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Jim and the Tall Wall

Sounds of A — ALL, ALK, WA 1st Grade Long Vowels & Silent E
Jim and the Tall Wall
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 1
1Jim walked down the sidewalk as fast as he could. The baseball game was about to start, and he wanted to watch it.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 2
2But a tall wall stood in his way. Jim was much too small to see over it. "I can hear the game," said Jim.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 3
3"I wish I could see it." Just then, Max walked up. Max was so tall that he could see over the wall.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 4
4"Hop up on my back," said Max. "We can watch together." Jim hopped up and held on. Now he could see the whole game! Then a bat went crack!
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 5
5A ball came over the wall. It fell on the sidewalk and went under a bench. Max bent down, but he was too big to get it.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 6
6"Let me try," said Jim. He was small, so he ran right under the bench and pushed the ball out.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 7
7Then he hopped on Max's back and tossed it over the wall. The gate slid open, and a man in a red cap looked out.
Jim and the Tall Wall, page 8
8"Thank you both!" he called. "Come in and sit with us." So Jim and Max walked in and watched the game from the best bench of all.
Circle or highlight all the -ALL, -ALK and WA words (like ball, walk and wash). How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Jim want to watch?
  2. Why couldn’t Max get the ball under the bench?
  3. Where did Jim and Max watch the game at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Sounds of A — ALL, ALK, WA with 4 more free worksheets

The words from this story, on printable practice sheets:

Word sortPhrasing cardsRapid naming chartWord search
Get the Sounds of A — ALL, ALK, WA worksheets →
Jim and the Tall Wall 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 Sounds of A — ALL, ALK, WA
Grade Level 1st Grade
Phase Long Vowels & Silent E
Worksheets Sounds of A — ALL, ALK, WA Worksheets

Target Words

ball call fall tall wall hall mall small stall all walk talk

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they said have
← Shane's First Dive Greg's Cold Drink Stand →

About This Decodable Reader

“Jim and the Tall Wall” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 1st grade students practicing sounds of a — all, alk, wa 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 sounds of a — all, alk, wa 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 221 free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with sounds of a — all, alk, wa patterns, try our sounds of a — all, alk, wa phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.