Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew/eu/ue/ou)
Every child deserves the chance to read real stories with the sounds they have just learned. These decodable books for UFLI Lesson 115 work through less common long u spellings: ew, eu and ue saying /yū/, as in few, ewe, feud and cue, and ou saying /ū/, as in soup and group. Some titles can be read online for free.
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A Noise at the Door!
A girl made of air sits beside you, invisible, unseen, and unheard. Only a tiny dip in a cushion gives her away. Could she ever get someone to truly see her? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘clue’, ‘rescue’, ‘routine’, ‘valued’, ’true’.
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Start From Scratch!
Gran has a plan: no store-bought coconut bars this time, they’re starting from scratch. That means growing the trees, cranking a rickety lift, and hacking through tough husks before any baking begins. Can a kid with tired arms and a growling stomach make it through every step Gran demands? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘continued’, ‘cue’, ‘hewed’, ‘rescued’, ‘renewed’.
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I Chase Dad!
Every morning, Dad pedals off down the avenue on his big green bike, and it’s their same routine, day after day. A girl wants to chase after him, but a tiny toy bike is way too slow. What could possibly be fast enough to catch him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘you’, ‘avenue’, ‘few’, ‘pursues’, ‘routine’.
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What Lurks in the Deep?
Something lurks in the ocean depths, and it isn’t friendly. As a player dives deeper to explore icy seas and coral reefs, danger waits in a group of underwater temples where a laser-shooting mob stands guard. Will the player find a way past it and back to the surface? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘few’, ‘group’, ‘pursue’, ‘value’, ‘wounds’.
What Will This Zombie Bake?
Zom the zombie is done with brains. Today, he wants to bake something magnificent, so he heads out to find the perfect ingredients. But when everything he gathers looks strange, smells worse, and crawls with bugs, will his first real recipe turn out to be anything worth eating? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ’threw’, ‘chewed’, ‘group’, ‘grew’, ’true’.
This Is Your Moment
Tip has a brilliant plan: interview every worker in the village and write the greatest blog the world has ever seen. But between dodging flying stone chips, drawing a map that looks suspiciously like a potato, and gluing feathers to arrows, her notebook stays completely blank. Then something catches her eye that makes her forget reporting altogether. Will Tip ever find her story? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘value’, ‘issue’, ‘pursue’, ‘routine’, ‘hue’.
Min Needs a Rescue
Min’s first day of school is finally here, but her brand-new shirt has other plans. Buttons everywhere, arms stuck, and every grown-up in the house too busy to help. Can she get dressed all by herself before it’s time to go? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘issue’, ’tissue’, ‘continued’, ‘rescue’, and ‘routine’.
The Hungry Cow
Siyanda tends his family’s cattle alone on the hillside, counting too few cows each evening to feed his hungry sisters. When the smallest, weakest cow collapses and dies, he buries her with flowers instead of walking away, never guessing who might be watching. Who would notice one boy’s quiet kindness to an old, wounded cow? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘few’, ‘rescue’, ‘wounded’, ‘routine’, ‘valued’.
The Late Hare
Hare is late for the worst reason of all: today, he’s the meal. Lion waits on his rocky hill, hungrier by the minute, sure that nothing on the plain could ever outsmart him. But when Hare finally shows up with wild talk of another lion nearby, one bolder and ruder than Lion himself, will Lion believe him? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘group’, ‘pursue’, ‘statue’, ‘value’, ‘uncouth’.
Crocodile's Skin Splits
Once, Crocodile lived proudly on the dry land, watching everything with his sharp eyes. But when a brutal dry season cracks his skin and the mud hole shrinks away, he must swallow his pride and find another way to survive. Will he make it to the deep river before it’s too late? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘continues’, ‘argues’, ‘fuels’, ‘renews’, ‘value’.
Just One!
Joy has a big plan: fly through her garden and pick just one favourite flower. Sunflowers, roses, daisies, even a mysterious red bloom all catch her eye, and every bee she asks argues for something different. Will Joy ever narrow it down to just one? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘argue’, ‘group’, ‘few’, ‘continued’, ’through’.
Big Loot This Time!
Ned finally finds treasure in the deepest cave he’s explored yet, but the chest is guarded by an endless group of zombies pouring out of a glowing spawner. Can he smash it before he’s overrun? Inside the chest waits something Ned never expected: not gold, but a saddle for a horse he hasn’t even met yet. Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘you’, ‘few’, ‘value’, ‘group’, ’through’.
Stop! Save the Lake!
Fish loves her lake more than anything: the cool shade, the smooth rocks, every ripple. But one morning she finds bottles and chip bags drifting where clouds should be, and someone on the dock is to blame. Can she get her lake back before the mess ruins it forever? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘rescue’, ‘group’, ‘argues’, ‘routine’, ’true’.
The Door
Zom and Skel had one job: check the door before bed. Neither did. Now their house is crawling with monsters, and things are about to get messy. Can two friends and their fearless pets take back their home before it falls apart completely? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘blew’, ‘flew’, ‘pursued’, ‘continued’, ‘routine’.
Ned and The Bright Gems
Ned needs diamonds for the ultimate gear, and The Book says they’re buried at the very bottom of the world. Down in the dark, a fork in the tunnel forces a choice: left or right, with no clue which way is safe. Which path would you dare to take? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 115: Alternate Long U (ew, eu, ue /yū/; ou /ū/)), this book practises words like ‘few’, ‘argue’, ‘continue’, ‘value’, ‘clue’.
Decodable Books Created to Align with the UFLI Foundations Scope and Sequence
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some eu words?
The eu spelling is rare in early reading, but children may meet it in words like feud, Europe and euro, where it says /yū/. In a few words it says /ū/ without the y sound, as in sleuth. UFLI Lesson 115 groups eu with ew, ue and ou, so children see the rare spelling next to more familiar ones.
What are low-frequency vowel spellings?
Low-frequency spellings are ways of writing a vowel sound that appear in only a small number of common words. For long u, eu in feud and ou in soup and group are good examples. Children usually learn the common spellings first and then add these rarer ones, and reading them in decodable text gives extra practice without guesswork.
How does ou spell the long u sound?
In some words ou says /ū/, as in soup, group, you and youth. This is less common than the /ow/ sound of ou in out and cloud, so children learn to try both and check which makes sense. Repeated reading of the same story helps these words become familiar, and Snow, Burns & Griffin (1998) highlighted practice as the route to fluent reading.
What is the difference between the two long u sounds?
Long u has two versions: /yū/, with a y sound at the start, as in cue, few and ewe, and /ū/, without it, as in soup, blue and chew. Some spellings can make either sound, so ew says /yū/ in few but /ū/ in chew. Saying the words slowly with your child helps them hear the difference, which builds phonemic awareness alongside reading.
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