Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/
Our mission is making literacy accessible to all children, because reading opens doors to endless possibilities. These decodable books follow UFLI Lesson 86, where oa, ow and oe spell long o. Children read oa words like boat and road, ow words like snow and grow, and oe words like doe, foe and toe, in stories full of vowel teams.
Free
Do Not Open That Doorway
Wisp is a girl made of wind, invisible to everyone except for one small clue in a cushion. When rain falls, its drops slowly curve around her shape without ever touching her, and when snow does fall, it clings to her shoulders and stays. Could snowflakes be the thing that finally lets people see a girl made of nothing but air? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘snow’, ‘glow’, ‘follow’, ‘yellow’, ‘hollow’.
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Huff! Puff! Yum!
Gran has a plan: grow the coconuts, then turn them into bars, no shortcuts allowed. From climbing the tree to cracking the shell, every step turns out to be harder than the last. Will there be anything left to eat by the time the bars finally come out of the oven? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘groaned’, ‘grow’, ‘below’, ‘roasted’, ‘slow’.
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Sail East!
A young sailor sets out across an endless sea, past the coast and into open water. Along the way, shallow reefs glow with color, cold currents flow slowly and dark, and a curious yellow fellow waits on a quiet shore. Danger lurks in the shadows too, ready to follow any swimmer who strays too close. Will the sailor find a place to call home, or just keep going? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘glow’, ‘shallow’, ‘yellow’, ‘follows’, ‘fellow’.
Free
I Need a Faster Ride
A girl’s dad rides off to work every morning, and she’s determined to catch him before nightfall. From a wobbly scooter to a shiny yellow car, she keeps trading up for something faster along the road, but even the speedboat skimming past a floating boat might not be quick enough. Will she ever reach him before the day is out? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘road’, ‘slow’, ‘yellow’, ‘floating’, ‘own’.
Free
Into the Deep Dark Mine
Fig Pig marches into the dark mine with his lamp, sure he’ll find the finest coal ever seen. Past glowing lanterns, a chest of treasure, and a sleeping spider as big as a wheelbarrow, he creeps on tiptoe. But what happens when he reaches the cliff at the end of the tunnel? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘coal’, ‘glow’, ‘shadows’, ‘wheelbarrow’, ‘below’.
Tip Has a Grand Plan!
Tip has a grand plan: write the best blog ever about every job in the village. But between a stone cutter’s booming hammer, a garden full of seeds to sow in tidy rows, and a fletcher’s arrows lined up like tiny treasures, her notebook stays blank. Will Tip ever find her story, or is she too busy getting distracted? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘rows’, ‘arrows’, ‘below’, ‘glow’, and ‘road’.
What Will Zom Whip Up?
Zom the zombie is tired of brains for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He wants to bake something magnificent instead, so he heads out to gather ingredients from a grassy field by the road. But rotten eggs, moldy wheat, and bug-filled sugar are not exactly a recipe for success. Will Zom’s first cake turn out to be a masterpiece? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘groaned’, ’loaded’, ‘afloat’, ‘glowing’, and ‘boasted’.
Min on Her Own!
Min’s big day has finally come, but her brand-new school shirt has other plans. Buttons, holes, and one arm stuck through the neck leave her stuck fast, so she turns to her family for help, one by one. Will anyone stop long enough to help her get dressed in time? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ’low’, ‘groan’, ‘own’, ’elbow’, ’throat’.
Siyanda and the Dry Day
Siyanda tends his family’s cattle alone on a dry hillside, and when the sick old cow dies, he buries her with yellow flowers and asks for nothing in return. That night a mysterious old woman gives him two magic horns, but warns him to tell no one what they can do. Will Siyanda keep the secret, even as his greedy neighbor watches from behind the fence? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ’low’, ‘glow’, ‘groan’, ‘slow’, ‘yellow’.
Lion's Dinner Rule
A hare is stuck with a terrible job: once a week, he must walk to Lion’s den and offer himself as dinner. On the long, slow road there, hare passes a strange old well with something glowing in the water. Could a clever trick be waiting at the bottom of that well? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘slow’, ‘road’, ‘own’, ‘boasts’, and ‘foe’.
Crocodile Groans
Crocodile is proud, patient, and sure that everyone should come to him. But when a brutal dry season cracks the land and his thick skin along with it, he grows weaker with each slow step, unable to hunt or even walk. A green reed from a passing friend hints at a way out, if his pride will let him take it. Will Crocodile swallow his boasts and go? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘slow’, ‘groans’, ‘below’, ‘shadow’, ‘bellow’.
Just One!
A girl has a big plan: fly through the garden and pick just one favorite flower. Bees, birds, roses, and daisies all pull her in different directions, and every new bloom seems better than the last. Can she ever narrow her whole beautiful garden down to just one? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘flow’, ‘floated’, ‘yellow’, ‘glowing’, ‘owned’.
Who Stole My Slipper?
Kip has too many feet for just one shoe to go missing, but that’s exactly what’s happened. Frog, Grasshopper, and Crab each try to help, but every borrowed shoe is wrong: too flappy, too narrow, too sharp. Will Kip ever get one foot warm again? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘grow’, ‘glow’, ‘below’, ’narrow’, ’tomorrow’.
Get Off My Back!
Ned is sure the cave holds real treasure this time, and he’s ready to fight off every creature guarding it to get it. But what he finds isn’t gold or jewels at all, it’s something floppy, brown, and completely unexpected. Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘coat’, ‘road’, ‘slow’, ‘glowing’, ‘below’.
Stop! Save the Lake!
Fish loves her lake more than anything, from the cool shade below the lily pads to every ripple on the water. But one morning she spots something strange floating where the sky should be, and soon rubbish is drifting everywhere she looks. Who would do this to her home, and what will Fish do about it? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘below’, ‘boat’, ‘floats’, ‘follow’, ‘arrow’.
The Door
Zom and Skel had one job: check the door every night. Neither of them did it, and now their home is crawling with monsters, glowing eyes and all. Can they fight their way through before the whole place falls down around them? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘below’, ‘glowing’, ‘arrows’, ’narrow’, ‘groaning’.
Ned and The Bright Gems
Ned needs diamonds for the best gear, and The Book warns they hide deep below the stone. Down they go, past cobwebs and creeping shadows, into a tunnel that splits two ways. Which path will Ned dare to follow? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 86: oa, ow, oe /ō/), this book practices words like ‘glow’, ‘shadow’, ‘follow’, ‘slow’, and ’toast’.
Decodable Books Created to Align with the UFLI Foundations Scope and Sequence
Frequently Asked Questions
Which oa words should my child read first?
Everyday oa words include boat, coat, goat, road, toad, soap, loaf, coach, float and throat. The oa team usually comes at the start or in the middle of a word, as in oak and boat, and rarely at the end. Reading a rhyming set, like boat, coat and goat, is a quick warm-up before a story.
When does ow say /ō/?
The ow team has two sounds. In this lesson it says /ō/, as in snow, grow, show, slow, bowl and window, often at the end of a word. In words like cow and down it says /ou/, which children usually learn later. When a child meets ow, trying /ō/ first and then /ou/ is a simple way to find the real word.
How do you teach long vowel sounds?
Start with the idea that each long vowel has several spellings, then teach them one team at a time with clear example words. Sort cards by spelling, read short phrases, and then read a decodable story that repeats the pattern. The National Reading Panel (2000) found that systematic phonics instruction benefits beginning readers, and our article on what phonics is explains how this step-by-step teaching works.
What are some oe words?
The oe team is less common than oa and ow, and it mostly appears at the end of short words like doe, foe, toe, hoe and Joe. The oa ow oe decodable books for UFLI Lesson 86 include words like doe and foe, and the stories can also use oa and ow words, so children meet all three long o spellings together. You can read some of them free online, depending on the title.
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