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June Rings the Bell

Two Short Syllables 2nd Phase 5
June Rings the Bell
June Rings the Bell, page 1
1The sun was setting, and the summer banquet was ready on the hilltop. June the monkey and Ned the bear cub had worked on it all day. They had set a long table with a red velvet cloth.
June Rings the Bell, page 2
2There was a napkin by every plate and a basket of muffins in the middle. Ned had even baked a walnut cake and tied a yellow ribbon around it. "It is time to ring the dinner bell," said Ned.
June Rings the Bell, page 3
3"Our friends are still down in the valley." The bell was high on the barn, next to the brick chimney. June ran to pull the rope, but the rope was gone! It had snapped off, and now it lay in the grass like a long, thin snake.
June Rings the Bell, page 4
4Ned got the ladder from the shed and set it by the barn wall. He went up step by step until he stood at the top. He reached as high as he could, but the bell was still far above his paw. "The ladder is too short," he said sadly.
June Rings the Bell, page 5
5"And nobody will hear us yell from up here. This was not meant to be a picnic for two!" June looked at the bell, and then she looked at the chimney. The bricks stuck out a little, just like steps. "I can climb that," she said.
June Rings the Bell, page 6
6"I could win a climbing contest in my sleep!" She put on her helmet, buttoned her jacket, and tucked a hammer into her belt. Up she went, hand over hand, sticking to the bricks like glue. Once her foot slipped, and Ned yelled from down below. An insect buzzed past her ear.
June Rings the Bell, page 7
7But June held on tight, took a deep breath, and kept going. At the top, she hit the bell with the hammer. Bang, bang, bang! She tapped out a loud, happy tune, and the sound rolled down the hill and across the valley. Soon their friends came running up the path.
June Rings the Bell, page 8
8A rabbit hopped ahead, and a small kitten ran behind him. Everyone clapped as June climbed back down. Ned gave her the first muffin and the biggest slice of cake. "That was the best dinner bell I ever heard," said Ned. June grinned and took a big bite.
Circle or highlight all the two-syllable words in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Ned bake for the banquet?
  2. Why couldn’t Ned reach the bell from the ladder?
  3. What did Ned give June at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Two Short Syllables with 10 more free worksheets

Word work sheets for this skill to build, split, sort and write, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

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June Rings the Bell printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill Two Short Syllables
Grade Level 2nd
Phase Phase 5
Worksheets Two Short Syllables Worksheets

Target Words

napkin rabbit picnic muffin magnet basket kitten mitten button ribbon insect goblin

Sight Words

the a and to was is it she he they said have with you are of for her there one into what when out about

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Pip and the Magnet
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Shelly's Tin Bucket
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About This Decodable Reader

“June Rings the Bell” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 2nd students practicing two short syllables 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 two short syllables 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 two short syllables patterns, try our two short syllables phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.