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Tess Digs a Ditch

Diphthong — OU 1st-2nd Phase 4
Tess Digs a Ditch
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 1
1The sun was hot, and not one cloud came by to block it. Pip the pig sat in his pen and huffed. The sun had baked his mud spot until it was like stone, and it had cracked.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 2
2"I am so hot," Pip said. "I want some mud!" Tess heard him from the pond. "I can help," she said. She dunked her trunk in the pond and filled it up.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 3
3Then she ran down the hill to the pen as fast as she could. But on the way, most of it dripped out of her trunk. When she got to Pip, she could blast out only a drip or two.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 4
4They fell on the dust and were gone. Tess went back again and again. She lost count of her trips. Still, the mud spot did not get wet. Pip let out a sad little sound. Tess sat down to think.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 5
5"My trunk is too small," she said. "But I am big, and I can dig!" She started to dig a long ditch from the pond down the hill. But she did not dig out one clump of sand at the bank.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 6
6It held the pond back. Her huge legs went pound, pound, pound. She pushed the sand into a long mound on each side. At last, the ditch went all the way to Pip's pen.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 7
7Tess pulled the last clump of sand out of the bank. Out came a big gush! It ran down the ditch, round the bend, and into the pen. It filled the old cracked spot and made a big new mud hole.
Tess Digs a Ditch, page 8
8Pip jumped in with a shout, and Tess jumped in too. Mud got into her mouth, and she laughed. "Now this is our mud spot," Pip said with a grin. Tess was very proud.
Circle or highlight all the OU diphthong words in the story above. How many did you find?

Comprehension Questions

After reading, ask these questions to check understanding:

  1. What did Pip the pig want?
  2. What did Tess dig to bring water to Pip?
  3. Who jumped into the new mud hole at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Diphthong — OU with 10 more free worksheets

Picture worksheets to read, match and spell these words, plus this story's word sort, phrasing cards and word search.

Get the Diphthong — OU worksheets →
Tess Digs a Ditch printed mini-book cover Download Mini-Book
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Reader Details

Phonics Skill Diphthong — OU
Grade Level 1st-2nd
Phase Phase 4
Worksheets Diphthong — OU Worksheets

Target Words

out our ouch mouth south found hound mound pound round sound cloud

Sight Words

the is a and to was it she he they said have with you are be

More Diphthong — OU Readers

Scout's Lost Hound illustration
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About This Decodable Reader

“Tess Digs a Ditch” is a free printable decodable reader designed for 1st-2nd students practicing diphthong — ou 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 diphthong — ou 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 diphthong — ou patterns, try our diphthong — ou phonics worksheets which include word sorts, phrasing practice cards, and rapid naming charts.