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Hal's Stump Drum

Ending Blends Kindergarten – 1st Grade Blends & Digraphs
Hal's Stump Drum
Hal's Stump Drum, page 1
1Hal, Don, and Jim had a band. Hal had a drum. Don could honk, and Jim could sing. The band went up the hill to play. Hal ran fast.
Hal's Stump Drum, page 2
2But he hit a bump and fell on his drum! Hal got up. His drum had a big dent. It was bent flat. "I can not play," said Hal. He felt sad.
Hal's Stump Drum, page 3
3"We must play now," said Jim. "Hunt for a new drum!" Hal went on a hunt. There was an old stump in the grass. Hal tapped the stump with his hands.
Hal's Stump Drum, page 4
4Bump, bump, bump! He stomped, too. "Honk, Don! Sing, Jim!" said Hal. Don honked. Hal could hear Jim sing. Hal tapped and stomped. "This is the best band yet!" said Don.
Circle or highlight all the words that END with a consonant blend (like -nd, -mp or -st). How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Hal have in the band?
  2. What happened to Hal’s drum when he fell?
  3. What did Hal use for a new drum?
Keep practicing
Practice Ending Blends with 4 more free worksheets

The words from this story, on printable practice sheets:

Word sortPhrasing cardsRapid naming chartWord search
Get the Ending Blends worksheets →
Download Mini-Book
Full-color picture book • Print, cut & staple • No signup required
Read-aloud version (one page per sheet, for projecting)
Hal's Stump Drum illustrated mini-book cover
Cover + 4 illustrated pages

Reader Details

Phonics Skill Ending Blends
Grade Level Kindergarten – 1st Grade
Phase Blends & Digraphs
Worksheets Ending Blends Worksheets

Target Words

hand sand land pond wind bend tent went hunt plant jump camp

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they
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About This Decodable Reader

“Hal's Stump Drum” is a free printable decodable reader designed for kindergarten and 1st grade students practicing ending blends 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, four picture pages with one or two lines of story text each, and a back page listing the ending blends words, high-frequency words, and discussion questions. Print the three 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 211 free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with ending blends patterns, try our ending blends phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.