Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/

Lesson 111Silent letters, affixes and less common spellings16 books

Every child deserves stories that spark curiosity and build a foundation for lifelong learning. The decodable books for UFLI Lesson 111 focus on -ar and -or saying /er/ at the end of words like collar, dollar, liar, doctor and motor. Children learn that er is not the only spelling for this sound, and a couple of them can be read free online.
Free One Last Task!

One Last Task!

4.4 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Dr. Can Do has fixed every cold floor and bare wall in the village, and now he’s built a machine to shear a whole flock of sheep at once. But even with piles of wool ready to sell, can he really step back and let someone else run the shop? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘inventor’, ‘motor’, ‘advisor’, ‘supervisor’, ‘visitor’.
Minecraft STEM Humor -ar, -or /er/
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Free Hold On, Kim!

Hold On, Kim!

3.9 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Every afternoon, a girl watches her mother weave at a big wooden loom, longing to learn the craft herself. Then a mysterious tapping leads her through the street and onward to a dusty old loom of her own, one that suddenly bursts to life like a motor beneath her hands. What happens when she takes hold and it lifts skyward? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘motor’, ‘onward’, ‘skyward’, ’terror’, ‘world’.
Adventure Fantasy Family -ar, -or /er/
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Nomsa and the Night Visitor

Nomsa and the Night Visitor

4.1 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Nomsa’s family keeps waking to chaos: the porridge gone, the pot tipped, her little brother crying about pinched toes. Gogo says a small water-sprite called the Tokoloshe is behind it, and only four raised bricks under the bed will stop it. But when Nomsa finally gathers her bricks, the mischievous visitor has other plans. Can Nomsa outsmart it before it reaches her brother? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ’terror’, ’lizard’, ‘similar’, ‘visitor’.
Africa Fantasy Mythology -ar, -or /er/
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He Can Do It!

He Can Do It!

4.1 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Dr. Can Do’s furnaces are hungry, and there’s no coal left in town. When the mine turns out to be far, far away, this clever inventor decides walking just won’t do. Can he build something fast enough to bring the coal home before the fires go out? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘inventor’, ‘doctor’, ‘motor’, ‘worked’, ‘forward’.
Minecraft STEM Humor -ar, -or /er/
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Look Back at Me

Look Back at Me

4.1 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Every day, a kid plays a quiet game: stare at something and wait to see if it stares back. A frog with unblinking eyes, a cow chewing grass, a cat on the roof pretending to sleep, fireflies glowing in the dark grass, even the stars overhead all get a turn. But when the game reaches all the way up to the night sky, could someone out there be playing it too? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘mirror’, ‘skyward’, ‘forward’, ‘inspector’, ’lunar’.
Animals Life Nature -ar, -or /er/
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Cows With Mushroom Hats

Cows With Mushroom Hats

4.1 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Brat Cat sails off to see cows that grow mushrooms right out of their heads. She feeds them wheat to win them over, but the herd keeps growing hungrier and bigger. Can she fix the mess before the whole island runs out of food? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ’error’, ’navigator’, ‘visitor’, ‘protector’.
Minecraft Animals Humor -ar, -or /er/
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Busy Hen

Busy Hen

4.1 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Hen has settled onto her eggs, determined to be the best mom in the world, and nothing will make her leave her nest until they hatch. But the moment her chicks pop out, they take off running in every direction, faster than she ever imagined. Will Hen ever manage to catch up with her busy new family? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘forward’, ‘backward’, ‘onward’, ‘predator’, ‘visitor’.
Animals Family Humor -ar, -or /er/
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Tigist and the Error

Tigist and the Error

4 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
In Gondar, a proud judge stops his car to watch a girl named Tigist dividing grain into perfectly equal piles using nothing but her hands. Certain that no one could be cleverer than him, he challenges her family’s future on three impossible tasks. Can Tigist outwit the judge before his tricky tasks cost her family everything? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘advisor’, ’error’, ‘inspector’, ‘victor’, ‘orchard’.
Africa Girls Family -ar, -or /er/
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Bingo Has More in Mind

Bingo Has More in Mind

4 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Bingo the dog has the best job in the village: guarding the grain store earns him a fat bone and a warm spot by the fire every night. But Bingo always wants more, and one night a delicious smell from the forest pulls him away from his post. What will he find waiting for him when he returns? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘major’, ’error’, ‘onward’, ‘collar’, ‘visitor’.
Africa Adventure Animals -ar, -or /er/
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The Cursed Emerald Part 3

The Cursed Emerald Part 3

4 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
A cursed emerald has already claimed Steve once, and now he’s stranded in a strange village with no way home. His brother warned him about it years ago, but Steve can’t remember how to destroy it, and every villager he meets only makes things stranger. Can he find someone who understands maps before the emerald finishes what it started? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘horror’, ’terror’, ‘author’, ‘predator’.
Minecraft Fantasy Adventure -ar, -or /er/
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Did the Fish Sink?

Did the Fish Sink?

4 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
A climbing perch loves showing off, snacking on bugs and outswimming every fish in the stream. But when the sun beats down and the water starts vanishing, this little fish has a trick no ordinary fish can pull off. Will it be enough to survive? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ’liar’, ‘predator’, ’error’, ‘forward’, ‘horror’.
Animals Science Nature -ar, -or /er/
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Jackal Is Lion's Meal

Jackal Is Lion's Meal

3.9 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Jackal has been stealing Lion’s food, and now hungry Lion wants Jackal for dinner. Pinned under one huge paw, Jackal spots a huge rock teetering on the cliff above them and gets an idea. Can words alone save him from becoming Lion’s next meal? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘motor’, ’terror’, ’error’, ‘actor’, ‘victor’.
Africa Animals Adventure -ar, -or /er/
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Flip, Toss, SPLAT!

Flip, Toss, SPLAT!

3.9 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Gran can juggle anything skyward, from pans to Pop’s pocket watch, and she’s always on the hunt as a fearless collector of new things to toss. But when her foot catches a box in the corner shop, will her tricks turn into a total disaster? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘skyward’, ’error’, ‘collector’, ‘horror’.
Humor Family Life -ar, -or /er/
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I Am the Victor!

I Am the Victor!

3.9 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Grim the spirit loves nothing more than startling every man and beast in his town, and not one of them can stand up to him. But every so often the streets go quiet, and there’s nobody left to scare. One evening, with the day nearly gone, Grim spots one tiny house with a round blue door: will the smallest mouse he’s ever seen finally give him the fright he’s after? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ’terror’, ‘onward’, ‘forward’, ‘victor’, ‘hazard’.
Animals Fantasy Humor -ar, -or /er/
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What Will Jack Be?

What Will Jack Be?

3.8 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
A boy can’t stop daydreaming, soaring through space, clinging to tree bark as a bird, and teetering along a narrow cliff ledge as a goat. Each daydream whisks him somewhere new and strange. What will pull him back to the dinner table? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ‘hazard’, ‘mirror’, ‘polar’, ‘predator’, ’nectar’.
Animals Fantasy Nature -ar, -or /er/
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Brave Ned in the Cave

Brave Ned in the Cave

3.8 Books are rated by kids in the Bookbot app
Ned and The Book have finally built their shed and stocked up on coal, but The Book has other plans: a dark, monster-filled cave waits to be explored. As Ned steps into the tunnel with only a torch for light, something tells him this trip will be anything but quiet. What is hiding in the shadows, and will Ned’s courage be enough to find it? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 111: -ar, -or /er/), this book practices words like ’error’, ‘onward’, ’terror’, ‘work’, ‘works’.
Minecraft Adventure -ar, -or /er/
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an r-colored schwa?

An r-colored schwa is the relaxed /er/ sound heard in an unstressed syllable, like the end of doctor, collar and sugar. The vowel letter is hard to hear, so -ar, -or and -er can all sound the same at the end of a word. In UFLI Lesson 111, children learn to expect this sound when they see -ar or -or in a final syllable.

Which r-controlled vowel sound is hardest to spell?

The /er/ sound is often the trickiest, because it can be spelled er, ir and ur, as in her, bird and turn, and also -ar and -or at the end of words like dollar and actor. Since the sound gives no clue, children rely on memory for each word. Reading these spellings many times helps store them, which our guide to orthographic mapping explains.

What is the bossy r rule?

The bossy r idea is a child-friendly way to say that an r after a vowel changes the vowel’s sound, as in car, for and her. In words like collar and doctor, the r changes the final syllable to /er/. The nickname can help children remember the pattern, as long as they also read plenty of real words that use it.

What is the schwa sound?

The schwa, written ə, is the quick, relaxed vowel sound in an unstressed syllable, like the a in about or the o in lemon. Schwa turns up in a huge number of English words, and it explains why the ends of liar and motor sound like /er/. The National Reading Panel (2000) found that systematic phonics instruction benefits beginning readers, and schwa helps explain why some vowel letters do not say their usual sounds.

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