1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding comparing: -er and -est words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Glen the deer was the smallest of his friends, and the youngest too. Max the elk was taller and much bigger. Ned the bear cub was faster. Glen wished he could be the best at something, just once.
One cold morning, the three friends hiked up the hill to explore a cave. Max wore his silver bell on a string. It was a gift from his dad, and he loved it. Ned ran ahead and got there first. Max took the longest steps. Glen came last, as always. "I am always slower than you two," he said sadly.
Inside, the cave was colder than the hill, and it got darker with each step. Then Max bumped his head on a low rock. The string snapped! His silver bell fell, bounced across the floor, and rolled into a narrow crack at the very back of the cave.
"My bell!" cried Max. He tried to squeeze into the crack, but he was much too big. Ned tried next. He pushed his arm in as far as it would go. "I can feel nothing but rocks," said Ned. "I need a longer arm." They poked a long stick into the crack, but the bell had rolled too deep.
Max sat down with his head low. Glen looked at the crack. It was the deepest, darkest part of the cave, and he felt a little afraid. But it was just his size. "Let me try," said Glen. "I am smaller than you two. I think I can fit."
Glen got down on his knees and crawled in. The rocks were cold and damp on his back. It was so dark that he could not see his own nose. He crawled slowly, inch by inch, and felt along the ground. Then he heard a soft ring. There was the bell! Glen picked it up with his teeth and crawled back out, quicker than he went in.
"You got it!" yelled Max. He gave Glen the biggest hug. "You are the kindest and bravest friend I have."
"Max and I could never have done that," said Ned.
Glen grinned all the way home. The sun felt warmer outside the cave. He was still the smallest, and now he was glad. That day, the smallest friend was the best one for the job.
This story is part of Level 5. Get every Level 5 illustrated mini-book in one print-ready file ($14) →
2 Comparing: -er and -est Words
The words this story set practices, in the two groups used by the word sort.
Adds -er (10)
bigger, faster, longer, softer, taller, smaller, quicker, slower, colder, warmer
Adds -est (10)
biggest, fastest, longest, softest, tallest, smallest, richest, deepest, kindest, darkest
- Phrases to read
- a bigger · the faster · a longer · the softer · a taller · the smaller · a quicker · the slower
- RAN chart words
- bigger, faster, longer, softer, taller
- 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 -er and -est Worksheets
Six sheets from the Level 5 word work set for this skill. Each PDF has its answer key on page 2.
Adding -er and -est
Read the rule, see it worked once, then write each word with its ending.
Download PDF
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.
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4 Story Worksheets
4 ready-to-print PDFs for this story's comparing: -er and -est words. Each one opens as its own file.
📖 More Comparing: -er and -est Stories
A new decodable story with the same comparing: -er and -est sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.
