what a bore .”

“What’s a bore?” his mom asked .

“Oat Clusters . My life,” Vic moaned . “Calvin and

Renaldo are at camp . What can I do? I am so lonely!”

“Why don’t you take a ride on your skateboard?” his

mom said .

“I don’t want to . It’s hot out,” Vic said, with a whine .

“I have to clean the house today,” said his mom . “If you

stay inside, you can help!”

“I think I will go out then,” said Vic, as he put his plate

and dish in the sink .

Vic went out and sat on the back steps . After a while, he

leaned back and soaked up the sun’s rays . “Think,” he said

to himself . “Think of something thrilling you could do .

Something really thrilling .”

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e,

tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMitch and the Ditch

34


Just then, Vic saw something quite odd . On the ground,

near a big old oak, was a small insect . It was digging a hole

that kept getting bigger and bigger . And longer and longer .

The ground just kept falling in .

“One little bug can’t dig that big ditch,” Vic said out

loud . “What is going on here?”

Vic went over to the ditch and hopped in . Suddenly the

ground at the bottom of the ditch began to cave in . Vic fell

until he hit a soft bunch of leaves . He gasped when a small

head popped out from the leaves . From what Vic could

tell, it was a mole . The mole sat quite still, and its gaze was

quite steady .

Vic crouched next to the mole and grinned . He felt like

being silly . He would talk to this mole . “Well, well, little

critter,” he said . “It’s a fine day . And you are a fine mole .”

“Yes . Yes, I am,” said the mole, blinking up at Vic . “But

I must tell you, I am not happy to have you drop in on me .

I mean, you really dropped in on me .”

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMitch and the Ditch

35


“You—you are talking to me,” Vic croaked . “But moles

can’t talk!”

“Of course we can,” said the mole . “I am talking to you,

am I not? By the way, my name is Mitch . What is your

name?” The mole sounded a bit hoarse, though, as if it did

not talk that much .

Vic told the mole his name and asked, “Where am I?”

“Well, Vic, you are here at my house,” said Mitch . “I

suppose you would like to come in .”

When Vic nodded, Mitch led him into a space behind

the leaves . There was blackness all around, and Vic could

not make out much in the dimness .

“Please have a seat . Would you like something to eat?”

Mitch asked .

Vic saw a bench, so he sat on it . He did not want to be

rude . “Yes, please . I would like something to eat . And you

have a fine home .”

“Thank you,” said Mitch . “Here is a little something I just


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMitch and the Ditch

36


whipped up .” He handed Vic a plate of something mushy .

Vic ate some . “Yum!” he said, though he really didn’t

like it much .

“It’s grub mush!” said Mitch proudly . “I use the freshest

grubs that I can find!”

“Mmmm,” Vic said, trying not to be sick .

“Well, Vic, thanks so much for dropping in,” said Mitch .

“It is almost time for my nap . Have no fear . I will help you

get back home .”

Just then Vic found himself lying under the old oak . He

sat up . Where was Mitch? Where was the ditch?

“Did I dream it all?” he wondered . “Who cares? It was

not a bore . I am going to make this into a great tall tale .

Calvin and Renaldo will want to hear all about it when they

get back from camp!”

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMitch and the Ditch

37


The call to the fire house was a hoax.

Joan made both goals in the game.

Stay home if you have a sore throat.

Let’s take a drive up the coast.

Be careful not to boast.

Mom had to coax the tot to eat his peas.

The truck had a heavy load.

I have a long, black cloak.

My dad is the baseball coach.

The cockroach is a nasty bug.

floating

grabbed

speaker

walker

himself

boasted

before

proudly

under

animal

middle

lunched

rounder

leaky

slippers

ribbon

beginning

plunked

belonged

throat

eaten

splashed

address

hopped

hoax


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

38


The Boat Contest

Dad and Gretchen had spent all day patching the boat .

At last, it was ready to go . It had leaked badly before, but

they had fixed it just in time . The big boat contest was the

next day .

“It should float,” said Dad to Gretchen . “And you

should win!”

Gretchen grinned . “I will, as long as my boat does

not sink!”

“It will float . Trust me,” said Dad . “Well, it’s time to get

to bed . Don’t be loud and wake Mom .”

The next day, the clock rang at nine . Dad groaned . He

wanted to stay in bed, but Mom was up already . He could

hear her humming in the kitchen .

Dad leaped out of bed and yelled to Gretchen, but she

was already up and dressed as well . When Dad walked

into the kitchen, Gretchen and Mom were fixing toast and

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Boat Contest

39


oatmeal . Dad cut a slice off the loaf of wheat bread and

popped it into the toaster .

“Gretchen is going to win this contest,” he boasted to

Mom . “You can bet on it!”

Mom just grinned and hugged Gretchen .

As they ate, Dad and Gretchen chatted about the rules .

The contest would begin at the east end of Toad Lake .

The goal was to reach the dock at the west end in the

fastest time . But there was a tricky rule . You could use

just one oar, and you had to use it like a paddle . Gretchen

had done this lots of times, though, and she felt she could

paddle faster than the rest of the boaters .

When they were all done eating, Mom put the plates in

the sink while Dad and Gretchen went outside . Gretchen

helped Dad put the boat in the back of the pickup truck .

Then he, Mom, and Gretchen headed to the east end of

Toad Lake .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Boat Contest

40


Gretchen and Dad pushed the boat off the truck and

into the lake . This would be the real test to find out if it

would float . Gretchen held her breath as it went in . There

were no leaks . She let out a yell and grinned at Dad .

Just then, the boats were called to line up beside a rope .

Gretchen carefully got into the boat and headed to the

rope . The gun went off, the rope was dropped, and the

boats sped off . Gretchen’s oar splashed in and out as she

pushed the boat along . In went the oar . Out came the oar .

In went the oar . It was clear that Gretchen could handle

the single oar .

Mom and Dad were watching from the shore . Dad’s

throat was sore from yelling . Mom’s hands were sore from

clapping . They watched Gretchen soar past boats . She was

in the lead . She gave a yell as she reached her goal, pulling

the boat into the dock .

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Boat Contest

41


Mom and Dad quickly got into the pickup truck and

drove to the dock . They got out and ran to Gretchen . She

had a red winner’s cap on her head and was grinning . Dad

pulled out some glasses . Mom had a bottle of milk with

her . She poured milk into the glasses .

Dad made a toast to Gretchen . “Here’s to you, Gretchen,”

he said . “You are great! You can really handle a paddle!”

They all drank some milk . Then Gretchen made a toast to

Dad . “Here’s to you, Dad . You are a great leak-fixer!”

“Well,” said Dad with a wink, “we all have to be great at

something!”


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Boat Contest

42


I found a lucky penny on the ground outside the five and

dime store.

I had oatmeal and doughnuts to eat at breakfast time.

Jenny felt dizzy, but she got on the ride one more time.

We live near the seashore.

The penny was sticky from the candy in his pocket.

The scoreboard read ten to one.

The skateboarder rumbles up the sidewalk.

Please pass me your teacup.

Did you gobble up your lunch?

I stayed home with a sore throat.

gobble

shone

driveway

throat

jolly

napkin

juggle

float

mouth

plenty

skateboard

teacher

Sunday

found

dizzy

penny

seashore

oatmeal

happy

bubble

sticky

teacup

daytime

shouting

apple

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading D

43


A Wonderful Day

Sunny day . . .

dream away .

Float on a cloud,

sing out loud,

sit on the grass,

time quickly will pass .

What great fun,

soaking in the sun .

This is the best summer day .

I wish it would not slip away .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Wonderful Day

44


Sounds

I like the sounds of lots of things,

Streams that babble, bells that ring .

Crunching leaves and buzzing bugs,

The chug-chug-chug of little tugs .

I like the sound of happy play,

Yells and shouts that come my way .

The giggles at my silly jokes .

A big toad’s loud and boastful croaks .

The drip-drips from a leaky tap,

Pop and crackle, snip and snap .

Sounds are lost and sounds are found .

Listen! They are all around!

oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsSounds

45


ai

ai

sail

bail

nail

aim

brain

main

quaint

wait

air

stairway

taint

staid

wail

mailer

rain

rail

pail

claim

grain

pain

chain

wait

strait

fair

saint

aid

mailbox

sailfish

paid

hail

snail

gain

train

lain

stain

waist

hair

fairy

maintain

maid

ail

waif

braid

jail

tail

strain

plain

faint

bait

stair

pair

raid

haircut

sailboat

railroad

raincoat

fail

mail

trail

drain

sprain

paint

gait

chair

fairest

Spain

laid

paintbrush

faith

airsick

46


New Sight Words

Review Sight Words

again, against, other, mother, brother, cover, father,

another







whistle, although, dough, doughnut, though

ai 47


In hail and rain, the men climbed up the mountain.

I slipped my letter into the mailslot.

The teacher told us not to cheat on the test.

Please stop bumping your chair against the wall.

My mother waited on the train until it was safe to leave.

Be careful not to fall on the slippery stairs.

A bucket is the same thing as a pail.

Josh was late, so I had to wait.

Did you paint the wall red?

The rain suddenly stopped.

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,

vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

finished

mountain

faint

snail

chair

waited

painted

mailslot

happen

toast

soak

train

sudden

pail

smacked

teacher

stair

stacking

around

bucket

outside

tray

treat

while

croak

bumping

doing

shouting

cheater

little

48


A Kind of Fairy Tale

“Rain, rain, go away .

Come again another day .

Little Sally wants to play .”

Sally just sat inside the house singing the song again

and again, but still it kept on raining . She felt sad . All she

wanted to do was to go out and play on her swing set .

She watched the pail that was sitting next to the slide fill

up with water . The shovel was floating at the top . The rain

made puddles in the sand in her sandbox .

A little snail was sitting on a rock letting the rain run

off its shell . A sailboat was just sitting in the middle of the

pond rocking in the waves made from the wind .

It was a gray day with no hope of sunshine sneaking into

the sky .

Sally’s mother walked into the kitchen where Sally was

sitting .

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Kind of Fairy Tale

49


“Sally, why don’t you find something to do? It will pass

the time more quickly than just sitting there moping about

the rain . Use your brain to think of something fun to do .”

Sally just sat slouched in the chair . She did not want to

get up . She just felt like sitting there complaining about

the rain, but Sally’s mother didn’t want another thing said

about the rain . It was no use to sit and complain to her

mother . Her mother didn’t want to hear it . So, Sally got up

and walked like a snail to sit on the couch .

As she was walking to the couch, Sally tripped on her

brother’s train set that he hadn’t picked up . The train

began to go on the tracks . This gave Sally a scare, and she

leaned near the train to stop it . As Sally reached for the

switch, a little fairy landed on her hand .

“Stop,” said the fairy . “I’m here to help you . Do not be

afraid .”


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Kind of Fairy Tale

50


Sally lifted her hand up, and the little fairy landed in her

ear, where she whispered, “Come with me on the train to

the land of dreams . There you will find something to do on

this rainy day that will make you and others happy . It’s not

helpful to you to just sit around complaining . Rainy days

can be a time to do things that make the day happy without

the sun . You can make sunshine for yourself .”

Sally found herself shrinking to the size of the fairy . The

fairy had long, golden hair that hung to her waist . The

fairy had her hair in a long braid . She told Sally to hold

onto the braid as they climbed aboard the train . Sally heard

a train whistle, and off they went to the land of dreams .

In the land of dreams, the train stopped at a children’s

hospital . In this hospital, the children were sick and

couldn’t get out of bed . Sally felt sad that the children

couldn’t get up and play outside on rainy days or on sunny

days . Suddenly, Sally felt selfish that she had acted so

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Kind of Fairy Tale

51


grumpy . Surely there was something she could do to make

life a little better for these children .

Sally asked the fairy to take her back to her house . She

wanted to make something to make all the days for the

children sunny . The fairy was happy to take Sally back .

When Sally got home, she wrote letters to the children .

She sent them puzzles and made up riddles and mazes for

them . Sally was so happy that she was helping others that

she didn’t think about the rain . In fact, the sun began to

shine for Sally and the children .

Never again did Sally complain on a rainy day .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Kind of Fairy Tale

52


Do you have a claim ticket to get your coat?

Last summer, June found a pure white pebble on the

sandy beach.

Be careful when you climb the ladder.

May-Ling’s hair is so long, it reaches her waist.

This small house has lots of stairs.

Which dogs have long tails?

My brother put on a monster costume and waited under

the stairs to scare me.

If I stretch, I am taller than you.

The plant is ten inches long.

Please pull your hair back into a braid.

away

afraid

found

waist

inches

trucks

house

trapped

running

reaches

airplane

careful

waited

pebble

stretch

best

plants

monster

hair

stairs

taller

tail

ladder

back

claim

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

53


Just Like Old Times

Kit sat in the den, watching the rain fall outside . It just

kept raining and raining, and the puddles got bigger and

bigger . Kit grinned . The puddles made her think of Katlin .

When Kit was little, Katlin was her best pal . They were Kit

and Kat .

On a rainy day, sometimes Kit would call Kat . Other

times, Kat would call Kit . They would say the same thing .

“I will be outside before you!” Kit would say .

“No, you won’t!” Kat would say back . “I will be outside

before you!”

Both of them would scramble into raincoats and rubbers .

They would dash outside and almost run into one another .

Then the real fun began . They would splash in the puddles .

They would try to catch raindrops . They would slide on

the wet grass .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsJust Like Old Times

54


Then at lunchtime, sometimes Kit’s mother would call

them in . At other times, it was Kat’s mother who called . Kit

and Kat would dash inside and take off the wet things . They

were careful not to trail mud into the house .

As they ate a hot lunch, they would tell jokes to make

each other giggle . They would put cold hands around mugs

of hot tea until they were all toasty . Then they would

quickly bundle up in raincoats and rubbers, and dash

outside to play some more .

But that was before Kat and her mother had left East

Oakdale . Now they were in another state . Kit missed her

old pal . They would e-mail each other all the time . But it

was just not the same . Rainy days were no fun without Kat .

They just made Kit sad .

She sat up . She could hear sounds from the kitchen .

There were whispers and giggles .

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsJust Like Old Times

55


“What is going on?” Kit wondered . Was that her mom

on the stairs?

“May I come in?” someone asked . It was Kat!

“What are you doing here?” Kit shouted . She gave her

old pal a big hug . “It’s so funny . I was just thinking of you .

We had such fun on rainy days like this .”

“My mom had to come into East Oakdale . I talked her

into letting me come . So, let’s go! Get into your raincoat

and rubbers . There are mud puddles waiting outside!”

It was just like old times .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsJust Like Old Times

56


There are thousands of hairs on your head.

Rob lay dreaming in his bed.

May I be the speaker in the play?

The scale says that the dog is fifty pounds.

There is no peak I cannot climb.

I can play basketball inside in the winter.

Spring is baseball time.

The men helped to bring the whale from the sand to the sea.

“There must be two hundred ants,” Fred whispered to his

brother.

“Supper is ready,” said Mother.

butterfly

counter

outside

dreaming

happened

classes

prayed

mouth

until

tilted

understand

time

while

stone

coasted

explained

claim

really

skimmed

pounds

help

healing

dressed

bottom

fifty

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

57


Sayings

Here are some old sayings . What do they mean to you?

It is raining cats and dogs .

A stitch in time saves nine .

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket .

Where there’s a will there’s a way .

They were eaten out of house and home .

We were in hot water!

He let the cat out of the bag .

She felt like a fish out of water .

Do to others as you would have them do to you .

He hit the nail on the head .

I have a frog in my throat .

The last one in is a rotten egg!

She is a real pack rat .

A rolling stone gathers no moss .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsSayings

58


The rubber raft drifted in the pond.

The plant wilted in the hot sun.

Mother printed her list neatly on the notepad.

We will take the railroad train to the seacoast.

I went on a camping trip with Dad that lasted ten days.

Put on your bike helmet when you ride your bike.

Did you help your mom and dad before you left?

We were glad when the sad song ended.

The butter melted as the pan got hotter.

Libby lifted her chin and nodded.

sailboat

trumpet

maintain

problem

railroad

goal

racket

thunder

different

lifted

hairy

winning

seacoast

hundred

halter

bottle

helmet

traffic

happen

melted

jungle

helpful

muffin

watching

spotted

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading D

59


Rainy Day Complaining

I watch the rain raining,

But I’m not complaining .

I don’t say it shouldn’t,

I just wish it wouldn’t .

Then I could be playing

Instead of just saying,

Where is the sun?

Where is my fun?

But wait, is it done?

Well, well, I must run!


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRainy Day Complaining

60


My Wish

If life were like a fairy tale,

Into the sky we all could sail .

We all would swim as well as fish,

And I would get what I most wish .

If life were like a fairy tale,

I’d sing just like a humpback whale .

And men would stop to hear the song

That I would sing out all day long .

ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsMy Wish

61


A Sister and Brother Speak Out

“I have a little brother .

His name is Dave .

I wouldn’t want another .

He is so brave .

If I fell in the sea,

(I cannot swim!)

Dave would come save me,

So I love him .”

“I have an older sister .

Her name is Kate .

When she was gone, I missed her .

She is so great .

When I was sick in bed,

I just felt sad .

She told me jokes instead .

And made me glad!”


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Sister and Brother Speak Out

62


ee

see

glee

speech

seed

beef

creek

keel

seen

sweep

cheer

sheet

breeze

sleep

needle

greedy

teen

chimpanzee

fee

three

screech

weed

reef

meek

peel

screen

deep

creep

sweet

freeze

coffee

tweeze

sheepskin

weekend

nosebleed

bee

tree

deed

bleed

seek

eel

reel

keen

keep

beet

street

sneeze

teepee

sleepy

nineteen

treetop

asleep

flee

beech

feed

greed

week

feel

steel

queen

sheep

peep

feet

fleet

squeeze

indeed

fifteen

canteen

beehive

free

leech

need

reed

cheek

heel

seem

green

steep

deer

meet

greet

speedy

sixteen

volunteer

freedom

tumbleweed

ee

63


ee

New Sight Words

friend, been, people

Review Sight Words







whistle, although, dough, doughnut, though, again,

against, other, mother, brother, cover, father, another

64


I feel like sleeping late today.

The tree branch broke when the heavy cat climbed it.

My feet feel cold from the puddles I stepped in.

This is the same kind of tree as that one.

The rain falling on my neck made me feel creepy.

Lee was a happy, sweet child.

The king and queen sat on golden thrones in the castle.

The man stiffened with fear as the robber came near.

The breeze felt a little cold on my back.

Do you need the salt and pepper?

breeze

little

happy

spelled

different

sleeping

herself

needed

sweet

printed

sadly

pepper

shade

puddle

creep

feet

stiffened

eating

tree

creepy

felt

feet

plate

branches

sheep

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

65


A Fearful Tale

A ketch was sailing with a fleet of ships when a great

gust of wind came up . The sea became black and choppy,

tossing the big ships as if they were beanbags .

The skipper sat up in his bunk . He felt the rolling of the

sea and could hear the screeching wind . He rang the bell

calling all the mates to the upper deck . Then he quickly

dressed and climbed the deck ladder .

When the skipper came on deck, the wind and rain tore

into him . Hail beat against his cheek . He could barely see

the other ships in the fleet . He grabbed the ropes as the

ketch swung from side to side under the big sea swells .

Waves crashed on the deck, and the planks creaked from

the strain .

Each mate was squinting to see the skipper . They were

speechless with fear as they strained to hear him speak .

Deep inside, they were fearful . No one had seen such a

66 ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,

vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Fearful Tale

66


wild sea before . Thick black clouds hung in the sky, waiting

to dump more rain and hail on the rolling ketch . The men

all wondered if the sea would sweep them off the decks to a

death at sea . Each man was thinking of home and wishing

he could be there, safe and sound .

As the skipper began to speak, a swell lifted up the ketch

and swept it on top of some rocks near the coast . The hull

was split, and the sea came gushing in .

The skipper yelled, “Get to the life rafts!” The men

jumped into the roaring black sea . They reached out

and clung to life rafts that were already floating on the

crashing waves .

They were a lucky bunch . Each man held onto the life

raft until he was close enough to drag himself to shore .

Then the men began to seek shelter from the rain . Some

went to huddle under trees, and some lay under rock cliffs .

Others found a small cave and kept safe there . They all

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Fearful Tale

67


were picked up after three days . They needed a hot meal

and dry clothes, but were happy to have cheated death .

As the skipper will tell you, the sea can be your best

friend . But it can also be mean and greedy, wanting to grab

and keep those who ride its waves . This time, though, the

greedy sea lost .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Fearful Tale

68


Will you sweep the kitchen, please?

Miss Wong is a proud teacher.

Jane got a nosebleed when she bumped her nose.

The teacher asked me to leave.

Did they call my number yet?

The tugboat whistled and pushed the ship into the dock.

The screen kept the fly out.

You can pull that hair out with the tweezers.

You sneeze when you have a cold.

The sweet grapes were ready to be picked.

sleepy

number

struggle

seek

sweep

kitchen

sneeze

nosebleed

next

inspire

unless

indeed

bolder

battles

teaching

instead

queen

dreaming

grateful

awake

proudly

cheek

maiden

cheer

rested

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

69


Live Your Dream

When James Steel was little, he dreamed of olden times,

when men were brave and bold . He could see himself

roaming strange lands on his big white steed . He called his

steed Wind Sweeper, and she was as swift as the wind . He

would do great deeds .

Sometimes, he would save a fair maiden from danger .

She would give him a kiss and thank him sweetly . He

would not speak . He would just smile proudly .

Sometimes he would help a king and queen . They would

be so grateful to him that they would hand him bags filled

with gold . He would take the gold and give it to people

who needed it more than he did . They would cheer as he

rode off on Wind Sweeper .

When James Steel was a teen, he could see himself

sailing the seas . He would skipper a sleek ship . He called

his ship Wind Sweeper, and it was as swift as the wind . He


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsLive Your Dream

70


and his men would sail Wind Sweeper around the globe .

They would do great deeds .

Sometimes they would save people who had been swept

out to sea . Sometimes they would find people who had

washed up on lonely shores . Other times, he and his mates

would battle against dangerous men who wanted to steal gold

from the queen’s fleet . No matter where they were, people

would cheer when he and his men sailed off on Wind Sweeper .

Such were James Steel’s dreams . When he was a man,

he held onto his dreams of wanting to do great deeds . He

became a teacher . Sometimes when he talked, he would

take his class to olden times . Sometimes he would take

them around the globe . And when he was done speaking,

his class would cheer .

One day, a friend told James, “You really did hold onto

your dreams . You are still doing great deeds and helping

people . That’s what a teacher does!”

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsLive Your Dream

71


Steve Reeves was a grumpy, greedy, man.

The robber waited fifteen years until he was free to leave jail.

I hope your mother feels better.

The toast was quickly toasting in the toaster.

Would you like some coffee with your muffin?

Father will mend the rip in your pants with a needle and

thread.

Meanwhile, please wait in the kitchen.

I understand that you’d like to stay here all of the week.

The bees are buzzing around the beehive.

What will you do this weekend?

waited

understand

happening

meanwhile

sheepskin

fifteen

toasting

different

summer

sixteen

felt

quickly

under

helping

coffee

better

stayed

small

winter

freedom

feels

jumped

ground

kitchen

greedy


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

72


This Will Pass

Neal was a sweet kid . He was happy with himself when

it came to most things . But he was not happy with his feet .

Neal felt his feet were just so big .

He complained to his mother . “The problem with my

feet,” said Neal, “is that they are as big as boat paddles .

They drive me nuts . Watch me run, Mom . See? I keep

tripping on my big feet . They make me feel creepy .”

Sometimes he would just sit and stare at his feet . “I can

feel them getting bigger,” he would joke . “When will they

stop? When they are as big as boats? Then I won’t fit in

my bed . My feet will stick out from the sheets . They won’t

make sneakers big enough to fit my big feet! People will gasp

when I come flapping my big feet as I walk up the street .”

“Cheer up, Neal,” said his mother . “I don’t see a problem

with your feet . They may have gotten bigger . But the rest of

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThis WIll Pass

73


you will catch up . You are still young . At this rate, you will

be a tall man, like your dad . He loves being tall!”

Neal began to think . “Basketball players are tall . Maybe

I can play basketball some day .” He sat back, lost in a

dream . “I can see myself in a big game . I speed up the lane .

I get the pass . I cut to the basket and dunk the ball with

ease . Score!” Neal leaped up as he spoke .

His mother gave him a gleeful smile . “Way to go,

Champ!” she cheered .

Neal grinned back . He propped his feet up on the chair

beside him . “Well, feet, get as big as you want . We’re

going to play basketball some day!”

“Yes, feet,” said his mother . “But meanwhile, stay off

my chair .” She pushed Neal’s feet off the chair as she

winked at him .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThis Will Pass

74


They added the number to the scoreboard.

I climbed to the top of the mountain and stayed and waited.

The children stay at this camp all week.

Do you like my haircut?

I cannot scratch the itch on my back.

You are walking like a snail.

Can you reach the upper shelf?

Children like to jump into mud puddles.

Loudly and clearly the thunder rumbles in the summer sky.

Funny sounds came from the big house on Tenth Street.

scoreboard

pocket

fleet

giggle

indeed

haircut

happen

yourself

basket

itch

raining

mountain

children

seek

upper

jumped

puddle

monster

rumble

stopped

bed

snail

taller

free

week

ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading D

75


A Bee and a Flea

A mean old bee and a sleepy flea

Had made a plan to come get me!

The bee said, “I’ll sting you and make you yell!”

The flea said, “I’ll bite you . You’ll itch and swell!”

Then I said, “But wait! Let’s play hide-and-seek .

I will go and hide . You can seek all week!”

So off I ran in a cloud of dust .

The bee couldn’t see, and the dusty flea fussed .

I ran and ran, I was fleet as a deer .

The bee and flea were gaining . I was filled with fear .

I climbed up a pine tree, and there I hid .

Both of them gave up on me . They really did!

I grinned, sang, and hummed . I was happy to be free .

But listen, can you help me get out of this tree?


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Bee and a Flea

76


oo (food)

oo (food)

too

tool

boom

moon

droop

broom

choose

poor

doomed

toadstool

zoo

whoop

loot

spooky

ooze

rooster

noodle

toothbrush

moody

roof

stool

bloom

noon

stoop

root

coo

smooth

mushroom

goof

bedroom

loom

snoop

root

igloo

afternoon

doodle

toothpick

roomy

spool

gloom

spoon

hoop

boot

coop

soothe

boo

foolish

booth

bathroom

zoom

swoop

scoot

tattoo

boost

teaspoon

raccoon

toot

food

gloomy

tablespoon

goose

shoot

scoop

troop

moo

noose

moose

hoot

scooter

bamboo

booster

zookeeper

pool

room

cool

proof

soon

loop

loose

tooth

classroom

shampoo

groom

boomerang

goofy

drool

roost

poodle

broomstick

groove

scooped

foolproof

roommate

toothpaste

77


78 oo (cook)

oo (cook)cook

childhood

woodpile

shook

brooks

hoof

booklet

footpath

checkbook

book

stood

woodshed

took

crook

woolly

bookshelf

footprint

pocketbook

good

understood

hook

look

crooked

woolen

bookcase

footstool

woodpecker

notebook

good-by

wood

wool

looked

goody

foot

bookkeeper

understood

textbook

hood

woods

fishhook

brook

goodness

footstep

barefoot

woodchuck

woodcutter

78


New Sight Words

oo

move, prove, shoe, truth, fruit, suit, bruise, cruise, whom,

whose, wolf, wolves

Review Sight Words








against, other, mother, brother, cover, father, another,

friend, been, people

79


Beside her was a basket of soft, gray wool.

He stopped to look inside.

The sun slipped behind the mountain tops.

It was time for the sun to set.

The friends sat on a smooth rock.

I’m in a grouchy mood.

In a while I’ll feel better, and I’ll be more pleasant to be

around.

She has always been so fond of children.

He promptly got up and walked away.

When the cake plate and teapot were both empty, Mother

filled them.

80 oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,


blanket

paintbrush

rattlesnake

himself

smoothly

outside

picked

reached

plants

nodded

quickly

inside

mouth

around

hugged

path

look

afraid

bundle

snoop

stopped

better

looked

shyly

rooster

80


A Lesson

Heather lived on the same street as Dave . She always

went to Dave’s house after school . They had been best

friends from the time they met .

One day before she left for school, Heather slipped her

father’s hammer into her backpack . She was aware that her

father would not be happy if he found it gone . He always

said that she could use the tools when he was with her . But

he insisted that she should not use them by herself . She

fooled herself into thinking that he wouldn’t mind if she

used them with Dave . Plus, she intended to put the hammer

back before her father got home, so he wouldn’t miss it .

When Heather took the hammer out of her backpack,

Dave was speechless . He was so happy to see the hammer . At

last they could finish the clubhouse! Dave found some nails in

the shed, and he and Heather headed to the woods to begin .

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Lesson

81


All was going well . Dave nailed the boards, and Heather

sanded them smooth . When the boards were smoothed,

Dave and Heather planned to paint them . Dave was up on

the roof of the clubhouse, pounding a loose board, when

Heather began yelling . He quickly checked to see what was

the matter . Heather was standing on a stool in back of the

clubhouse and yelling . Dave’s sister had a pet goose . It had

gotten loose and was standing there, hissing at Heather .

The goose did not like the sound of the sanding . Dave got

a broom and shooed the goose back into its pen . “That was

close,” said Heather . “I almost fell off this stool!”

Dave went back to pounding with the hammer . Heather

reached up to sand a spot near him, and her sleeve became

snagged on a nail that was sticking out . Dave fixed the snag

and the nail, and went back to his hammering .

But soon Heather was whimpering softly . She didn’t

want to bother Dave again, but she had a sliver in her hand,

and she couldn’t get it out .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Lesson

82


This was one time Dave couldn’t help . Heather and

Dave went into the house to look for his mother .

Dave’s mother washed Heather’s hand and found a pair

of tweezers . She pulled the sliver out and put a bandage on

the little cut . Dave’s mother looked at Dave . “Dave, what

is that in your left hand?” Dave was still holding Heather’s

father’s hammer .

“Oh, this is just . . . .” At the same time that Dave was

beginning to tell his mother, Heather’s dad came to pick

her up . He stood in the hall and looked at the hammer in

Dave’s hand . Then he looked at Heather, who was looking

quite gloomy . “Well, Heather, get your things and my

hammer . It has been a long day, and I can see it is not going

to end too soon . We’ll talk on the way home .” Heather

understood . She quickly grabbed what she needed and got

into her father’s van . It would take a while to earn back her

father’s trust . She felt bad and wished she had listened .

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Lesson

83


Please hang your coat on the hook.

Did you tell the truth?

I would like to invite you to come for a swim in our pool.

This shampoo will get your hair clean.

Does this boot fit on your foot?

When I step on this plant, slime oozes out.

The man had a snake tattoo on his back.

The zookeeper feeds the animals at noontime.

It is a fact that I love you!

The raccoon got into the trash and scattered it all around

the street.

spooky

igloo

footstool

swimming

paintbrush

speak

goodness

doodle

notebook

shampoo

tooth

players

lunch

treetop

teeth

belong

candle

eat

oatmeal

rest

sticks

moose

cleaner

breakfast

sixteen


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

84


Shooting Hoops

Dan Maxwell really wanted to make the school basketball

team in the fall . He was not much of a shooter, but he still

had a glimmer of hope that he could make the team . He had

all spring and summer to get ready .

Day after day, Dan would shoot baskets with his friends .

Time and time again, he would miss the hoop, but he kept

trying until he dunked one . When that happened, his

friends would cheer loudly .

Dan could dribble the ball better than most of the other

kids . He could dribble it in front and just as well in back .

He could dribble under his legs and all around the other

players . He was quick and nimble on his feet, and no one

could get the ball away from him . He was so quick that

they could never tell which way he was going to go . When

the other team made a pass, Dan would pick it off . He was

always stealing the ball . He could block shots, too .

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsShooting Hoops

85


Dan could pass the ball well, too, setting up other

players so that they made baskets . But when he shot the

ball, it would just clunk off the rim . Still, Dan never gave

up . After a while, his foul shooting got a bit better, but not

by much . His other shots were still not falling .

The day of tryouts came . Dan did his best but missed all

of his shots . He was still running, passing, stealing passes,

and blocking shots . He just wasn’t sinking his shots . The

coach watched Dan carefully . When the time came to

choose players to fill the slots, Dan Maxwell was number

one . The coach said that Dan would be a great team

member . With him on the team, the other team would

never get hold of the ball!

Dan’s best friend, Alvin Mays, was also picked . Alvin was

a great shooter . With the two of them on board, their team

won almost every game that year .

Good things can happen when you don’t give up!


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsShooting Hoops

86


The air was filled with the stinky smell of a skunk.

He stayed in the water a long time.

It was a sweet, splendid spring day.

A tree branch hit Gil on the head.

It was so cold, Amber wore a pair of woolen socks on top

of a pair of cotton socks.

My brother always snores when he sleeps.

I plopped in the chair and promptly fell asleep.

The woodpile became smaller as winter went on.

Kay has a small bedroom that she shares with her sister.

We will shoot hoops this afternoon.

beginning

whispered

winter

spring

woodpile

happened

keeping

tucked

splendid

suddenly

finished

bedroom

sweet

woolen

afternoon

plopped

small

again

snore

digging

explained

puffing

cheek

moose

splashed

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

87


Rainy Day Picnic

“It’s such a rainy, cloudy, gloomy day,” said Milly . “To

tell the truth, I feel like climbing back into bed and pulling

the blankets on top of my head . Our plans for going on a

picnic at noon are doomed! This rain is not going to let

up .” She sat in the big den chair, helplessly watching the

rain as it streamed from the roof and made muddy pools on

the ground .

Milly’s mother nodded . She understood why Milly

was upset, but she didn’t like to see her sitting there

complaining . Milly’s mother felt that people should always

try to make the best of things . “We can’t swim in our

pool,” said Milly . “Why did this cool, rainy spell of weather

have to happen? We can’t shoot hoops outside because the

basketball hoop is dripping wet . And rain is streaming from

the roof and leaving big puddles all around the house .”


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRainy Day Picnic

88


“Look at those ducks out by the pond,” said Milly’s

mother . “They are glad that it’s raining .”

“Well, maybe so,” said Milly, still in a bad mood, “but

I’m not a duck, and my friends are not ducks .”

“Look at the plants,” Milly’s mother went on . “They are

getting the water they needed so badly . Their roots were

drying out . But just look at them . They are standing tall

and proud, so happy that it’s raining .”

“Well, the plants may be happy, but not me,” said Milly

glumly .

“And look at that brook,” Milly’s mother went on

cheerfully . Nothing was going to stop her from trying to

boost Milly’s feelings . “That brook was drying up before .

Look at it bubble and babble . It’s so happy to see all this rain!”

Milly was beginning to understand . It didn’t make her

feel good to sit around and complain . It didn’t make her

mother feel good to hear her complain . Complaining didn’t

make the rain stop .

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRainy Day Picnic

89


“Why don’t I call my friends,” Milly said to her mother .

“We can make some other plans .”

“That’s my gal,” said Milly’s mother . “Why not have

your friends come here and do a bake-and-eat day?”

“What a great plan!” Milly shouted . Soon she had called

all her friends . With her mother’s help, Milly made a list

of good foods that she and her friends could make, and got

everything ready . She got out the flour, salt, yeast, spoons,

teaspoons, milk, water, pots, pans, and lots of other things .

They were going to have a fun day after all!

Meanwhile, Milly’s mother put on her rain slicker and went

out to the woodshed to get some wood . She came back loaded

with logs and lit a fire in the family room . She got blankets

from the hall and laid them on the floor . Milly and her friends

could still have their picnic . It just wouldn’t be outside .

It never did stop raining that day, but no one seemed

to mind!


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsRainy Day Picnic

90


Before winter comes, the woodchuck eats a lot.

It stuffs itself with grass and becomes fat.

The woodchuck lives in an underground den.

Beavers save food to eat in winter.

Use the shampoo to wash your hair.

She stood carefully on the stool to reach the basket.

The wind tore some small branches off the tree.

The beaver made a dam in the nearby lake.

The poodle understood what his master wanted him to do.

Benny wanted to win the contest.

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading D

happy

booth

someone

wood

woodchuck

understood

shampoo

teach

branches

carefully

reached

poodle

beaver

food

walked

began

nearby

hungry

save

finish

rested

strong

really

teeth

bedroom

91


A Good Rule

From here to there, it’s understood,

To brag too much is not so good .

People should, I think, be kind,

And good in others they should find .

Everyone has something great,

To think you’re best is a mistake .

We all have something good to give .

So by this rule, we all should live .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Good Rule

92


Goofy Zoo

There was a zookeeper who lived in a zoo .

He had a baboon, a raccoon, and a cockatoo, too,

A rooster that always flew the coop,

A kangaroo that jumped through a hoop,

A moose that was always getting loose,

And a goose that felt he was a moose .

He had a snake with a man tattoo,

And a goat that always said moo .

He had a poodle that only ate noodles,

And an ape that always made doodles .

He had a woodchuck that always chucked wood,

And a woodpecker that on his head stood .

This zookeeper became a little goofy, it’s true .

But if you were he, so would you!

oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsGoofy Zoo

93


igh

New Sight Word

Review Sight Words

94 igh

fight

tight

fright

fighting

night

bright

frighten

brightly

light

flight

lighten

lightning

might

sigh

mighty

right

sight

tightly

sign

the, has, is, a, his, I, was, to, do, said, what, you, who, into, of,

full, pull, push, put, through, your, walk, talk, want, live, give,

have, one, done, some, come, something, someone, where,

there, were, are, somewhere, love, gone, both, climb, clothes,

they, says, today, goes, does, strange, danger, listen, wonder,

could, would, should, castle, whistle, although, dough,

doughnut, though, again, against, other, mother, brother,

cover, father, another, friend, been, people, move, prove, shoe,

truth, fruit, suit, bruise, cruise, whom, whose, wolf, wolves

94


The peacock proudly spread his bright feathers.

Do not ride your skateboard on this sidewalk.

The crackers were lightly toasted.

The clock will chime at ten.

The swimmer was sleepy after the long swim.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky.

The big dog frightened the small child.

The light on our street is quite bright.

Did you miss your flight?

This dress is too tight.

light

driveway

crackers

lightest

really

outside

brain

nineteen

shine

toasted

shampoo

cleaning

swimmer

flames

skateboard

understood

handful

sleepy

chime

proudly

bright

peanut

shone

frisky

peacock

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading A

95


A Crash in the Night

The raccoon sat and waited for all the lights in the

house to go out . It was a great night to raid some trash cans

for food . The moon shone brightly and lit his way, so he

could see everything well . He had been waiting a long time

and was as hungry as he could be . He could see a chicken

bone sticking out of a plastic bag . The sight of such lovely

food made him drool .

The raccoon walked lightly so as not to make a sound .

Little animals scattered out of his way . He looked like a

bandit in the night hunting for a bank to rob .

Suddenly, the raccoon jumped . He had run into a pile

of tin cans that were stacked next to the trash pile . The

cans tumbled to the ground . The loud bang frightened the

raccoon, and he made a fast dash back into the woods .

All the lights in the house went on . A man came out of

the house . He walked to the back and checked the lock to

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,

vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Crash in the Night

96


make sure it was latched . He looked around . He could see

that the trash had been tampered with . He pulled the trash

can into the shed . “I’ll put it out in the daytime for the

trash men when all these pesky night animals are sleeping,”

he said to himself . Then he went back inside .

The raccoon looked around . It dashed off into the

woods . There were plenty of other trash cans to try . He

would find some dinner before the night was through .

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsA Crash in the Night

97


Dad cut the copper wire with wire cutters.

The thunder and lightning made a loud rumbling sound and

a flash.

The lightning bug is a wonderful insect.

Lightning flashed across the sky.

The plants along the coast are different from the plants inland.

You are welcome to come home with me.

The nearer I get, the better you look.

Dad rushes home from his job to cook dinner before we

get home.

The biggest cloud dumped the most rain.

I counted six sunny days and one cloudy day last week.

found

thunder

nearer

talking

coast

lightning

always

wonderful

mammals

copper

different

strong

things

counted

welcome

jumps

rushes

helps

plants

biggest

cloud

flashed

light

flame

rumbling


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

98


Light

Back when people lived in caves, they could not light up

their homes by pushing a button, flipping a switch, pulling

a chain, or lighting a lamp or candle with a match . The

light they had to use at night was moonlight or the light of

a bonfire .

Today we can make night into day both inside and

outside . Streets are lit all night long . Lights let baseball

players play at night . People can stay at their jobs at night .

There isn’t a job or game that has to stop because it is

nighttime and the daylight is gone .

In the beginning, people most likely used a burning stick

of thick wood for light . People then found out that sticks

gave better light if the ends were dipped in animal fat, or in

pitch . Racks were put on the walls to hold the lit sticks, so

people could see without the bother of having to hold the

sticks themselves .

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsLight

99


Then people came up with an even better way to light

their homes . They would dip a string made of moss or

grassy plants, which is called a wick, into something fatty,

such as beeswax . They would dip the wick many times,

until the wax got thick around the wick . When it was lit, it

would shine brightly and last a long time . We still use such

candles today .

More than one hundred years ago, people discovered

that gas was a good way to make lights in lamps that would

stay lit and not go out . These lamps were used to light

streets and houses . The gas came to the lamps from pipes .

Gas lamps could not be moved from place to place, but

they made good street lights and wall lights .

This all may seem funny to us, but it is the way it was .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsLight

100


You can sweep a room with a broom.

The mouse was frightened by the trap.

Did you complete the job?

The candy made a sticky mess in the child’s pocket.

Do not put those plastic bags in the trash.

The rooster was hungry and wanted to be fed.

The little wild animals scattered as we walked on the path

in the woods.

The man can juggle three balls at the same time.

Pat’s flight was late.

I might enter the cooking contest.

raccoon

scattered

toothbrush

sticky

mistake

frighten

animals

ruffle

messy

complete

flashed

walked

juggle

hungry

Steve

pile

plastic

sunny

battle

earmuffs

mouth

hunting

flight

slide

rooster

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

101


The Lightning Bug

A lightbulb gets hot when it’s lighted . Candles and gas

lamps, too, give off heat as well as light . But some insects

can give off light without heat . The lightning bug is just

such an insect . It gives off “cold light .” The lightning bug

gets its name from the light on its belly that flashes on and

off . It is also called a firefly .

A lightning bug is not a bug, and it’s not a fly . It is a

beetle . The light from a group of lightning bugs is bright

enough to read by, if you don’t mind blinking lights . Long

ago, the Aztecs in Mexico had lightning bugs help them

light the way at night .

Lightning bugs use their lights to find mates . A male

lightning bug flashes his light as a signal, while flying

through the air . A nearby female lightning bug, waiting on

the ground, sees the signal . She flashes back her light to the

male, so he can see where she is .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Lightning Bug

102


Lightning bugs lay eggs on the ground . A young lightning

bug takes 1–2 years to become an adult . It cannot flash a

light until then . Adult lightning bugs live just 5–30 days .

Do you want to see where the light comes from on a

lightning bug? Go out at night, just after the sun sets . If

you see a small flashing light in the air, you have found a

lightning bug . Carefully close your hands around it . Peek

inside to see the lightning bug’s display of light . After you

take a good look, let the lightning bug go free .

igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Lightning Bug

103


ie (pie)

104 ie

pie

try

fly

cry

fry

dry

sky

spy

tie

tries

flies

cries

fries

dries

skies

spies

lie

tried

cried

fried

dried

die

drier

ie (chief)chief

brief

tier

thief

field

shield

thieves

priest

grief

belief

yield

grieve

believe

fairies

104


New Sight Words

ie

any, many

Review Sight Words








against, other, mother, brother, cover, father, another,

friend, been, people, move, prove, shoe, truth, fruit, suit,

bruise, cruise, whom, whose, wolf, wolves, sign

105


I made fresh apple pie last night.

Wolves live in the big woods, and so do bears and wildcats.

The small child lay awake in the trundle bed.

The man strapped his bundle on his back and climbed to the

top of the mountain.

Mother stayed up late to see what time my brother would

come home.

Mother finished mending the pants and then smoothed them

with her hands.

Mel climbed the steep stairs to Fred’s room.

No one was at the ticket booth, so they could not go through

the turnstile.

The toddler tugged at his mother’s coat sleeve.

They stood out of the wind at the head of the line.

pie

temper

ugly

bundle

lied

sleeping

besides

across

light

shrimp

away

master

soft

chief

mouth

rested

fed

path

played

seemed

puddle

foods

passed

field

flapping

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division, review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly,


106


The Oak and the Reeds

A big oak stood in a field beside a brook . In the brook

were many slender reeds .

When a gust of wind came along, the great oak stood

proudly upright . Its great branches stretched up to the skies .

But the little reeds bent in the wind and sang a sad song .

“I see why you are complaining,” said the oak . He was

kind and tried to be friendly to those around him . “The

slightest breeze that ruffles the grass makes you bend and

sway . Meanwhile I, a great oak, stand tall and proud in the

strongest wind .”

“But we are just fine,” said the little reeds . “We do not

mind the wind . We yield to his gusts so that we do not break .

You are too proud to bend, great oak . You have been lucky

these many years, but be careful . The end may be near .”

But the oak just shook its branches . “I will not yield to

some weak puff of air that chooses to push at my leaves,”

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Oak and the Reeds

107


he told the little reeds . “I do not believe that this would be

a good thing to do . After all, I am the king of this field . I

must stand tall .”

The reeds just sighed and went back to singing their sad

song . As they sang, a mighty wind rushed out of the west .

The oak stood proudly against it, while the reeds yielded

and bent in the wind .

The wind got stronger . . . and stronger . . . and stronger .

It flattened the grasses and plants of the field . It whipped

the slender little reeds around . Suddenly the great oak tree,

king of the field, was uprooted . It fell to the ground with a

loud crash and died . The reeds in the brook, still standing,

were filled with grief to see such a sight . They cried and

sang their sad song .

And here is the lesson of this tale: It is better to yield when

you cannot win. If you do not give in, you may be lost .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Oak and the Reeds

108


The tot cried when his mother left.

Would you like some more fries?

I tried to get home before nightfall.

I like apple pie.

Do not tell a lie. Always tell the truth!

The flies landed on the trash and had a feast.

The wash on the line dried in the sun.

We played baseball in the grassy field.

I tried to tell you not to go.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky.

tried

mountain

spies

thing

treated

brightly

waiting

looked

drier

meat

angry

happy

fountain

needles

field

golden

found

rigging

stitches

belief

skies

before

grade

outline

useful

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading B

109


To Tell the Truth

Sometimes it is tempting to tell a fib . We may think

that it’s all right to tell a fib, because it’s just a little lie .

Sometimes we do it to impress someone . We might tell a

fib to make ourselves feel more important or because we

think this will make someone like us better . We might

say that we have something that we really don’t have, or

that we went somewhere that we really didn’t go . But big

or little, we are still telling a lie . We need and want our

family, friends and teachers to trust us and believe us . If we

don’t always tell the truth, they may not believe us when

we do tell the truth . This is what happened to the boy who

cried wolf . Here is the tale .

There was once a boy whose job it was to watch a flock

of sheep eating grass in the field . In the nearby woods lived

a wolf that would try to eat the sheep from time to time .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsTell the Truth

110


Alone and with no one to talk to, the boy became bored

one day . So he played a joke .

“Wolf! Wolf!” he cried, and the people came running,

ready to catch the wolf and save the sheep . They found the

boy rolling on the grass, giggling . They were filled with

relief that the flock was safe . But then they felt foolish and

got angry . They didn’t think the joke was funny and told

the boy so . They told him not to call for help when he

really didn’t need it, and then they all left .

The next day, the boy did the same thing to amuse

himself . He called, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again the people came

running . When they got to the field and saw the boy

giggling, they became quite angry . They left, grumbling to

each other about how rude and selfish he was .

The next day, a big wolf really did attack the sheep . The

boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf!”

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsTo Tell the Truth

111


But this time the people in the nearby fields would not

be fooled again and no one came to help . They didn’t

believe the boy because he had told lies before .

The wolf killed all the sheep in the poor boy’s flock, and

he was ashamed . His lies had cost him a painful lesson .

Moral: If you often lie, or cry “Wolf,” people may not

believe you when you are telling the truth .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsTo Tell the Truth

112


I love to play with my puppies.

The air was cold and frosty.

I would love to take a cruise on a ship.

A yield sign can help with traffic.

May I please have just a teaspoon of milk in my tea?

Mother sat by the fire to spin the wool on the

spinning wheel.

The child cried when his mother left.

I will climb to the top of the mountain in the summer.

Trucks can drive faster on a highway.

When a dog is happy, it will wag its tail.

puppies

mountain

frighten

summer

house

almost

bedroom

fire

snail

trotting

pier

happened

spin

shampoo

frosty

cruise

tool

patch

yield

wishes

highest

left

misty

teaspoon

cried

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsDecoding and Sentence Reading C

113


The Little Golden Fairy

Connie loved to read . She would read day and night if

her mother let her . She had a room full of books . Connie

often said that books were wonderful friends .

All she had to do was pick a book, she would say, and

she could go anywhere she wanted . She could fly the skies,

cruise the seas, or climb the highest mountains . Connie

never felt bored when there were books around .

One of the things Connie loved to read about most were

fairies, like Tinkerbell . She liked to think that good fairies

would help people and often wished that one could visit

her . One night, a strange thing happened to Connie .

She was getting ready for bed . As she reached out to

switch off the bedside lamp, there was a flash of light .

Connie cried out in fright and shivered in fear . The light

became a small twinkling dot . This dot sat on the top of

Connie’s lampshade . She could feel a soft breeze around it .


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Golden Fairy

114


Connie looked closely at the dot . She could see that it was

something that was flapping its little wings to make the

breeze . It sat on the lampshade for a brief time, and then it

lit upon the headboard of Connie’s bed . Connie watched

it as it sat there, and she became less frightened . Then she

inched nearer to see what it was .

Connie could not believe what she saw! Before her sat

a fairy with golden wings and silky, golden hair . The fairy

gave a wave to Connie and told Connie that her name was

the Little Golden Fairy .

The Little Golden Fairy had come to ask for Connie’s

help . She was not just any fairy, it seemed . The Fairy

Queen had sent her . The Fairy Queen and all the fairies

felt that children were watching so much TV these days

that they no longer had time to read great books . They felt

that children were missing so much by not reading about

the wonderful things that happened in these books . And

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Golden Fairy

115


the more wonderful things you read about in books, they

felt, the more wonderful things you would see when you

looked all around you .

The Fairy Queen needed help to get the children away

from TV and into books .

She had sent the Little Golden Fairy to ask Connie to help .

Connie was more than happy to help! This was her

dream come true . She and the Little Golden Fairy came up

with a great plan .

The next day at school, Connie talked with her teacher .

She asked if she could make signs to put up around the

school to get others interested in reading . Her teacher

told her to go right ahead . So Connie made signs . One

said, “I SPY,” and then had a list of good books to read .

Another sign had a group of children climbing a mountain

and said in big letters, “YOU GET TO THE TOP BY

READING .” The kids in the school were impressed by


vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Golden Fairy

116


Connie’s signs and began looking for the books listed

there . They took the books home . And the more they read,

the less they watched TV .

The Little Golden Fairy was glad . She thanked Connie,

and gave her a light little kiss on the cheek . She told

Connie that the Fairy Queen would be very grateful .

Connie says she believes that the Little Golden Fairy

visits her from time to time . When her lamp sometimes

flickers, she believes it’s the Little Golden Fairy’s way of

saying, “Keep up the reading and pass it on .”

ie, igh, oo, ee, ai, oa, consonant-le syllables, ea, ou, nontwin-consonant syllable division,review twin-consonant syllable division, suffixes, -ed, ay, exceptions, so, he, fly, vowel-consonant-e, tch, ck, qu, wa, al, ff, ll, ss, sh, ch, th, wh, ng, nk, short vowelsThe Golden Fairy

117

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reader level 4 - school specialty · 2020-03-27 · reader level 4 sheila clark-edmands ... speaker...

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