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Sam's Coastal Trip

Suffixes: -ous and -al 3rd Phase 6
Sam's Coastal Trip
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 1
1Sam and his dad went on a trip to a coastal forest. It was a grand national forest, full of tall green trees and deep brush. Sam had a clear goal for the day. He wanted to find a famous bird.
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 2
2The bird had bright red wings and a yellow tail. "Will we see it today?" Sam asked his dad, bouncing on his feet. "It is very hard to spot," his dad said. "It is typical for the bird to hide deep in the leaves."
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 3
3Sam felt a bit nervous about the hike. The woods felt so dark and wild. "Is it dangerous in here?" he asked, looking at a thick clump of ferns. "No, it is very safe," his dad told him with a kind smile.
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 4
4"We will just stick to the natural dirt path. You will be fine." They stepped off the grass and went deeper into the enormous woods. The trees blocked out much of the sunlight. Sam kept his eyes wide open.
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 5
5He looked at various bugs and plants along the way, hoping to spot a flash of red. The walk was a gradual climb up a long, tall hill. Sam stopped to drink some water and rest by a large stone.
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 6
6Suddenly, he heard a strange sound. It was a sweet, musical chirp. Sam froze in his tracks. Was that the famous bird? He slowly looked up into the thick branches above his head. A bright little bird was resting right on a thin branch!
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 7
7Its red wings looked so bright where a bit of sunlight broke through the leaves. To Sam, the sight of it felt so magical. He could not believe his luck. "Look at that," his dad whispered.
Sam's Coastal Trip, page 8
8"You found it all by yourself." Sam grinned a huge, proud grin. He watched the bird puff out its chest and sing another musical song. Finding the shy bird was a joyous thing. It was the very best part of their coastal trip!
Circle or highlight all the words that end in -ous or -al in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What was Sam’s clear goal for the day?
  2. What did Sam hear when he rested by a large stone?
  3. What did the bird do at the end of the story?
Keep practicing
Practice Suffixes: -ous and -al with 10 more free worksheets

Word work sheets for this skill to meet the root, build words on it and take them apart, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

Get the Suffixes: -ous and -al worksheets →
Sam's Coastal Trip printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill Suffixes: -ous and -al
Grade Level 3rd
Phase Phase 6
Worksheets Suffixes: -ous and -al Worksheets

Target Words

famous natural musical dangerous national tropical magical nervous gradual historical joyous visual

Sight Words

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

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About This Decodable Reader

“Sam's Coastal Trip” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 3rd students practicing suffixes: -ous and -al 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 suffixes: -ous and -al 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 suffixes: -ous and -al patterns, try our suffixes: -ous and -al phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.