ShortOriginal decodable reading
A Rest on the Step
Short E passage · Short E with -est and -etch 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 Rest on the Step
Teaching note: Read once for accuracy, then reread for smoother phrasing and meaning.
Read it twice
Jess went on a long trek with her pet. At the end, they sat to rest on a step by a nest.
The pet saw a red ball and ran to fetch it. Jess said, “Get the ball, then come back and stretch.”
The pet set the ball by Jess’s feet. After one more rest, they went home.
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.
- Where did Jess rest?
- What did the pet fetch?
- What did Jess ask the pet to do after fetching the ball?
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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