1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding endings -ful and -less words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Jane wanted to paint a beautiful picture of her dog, Gus. She wanted her art room to be a quiet and restful place. She got her paints and made sure her desk was spotless. Jane was hopeful that Gus would sit still for her. "Sit, Gus," Jane said. But Gus was a very restless pup. He wanted to run and jump instead.
Gus was a fearless and playful dog. He did not want to sit. He wagged his tail so fast that he bumped the table. A cup of water fell to the floor with a plop. Jane sighed. Her spotless room was now wet. It was a harmless spill, but it made a big mess. Jane felt a bit helpless. Her job was starting to feel hopeless.
Jane got a rag to clean the water. The old rag got wet, but it did not clean the mess. "I must be more careful," Jane said to herself. She did not want to make a careless mistake with her paints next. She did look at Gus. Gus gave her a wishful look, wanting to play with the wet rag. He did not mean to be bad.
Jane thought of a plan. She needed to make Gus tired so he would stay still. She took him outside into the yard. They ran around the endless green grass. Gus chased a ball. He was so joyful as he ran. Jane was cheerful, too, as she watched him play. Running was a painless way to use his doggy zip.
After a long run, they went back inside. Gus was no longer restless. He trotted to his rug and let out a big sigh. He looked very sleepy now. Jane sat back down at her desk. She was thankful that her pup was finally ready to rest.
Jane picked up her brush. She did a wonderful job painting Gus as he slept. Her painting showed a quiet, happy dog in a restful room. When she finished, she smiled. "You are a very sleepy pet," Jane said softly. Gus opened one eye and wagged his tail, happy to be her best friend.
This story is part of Level 5. Get all 25 Level 5 illustrated mini-books in one print-ready file ($14) →
2 Word Sort
Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: Ends in -ful vs Ends in -less.
3 Phrasing Practice Cards
Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.
4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)
Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!
5 Word Search
Find and circle the endings -ful and -less words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce endings -ful and -less word recognition.
📖 More Endings -ful and -less Stories
A new decodable story with the same endings -ful and -less sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.
