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The Helpful Camper

Endings -ful and -less 3rd Phase 5
The Helpful Camper
The Helpful Camper, page 1
1Chip and Len loved to camp in the woods. Chip was always very careful when they went on a trip. He liked to plan things out. His pal Len was joyful and playful. Len was fun to be with, but he could be careless at times.
The Helpful Camper, page 2
2Today, they set up their tent in a flat spot next to a big pine tree. "Did you pound the stakes into the ground?" asked Chip. Len just smiled. Len had been quite careless.
The Helpful Camper, page 3
3He did not pound the tent stakes into the dirt. He thought a bit of wind was harmless. He wanted to go play in the pond instead. "It will be fine," Len said. Late that night, a stormy wind began to blow.
The Helpful Camper, page 4
4It felt like an endless blast of cold air. Wham! The tent pole fell down. The tent flapped away in the dark. It landed in the bushes. Chip felt hopeless. The two pals were stuck in the storm.
The Helpful Camper, page 5
5The cold rain felt painful on his skin. Chip was helpless in the muddy, wet grass. "Our tent is gone," Chip yelled. "This is very bad!" Len felt very bad. He had felt useless on this trip, but now he wanted to be helpful.
The Helpful Camper, page 6
6He decided to be fearless. He ran through the wind and rain to the bushes to get the wet tent. He wanted to fix his mistake. Len dragged the tent back to the camp. He set the tent pole back up. He got a long rope.
The Helpful Camper, page 7
7He tied the tent to a strong tree. Then he got heavy stones. He stacked the heavy stones on the edges of the tent. Now the tent was held down tight. The wind could not blow it away again. The pals went inside.
The Helpful Camper, page 8
8It was damp inside, but it was snug. They were out of the cold wind at last. "You saved our trip, Len," Chip said. Chip felt thankful. Len was cheerful again. They went to sleep safe and snug until the sun came up.
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 Chip and Len set up their tent?
  2. What did Len forget to do with the tent stakes?
  3. What did Chip say to Len at the end?
Keep practicing
Practice Endings -ful and -less with 4 more free worksheets

The words from this story, on printable practice sheets:

Word sortPhrasing cardsRapid naming chartWord search
Get the Endings -ful and -less worksheets →
Download Mini-Book
Full-color picture book • Print, cut & staple • No signup required
Read-aloud version (one page per sheet, for projecting)
The Helpful Camper illustrated mini-book cover
Cover + 8 illustrated pages

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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About This Decodable Reader

“The Helpful Camper” 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 193 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.