Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull
We’re committed to helping every child discover the joy of reading through stories they love. Here you’ll find decodable books for UFLI Lesson 43, built around three word families: -all as in ball and tall, -oll as in roll and troll, and -ull as in full and pull. In these words the vowel sounds different from its usual short sound, so children learn each ending as a chunk.
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Skel and the Chase
Skel has a list of chores longer than his arm, and by nightfall he’d rather chase treasure than rest. He and Bones sneak out for one small adventure under the stars, sure a quick hunt won’t hurt. But something with glowing eyes is watching tired adventurers who won’t sleep, and Skel’s eyelids are already drooping. Will he make it home before it catches him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ‘roll’, ‘fall’, ’tall’, ‘skull’.
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Not My Pies!
Tom the baker is sure a big stone wall will finally keep his bakery safe from sneaky creepers, and Jill even plants flowers by the small entrance to make it smell twice as sweet. But when the ground shakes at dusk and smoke curls into the tall evening sky, Tom wonders if any wall could ever be strong enough. Will his new bakery survive the night? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘wall’, ’tall’, ‘small’, ‘falls’, ‘mulls’.
Get the Cat!
Dr. Can Do fixes everything in town, but a small ginger cat won’t listen to a word he says. When his best doctor voice fails, he turns to fishing, and his first tries land nothing but soggy junk. Will he ever get this stubborn cat to trust him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘calls’, ‘small’, ‘pulls’, ‘strolls’.
Get Kip!
Kip is small, but he’s got somewhere very important to be, and a whole mob of crocs is blocking his path. When one calls to all the others, Kip must run for his life and leap over a pond full of bullfrogs, jumping from rock to log to rock. Will Kip make it past the crocs in time? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ‘calls’, ‘bullfrogs’, ’tall’, ‘fall’.
Help Wambũi
Wambũi, the chief’s daughter, is very sick, and no one knows why. The chief calls on all the kids in the valley for help, promising a great reward to whoever finds the cure, but only Wanjirũ stops to look closely at the stream near the cattle pen. Can she prove what she suspects before it’s too late? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘all’, ’tall’, ‘small’, ‘calls’, ‘mulls’.
The Dull Pans
Naru’s grandmother knows the stars the way other people know faces, and she says one star, hidden and nearly forgotten, can lead the band to water when all the pans run dry. The elders argue about which way to trek while the drought gets worse, but Naru remembers what her grandmother taught her about the small star low in the sky. Could a girl who isn’t even an elder be the one who saves them? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ‘full’, ‘stall’, ‘dull’, ’tall’.
Leopard on Hill
Karĩuki knows every trick of the talking cave on the ridge above his family’s goats, but when a leopard slips between him and the herd, he needs more than an echo, he needs a plan. Can he call the goats to safety without calling the leopard too? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘call’, ‘rolls’, ‘fall’, ‘mulls’, ‘pitfall’.
Nzala and the Lit Brand
Nzala the goat is small, but she has a big idea: bring fire home from Leopard, who lolls by his brand and shares with no one. Nzala strolls up and challenges him to a riddle game, betting everything on her quick wits and one small hidden plug. Can she outsmart Leopard and win the whole camp its first warm fire? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ‘strolls’, ‘pulls’, ’tall’, ‘dull’.
The Book Had Legs
Ned finally packs away his heavy armor and dreams of a peaceful life baking cakes. But cakes need milk, milk means cows, and cows mean building a pen before dark falls. Can Ned finish the fence before something dangerous comes shuffling out of the shadows? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘all’, ‘fall’, ’tall’, ‘strolls’, ‘full’.
Rex Had No Map
Max spots a big net full of fish while gulls call overhead. He dips flat to the sand to stay safe, but a sudden squall tosses him far from home into strange waters full of small, darting fish. Will he ever find his way back? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘call’, ‘small’, ‘fall’, ‘roll’, ‘squall’.
The Calf and the Tiger!
A curious calf spots a bright blue butterfly and just has to follow it, no matter what Mom calls out. Deeper and deeper into the jungle she goes, past tall grass, small monkeys, and bugs on all the plants, chasing that one bright wing. But when the butterfly finally lands, what she finds waiting there makes her wish she had listened? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘calls’, ’tall’, ‘small’, ‘wall’.
The Odd Egg
Zom and Skel race up a tall hill, but when Skel calls it wins, Zom is nowhere to be found. Zom has found something strange and small buried in the dirt, and no matter who they ask, nobody seems to want it. Could this odd little egg turn out to be more than it seems? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘calls’, ‘wall’, ’tall’, ‘full’.
Just Find Her, Pup!
Spot the dog is the world’s greatest finder of things, so when he and his girl visit the zoo, nothing should go wrong. But when a wall of new smells sends him zooming off ahead, he turns back to find her gone, with only a sea of tall legs in every direction. Can the world’s greatest finder track down the one person who matters most? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ’tall’, ‘wall’, ‘small’, ‘calls’, ‘stall’.
Lost at Dusk
Lost at the edge of the forest, a girl waves goodbye as her parents head off to search for food, leaving her with just her piglet for company. Then a strange white deer appears, and against every warning she’s ever heard, she follows it into the trees. Soon the path is gone, the light is fading, and new animal friends appear one by one. Will she find her way back home? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ’tall’, ‘stroll’, ‘calls’, ‘full’.
What Tugs the Rod?
Bob is the worst fisherman in town, and he only ever comes to the dock to nap, never to fish. But something pulls his line hard, the rod bends, and a huge, dripping head rises from the water, so what could possibly be down there? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘pulls’, ‘small’, ‘falls’, ‘rolls’, ’tall’.
A Crown and a Gown
Tess has a big plan: she wants to be a magic queen, tall crowns and all. But she has no hat, no rod, and only her small pal Max to help. Will a dusty old book of tricks and some stuff from around the house be enough to make her dream come true? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 43: -all, -oll, -ull), this book practices words like ‘small’, ’tall’, ‘hall’, ‘unrolls’, ‘drumroll’.
Decodable Books Created to Align with the UFLI Foundations Scope and Sequence
Frequently Asked Questions
What words end in oll?
Common oll words include roll, toll, poll, troll, stroll and scroll, and in each of them the o says its long sound, as in go. That can surprise children who expect a short o, so it helps to read the whole ending as one chunk. Doll is a well-known exception, because its o is short, as in hot.
What are some -all words for beginning readers?
All itself is the first one to teach, followed by ball, call, fall, hall, tall and wall, and later small and stall. The a in these words does not sound like the a in cat, which is why -all is taught as a unit rather than sound by sound. Once children know the chunk, changing the first letter gives them a whole family of new words to read.
What are word families, and how do they help children read?
A word family is a group of words that share the same ending, such as ball, fall and wall. Learning the shared chunk lets a child read many new words by changing only the first sound, which frees up attention for meaning. A meta-analysis by Ehri et al. (2001) found that systematic phonics instruction helped young children read words more accurately, and word families are one practical way to build that system.
What sound does ull make in full and pull?
In full, pull and bull, the u sounds like the oo in book rather than the short u in cup. Other -ull words, such as dull, gull and skull, keep the short u, so it helps to read the word and check that it makes sense in the sentence. Reading aloud together from the stories for UFLI Lesson 43 is a simple way to hear the difference.
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