1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding the -le ending words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Wade and his dog Gus went to the village pet show. Wade wanted Gus to do a simple trick on the stage. If Gus could jump over a little stick, he might win the purple ribbon. At home, Gus jumped over the stick every time, and Wade always gave him a piece of apple as a treat. "This will be simple," Wade said, and he gave Gus a gentle pat on the head.
The pet show was in the middle of the village. A judge sat at a long table next to the stage. First a cat walked across a narrow bench. Then a turtle pushed a marble with his nose. All the people clapped.
Then it was time for Wade and Gus. They walked to the middle of the stage, and Wade held out the stick. "Jump, Gus!" he said. But Gus looked at all the people and sat down. He did not jump. He just wiggled his tail.
Wade tried again. He held the stick down low and showed Gus a piece of apple. Gus only sat and wiggled some more. Someone in the crowd began to giggle, and Wade's face felt hot.
It was a puzzle. Why would Gus not jump? Wade thought hard. Then he remembered something. Gus could never sit still when he saw a bubble. At home he jumped and twirled at every one. And Wade still had a little bottle of bubble soap in his pocket!
Wade pulled out the bottle and blew. A big bubble floated up over the stage, and Gus's ears went up. Wade blew bubble after bubble. Gus jumped high and twirled around to pop them. He spun on his back legs. Soap dripped into a little puddle on the stage, and Gus slid right through it.
The people began to giggle, and then they clapped and cheered. "What a wonderful trick!" said the judge. "I never saw a dog dance like that." She tied the purple ribbon around Gus's neck.
Wade hugged Gus and gave him the whole piece of apple. "It was not the trick I planned," Wade said, "but it was the best one." Gus wiggled his tail and popped one last bubble.
This story is part of Level 5. Get every Level 5 illustrated mini-book in one print-ready file ($14) →
2 The -le Ending Words
The words this story set practices, in the two groups used by the word sort.
More Than One Syllable (10)
little, apple, table, purple, candle, middle, bottle, giggle, puzzle, turtle
One Syllable (6)
cat, dog, sun, box, top, hat
- Phrases to read
- a little · the apple · a table · the purple · a candle · the middle · a bottle · the giggle
- RAN chart words
- little, apple, table, purple, candle
- 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
3 Consonant-le Worksheets
Six sheets from the Level 5 word work set for this skill. Each PDF has its answer key on page 2.
Level 5 Word Work pack: all 124 syllable, prefix and suffix worksheets in one file
The sheets above are free. The pack is every sheet for compound words, the three syllable patterns, the endings -ing, -ed, -er, -est, -ly, -y, -ful, -less and -tion and the prefixes un-, re-, pre-, dis- and mis- in order, a review set and all the answer keys, ready to print.
Get the pack for $7 See every kind of sheetTeaching more than one level? All 6 levels, 600+ worksheets, for $19.
4 Story Worksheets
4 ready-to-print PDFs for this story's the -le ending words. Each one opens as its own file.
Word Sort
Cut-apart word cards to sort: More Than One Syllable or One Syllable. Answer key on page 2.
Download PDF
📖 More The -le Ending Stories
A new decodable story with the same the -le ending sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.
