ShortOriginal decodable reading
A Stop at the Dock
Short O passage · Short O with -ot and -otch words
This controlled text gives a learner a meaningful reason to apply already taught spellings. Preview the target words before reading, then reread for smoothness and meaning.
Before reading
Preview the focus words
Read each word from left to right. Say the vowel sound, blend the word, and briefly explain any word that is new.
Keep the reading tightly matched to this spelling pattern.
Enough connected text to practise phrasing without overload.
Answer from the printed passage, not from a guess.
Read and understand
A Stop at the Dock
Teaching note: Read once for accuracy, then reread for smoother phrasing and meaning.
Read it twice
Dot had a pot at the dock. It had a notch on top and a dark spot on one side.
She did not toss the pot in the pond. Dot scrubbed the spot, then set the pot on a flat rock.
At the dock, a shop had a new pot for sale. Dot got it and left the old pot to be fixed.
Talk about the text
Check understanding
Ask the learner to point to the sentence that gives each answer. This keeps comprehension tied to the words on the page.
- What was wrong with Dot’s pot?
- What did Dot do with the spot?
- What did Dot get from the shop?
Read, spell, transfer
Five-minute word work
Find two focus words with the same ending or vowel pattern. Read them, then write them in a pair.
Choose one focus word. Change its first sound and decide whether the new word is real.
Say one sentence from the text. Let the learner write it, then compare each sound-spelling choice with the printed sentence.
Offline practice
Print this passage
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