Orton-Gillingham Decodable Stories: Level 6 – The Race

Orton-Gillingham Decodable Stories: Level 6: The Park Race is a structured decodable reader designed for developing readers learning through the Orton-Gillingham approach. This Level 6 story builds on short-vowel words, magic-e words, digraphs, consonant clusters, suffixes, and two-syllable words. It provides focused practice with r-controlled vowels ar, or, er, ir, and ur, the vowel team ee, both sounds of oo, and initial consonant clusters such as spr-, spl-, and shr-. Examples include park, hard, short, birds, chirp, shirt, first, thirst, green, beef, food, good, sprint, sprite, splashes, and shrugs. Carefully controlled text helps children apply previously learned phonics skills while building accurate decoding, fluency, confidence, and reading independence. Is This the Right Level? Level 6 is designed for readers who: • Can read short-vowel words, magic-e words, digraphs, and consonant clusters • Are ready to practise r-controlled vowels • Are learning the vowel teams ee and oo • Are ready to practise initial consonant clusters such as spr-, spl-, and shr- • Are beginning to read two-syllable words • Benefit from controlled text, guided reading, and rereading Phonics Skills Practised • R-controlled vowels ar, or, er, ir, and ur • The vowel team ee • Both sounds of oo, as in food and good • Initial consonant clusters spr-, spl-, and shr- • Review of magic-e words, suffixes, and consonant clusters • Two-syllable word practice Sight Words Practised are, a, the, they, there, their, off, he, climbs, down, come, be, cheer, some, have, to, says These words should be reviewed before reading. Most other words in the story are intended to be decoded using phonics skills the reader has already learned. About the Story Dave and Mike take part in a race through a park course. When the bell rings, they sprint past a cart with green birds on it. Dave bumps into the cart, and the cart then bumps into Mike. The boys continue along the course. Dave runs up a short ramp, climbs a ladder, and slides down a pole. Mike joins him, and they slide down together. They follow a twisting path past a green cone and around a sharp curve. Mike runs past a plant with thorns, but he keeps going and crosses the finish line first. After the race, the friends shake hands, rest in the shade, and drink some Sprite to quench their thirst. Their moms bring them food, and they enjoy beef burgers and chips together. The clear sequence of events helps developing readers practise controlled decoding while building fluency, confidence, and comprehension. Who This Book Is For • Orton-Gillingham tutors • Teachers using structured literacy approaches • Reading intervention teachers • Parents supporting targeted reading practice at home • Homeschool families • Children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties Written by Tammy Harris, an Orton-Gillingham certified reading tutor with over eight years of experience supporting students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.