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Gus and the Mole

Silent E — Long O 1st Grade Long Vowels & Silent E
Gus and the Mole
Gus and the Mole, page 1
1Gus had a huge bone. He wanted a safe place to hide it.
Gus and the Mole, page 2
2"This is a good zone," Gus thought. He dug a big hole in the wet mud.
Gus and the Mole, page 3
3Plop! A small mole stuck his nose out of the hole. Gus just woke him up!
Gus and the Mole, page 4
4The mole gave Gus a mad look. "Do not dig here," the mole said.
Gus and the Mole, page 5
5"This is my home!" Gus felt bad. He did not want to wake him up.
Gus and the Mole, page 6
6"I will go," Gus said in a kind tone.
Gus and the Mole, page 7
7Gus got his bone and ran to a big red rose. He dug a new hole in the mud.
Gus and the Mole, page 8
8He put the bone in and made it flat. "I hope the mole can sleep now."
Circle or highlight all the target words in the story above.

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Gus want to hide?
  2. Why did the mole give Gus a mad look?
  3. Where did Gus dig a new hole at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Silent E — Long O 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 Silent E — Long O worksheets →
Gus and the Mole printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill Silent E — Long O
Grade Level 1st Grade
Phase Long Vowels & Silent E
Worksheets Silent E — Long O Worksheets

Target Words

bone cone tone zone home dome hole mole pole role hope rope

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they said have

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About This Decodable Reader

“Gus and the Mole” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 1st grade students practicing silent e — long o 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 silent e — long o 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 silent e — long o patterns, try our silent e — long o phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.