Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule
We believe every child deserves reading materials that build skills and confidence together. These drop e rule decodable books for UFLI Lesson 109 include words like icy, aged, baking and hoped, where the silent e drops before a vowel suffix. The rule shows up again and again in short stories, and some of them are free to read on the website.
Free
Fig Pig and the Dark Cave
Fig Pig spots something tall and glowing-eyed at the back of a dark cave, and even with his legs shaking, he steps closer instead of back. Night after night the strange visitor keeps appearing, gazing at him from the shadows, until Fig Pig starts to wonder if it wants something more than blocks. Why does it only come out when everyone else has turned away? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘closer’, ‘shaking’, ‘gazing’, ‘hated’, ‘amazing’.
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The Cursed Emerald Part 2
A cursed emerald has frozen time itself, and the boy holding it just watched a whole day vanish in a blink. Villagers scatter in a panic whenever he pulls it out, cats freeze mid-blink, and his growling stomach won’t wait for answers. What is this glowing green gem really doing to the world around him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘gazing’, ‘coming’, ’easy’, ‘facing’, ‘shining’.
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How Hard Can That Be?
Dr Can Do has just used up the last of his golden carrots keeping Jill safe underground, and growing more takes forever. He’s sure he’s found the answer: cactus, turned into bone meal, will make crops grow in seconds. There’s just one small problem standing between him and his brilliant plan. What could possibly go wrong on a quick trip to the desert? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘stumbled’, ‘dazed’, ‘gazing’, ‘wobbled’, ‘raised’.
I Made A Big Splash!
A girl’s world is full of people she loves, from pals who build forts to a grandad who rides bikes in the park. She grins at the wide sky, listens to bedtime stories with a cat and mouse gazing along, and gets lost in tiny wonders like a bird on a stick. Who could she possibly love the most? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘dazed’, ‘gazing’, ‘shiny’, ‘hoping’, ‘writing’.
A Pet Now!
Jill has waited three hundred and sixty-five days for this birthday, and her parents finally promised her a real pet. The only catch? They won’t say what kind. As she imagines elephant, crocodile, lion, and giraffe, each one seems a little too much, and Jill starts wondering if there’s a pet out there that’s just right for her. Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘gazed’, ‘raced’, ‘shaky’, ‘facing’, and ’liked’.
Too Loud for Red!
Red made himself a promise: walk through town without covering his ears. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, and he’s already lost among bikes, carts, and honking cars. Will he make it to his friend without losing his cool? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘closing’, ‘gazed’, ‘hoping’, ‘stumbled’, ‘dazed’.
The Hazy Pool
Nomsa is nine years old and nosy, and when the river in her valley suddenly stops flowing, she knows something is wrong in the hazy pool below. The old women whisper about a creature that lives there, but nobody dares find out more. Could Nomsa be braver than anyone else in the valley, and figure out what the river is truly waiting for? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘hazy’, ’nosy’, ‘braver’, ‘shaking’, ’taken’.
Not Holding Still
A bright yellow balloon shaped like a rabbit is tired of being told to hold still. When his string slips loose, he shoots into the sky, past birds, kites, and clouds, sure that flying free will feel wonderful. But as the wind carries him farther from the park, will he find someone new to hold his string? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘closer’, ’tangled’, ‘gazing’, ‘hoped’, ‘wobbled’.
The Wheel Taker
A girl thinks wheels are the most amazing thing in the world, gazing up at giant spinning wheels everywhere she goes and naming every machine that has them. But one day she says something she really shouldn’t have, and every wheel around her grinds to a stop. Now she needs help from the last creature who’d ever cooperate: a goat. Will he help her fix what she’s done? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘gazing’, ’naming’, ‘riding’, ‘smiling’, ’tired’.
Kipkemoi and the Lion Knot
A lion is stealing cattle from Kipkemoi’s herd, and it’s clever enough to circle them like a hunter closing a knot. Kipkemoi is only ten, alone with thirty cattle, and no grown-up in sight. Every trick he tries only makes the lion more amazed at him, so what can one boy do against a beast this smart? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘hoping’, ‘gazing’, ‘closing’, ‘facing’, ‘shaky’.
The Pale Skull
Obiora is famous for two things: his fast legs and his faster tongue for spreading every tale in the village. One dry morning, on his way to see his cousin, he stumbles on an old, pale skull in the dust and it speaks to him. Will anyone else ever hear it talk? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘dazed’, ‘shaking’, ‘gazing’, ’nosy’, ‘fuming’.
Bones Finds a Lost Pet
Bones was the perfect farm dog, but Starfang the pet spider never listened, and one night he slipped through a wide-open barn window into the dark forest. He crawled through wildflowers, tasting amazing new flavours with every step, before stumbling into a cave glowing with red eyes. Will Bones reach his best friend before the cave spiders do? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘racing’, ‘amazing’, ‘closer’, ‘gazed’, ’tangled’.
Otieno Rows for Fish
Otieno’s family needs the best fishing spot on the lake, but old Musa never loses the one-day contest he uses to guard it. Otieno tries every cast he knows, yet his net stays light while Musa’s grows heavy. Then he notices something odd about the way Musa taps his paddle before each throw. Could a simple sound be the secret to finding where the fish really hide? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘gazing’, ‘smiling’, ‘amazed’, ‘closer’, ‘gliding’.
Not a Smart Miner
Alex is out of ore, out of coal, and totally out of patience. She packs way more gear than any miner should ever carry, then loses it all in one shaky, terrible fall. Can she survive long enough to get it back? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘miner’, ‘smiled’, ‘amazed’, ‘shiny’, ‘staring’.
Nothing Gets Past Me
Meow the farm cat is sure nothing gets past her, until she spots a real wild ocelot staring back at her from the wheat rows. It’s hungry, it’s huge, and it’s headed straight for the hens. Can one small, determined cat scare off something so much bigger than herself? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘gazed’, ‘craving’, ‘amazed’, ‘rumbled’, ‘staring’.
Hang On, Gus!
Mel is clutching her toy giraffe, Gus, as floodwater swallows the street. A woman named Jen pulls her to safety, but Mel just wants her mum and dad back. Will Jen keep her promise to find them? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 109: Drop -e Rule), this book practises words like ‘raced’, ‘smiled’, ‘closed’, ‘hoping’, ‘bravest’.
Decodable Books Created to Align with the UFLI Foundations Scope and Sequence
Frequently Asked Questions
Which words follow the drop -e rule?
When a word ends in a silent e and the suffix starts with a vowel, the e drops: bake becomes baking, hope becomes hoped, ice becomes icy and age becomes aged. When the suffix starts with a consonant, the e usually stays, as in hopeful and safely. Stories for UFLI Lesson 109 give children many chances to see both sides of the rule.
Why do we drop the e when adding -ing?
The vowel at the start of -ing can do the job the silent e was doing, which is signalling a long vowel sound. In hoping, the i keeps the o long, so the e is no longer needed. Comparing hoping with hopping helps children see how one letter changes both the spelling and the sound of a word.
Does the silent e rule always work?
It works in many words, but not all. In have, give, live and love, the e is there partly because English words do not usually end in v, and the vowel is not long. Teaching these as known exceptions, and practising them in decodable text, keeps children from losing trust in a pattern that works most of the time.
Is the e in cake silent?
The final e in cake makes no sound of its own, but it tells the reader that the a says its long sound, which is why cap and cape sound different. When cake takes an ending that starts with a vowel, the e drops, as in caked and caking. Linking the silent e to the drop e rule shows children that the two ideas fit together.
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