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Deb's Short Corn

R-Controlled — OR 1st-2nd Phase 4
Deb's Short Corn
Deb's Short Corn, page 1
1Deb the skunk was always glad to dig. One day she got a bag of corn from the store.
Deb's Short Corn, page 2
2She dug a short line of little holes on the north side of her home and put the corn in. A tall stone wall stood there, and its shade fell on that spot.
Deb's Short Corn, page 3
3Her pal Jade had corn on the south side of the same wall, where the sun was hot. Deb checked her corn each day, but it was still thin and small.
Deb's Short Corn, page 4
4Jade's corn grew tall and green. Soon it was as tall as Jade! Deb let out a sad snort. "Why is my corn so short?" she said.
Deb's Short Corn, page 5
5Jade looked at the wall, then up at the sun. "Your corn is in the shade," said Jade. "Corn needs a lot of sun to grow."
Deb's Short Corn, page 6
6Deb grabbed her old, worn fork. She dug up her corn and carried it to the south side. She set it in the sun by Jade's corn.
Deb's Short Corn, page 7
7Jade was a good sport and helped her. Now the sun was warm on Deb's corn all day. It grew and grew. One day Deb stood by it and had to look up.
Deb's Short Corn, page 8
8"Look, Jade!" said Deb with a big grin. "My corn is tall, and I am small!" "Now you know where corn likes to grow," said Jade.
Circle or highlight all the OR r-controlled words in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Deb get from the store?
  2. Why was Deb’s corn so short?
  3. Where did Deb move her corn at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice R-Controlled — OR with 10 more free worksheets

Picture worksheets to read, match and spell these words, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

Get the R-Controlled — OR worksheets →
Deb's Short Corn printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
Full-color picture book • Print, cut & staple • No signup required
Read-aloud version (one page per sheet, for projecting)
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill R-Controlled — OR
Grade Level 1st-2nd
Phase Phase 4
Worksheets R-Controlled — OR Worksheets

Target Words

for born corn fork fort horn port sort torn worn sport short

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they said have with you are be

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About This Decodable Reader

“Deb's Short Corn” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 1st-2nd students practicing r-controlled — or phonics patterns. This mini-book uses phonetically controlled vocabulary so beginning readers can successfully sound out nearly every word in the story, building confidence and reinforcing the specific phonics skills they're learning.

The free PDF is a full-color illustrated mini-book: a cover, eight picture pages with one or two lines of story text each, and a back page listing the r-controlled — or words, high-frequency words, and discussion questions. Print the five sheets, cut each one in half along the dashed line, and staple — your child has a real little book to hold. A read-aloud version with one large page per sheet is also included for projecting to the whole class.

This reader is part of our collection of free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with r-controlled — or patterns, try our r-controlled — or phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.