ShortOriginal decodable reading
The Trunk Hunt
Short U passage · Short U with -unk and -unt 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
The Trunk Hunt
Teaching note: Read once for accuracy, then reread for smoother phrasing and meaning.
Read it twice
Gus and Nan went on a trunk hunt in the park. A chunk of bark had fallen from an old tree trunk.
Then they saw a skunk by the path. The skunk gave a grunt, so Gus and Nan stood still and let it pass.
At the end of the hunt, they found a tag on the trunk. It said the tree was very old.
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 had fallen from the tree?
- Why did Gus and Nan stand still?
- What did the tag say?
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
Use your browser’s print command to save this page as a PDF or make a clean reading sheet for home or class.