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Pat's Paw Print Shawl

Vowel Teams — AU and AW 1st-2nd Phase 4
Pat's Paw Print Shawl
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 1
1It was a cold autumn day, and Val wanted to make a big pot of red sauce. She stood at the stove and put a little sauce in a saucer so she could try it.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 2
2It smelled so good! Pat the cat did not help. He gave a big yawn and went to nap on the clean white laundry.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 3
3Val had just hauled it in from the line on the lawn. Then Pat woke up and smelled the sauce. He hopped up by the stove to sniff, and his paw tipped the saucer.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 4
4Flip! Red sauce spilled all over his paws. Pat did not like that one bit. He ran back to the laundry and made red paw prints all over a long white cloth.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 5
5Val turned and saw the mess. Her jaw dropped. "Oh, Pat! This is awful!" she said. "I just washed that!" Pat hid under the bench so that only his pink nose stuck out.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 6
6Then Val paused and looked at the cloth again. The prints ran in a line, like a little path. "It was my fault, too," she said.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 7
7"I put the saucer where you could get it." She got a red pen and sat down to draw. She drew around each print, and then she drew some more paws to fill the gaps.
Pat's Paw Print Shawl, page 8
8Val put the cloth on like a shawl and grinned. "Look, Pat! We made a paw print shawl," she said. Pat came out, sniffed it, and licked the last bit of sauce off his paw.
Circle or highlight all the AU and AW vowel team words in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Val want to make?
  2. What did Pat get all over the white cloth?
  3. What did Val and Pat make at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Vowel Teams — AU and AW with 4 more free worksheets

The words from this story, on printable practice sheets:

Word sortPhrasing cardsRapid naming chartWord search
Get the Vowel Teams — AU and AW worksheets →
Download Mini-Book
Full-color picture book • Print, cut & staple • No signup required
Read-aloud version (one page per sheet, for projecting)
Pat's Paw Print Shawl illustrated mini-book cover
Cover + 8 illustrated pages

Reader Details

Phonics Skill Vowel Teams — AU and AW
Grade Level 1st-2nd
Phase Phase 4
Worksheets Vowel Teams — AU and AW Worksheets

Target Words

saw paw jaw law draw claw straw lawn yawn hawk haul fault

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they said have with you are be
← Ron and the Blue Jewel Pam's Farm Cart →

About This Decodable Reader

“Pat's Paw Print Shawl” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 1st-2nd students practicing vowel teams — au and aw 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 vowel teams — au and aw 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 211 free decodable readers organized by phonics skill and aligned with the Science of Reading. For additional practice with vowel teams — au and aw patterns, try our vowel teams — au and aw phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.