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Meg's Dark Den

Endings -ful and -less 3rd Phase 5
Meg's Dark Den
Meg's Dark Den, page 1
1Meg was a little white bear cub who lived in the far north. In the summer, the sun there never sets. It shines all day and all night. Meg was very tired, and she wanted just one thing: a long, restful sleep. "Time for bed," said Mom.
Meg's Dark Den, page 2
2Meg lay down on the spotless white snow and shut her eyes. But the endless sunlight was too bright. She rolled to the left. She rolled to the right. She was restless, and sleep would not come. "I will hide my eyes," Meg said.
Meg's Dark Den, page 3
3She put her paws over her face, but the light still got in between her toes. Then she pulled her blanket over her head. The blanket was thin, and the sun shone right through it. It was useless! Meg kicked the blanket off and sat up with a groan.
Meg's Dark Den, page 4
4"Maybe a long swim will make me sleepy," she thought. Meg was fearless in the water, so she jumped off the ice with a big splash. She swam far out and back again. She dove deep and chased a harmless little silver fish.
Meg's Dark Den, page 5
5But the cold water did not make her sleepy at all. It made her playful! Now she wanted to slide and splash and race. Meg climbed back onto the ice and shook her wet fur. Getting to sleep felt hopeless. Then she looked around and saw a big snowy hill.
Meg's Dark Den, page 6
6Meg felt hopeful again. "It is always dark inside a den," she said. "I will dig one!" Meg began to dig. Snow flew out behind her in a white cloud. She was careful to make the walls thick and strong, so the den would be safe.
Meg's Dark Den, page 7
7She dug and dug until the bright sun was only a tiny dot behind her. Inside, the den was dark, quiet, and snug. Meg curled up into a ball and gave a big yawn. No light could reach her eyes now.
Meg's Dark Den, page 8
8She felt so thankful for her cozy den. Soon she fell into a wonderful, restful sleep. Later, Mom peeked in and smiled. "What a helpful snowy hill," she whispered. When Meg woke up at last, she felt cheerful and ready to play in the sun again.
Circle or highlight all the words that end in -ful or -less in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. Where did Meg the bear cub live?
  2. Why couldn’t Meg fall asleep on the snow?
  3. How did Meg feel when she woke up?
Keep practicing
Practice Endings -ful and -less 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.

Get the Endings -ful and -less worksheets →
Meg's Dark Den printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill Endings -ful and -less
Grade Level 3rd
Phase Phase 5
Worksheets Endings -ful and -less Worksheets

Target Words

helpful hopeful playful thankful restful cheerful careful painful joyful wishful hopeless restless

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

More Endings -ful and -less Readers

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Jane's Restless Model
 The Helpful Camper illustration
The Helpful Camper
← Glen and the Silver Bell Shelly's Tin Bucket →

About This Decodable Reader

“Meg's Dark Den” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 3rd students practicing endings -ful and -less 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 endings -ful and -less 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 endings -ful and -less patterns, try our endings -ful and -less phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.