Phonics CVC Story 5: The Man Ran

Want to see MORE CVC Stories? Visit my Phonics page here!

It's time for another CVC Story unit 🥳 This is booklet number 5, and the second book in the -AN word family series! In this story, your learners will explore -an words, sight words, and learn some new grammar and literacy concepts!

My CVC stories go beyond simple sounding out words. They include comprehension activities and questions, activities focused on literacy concepts like making connections, and even simple grammar lessons for beginner readers! Letting your kids practice reading these stories and doing these activities will not only help them learn to read, it will help prepare them for elementary-level learning.

What's Included in a CVC Phonics Story?

Inside each story unit you'll find:

• A story focusing on word families and sight words
• Spiral learning of previously learned phonics rules and words
• A simple grammar activity: In this booklet? Teach your learners all about the exclamation point!
• A 'Making Connections' activity
• Comprehension Questions to help learners understand what they are reading
• A Drawing Comprehension activity

All of these lessons and activities will help your learner realize that sounding out words is more than just busy school work, it's a way to help them express themselves and read stories, learn about new worlds and concepts, and even laugh at some silly texts (The cat ran on the man!' in this story is always a hit!)

Comprehension Activities Build Literacy Skills

When we show kids that reading is about more than words on a page, it helps bring home the fact that words and sentences can be made into stories or books. It's exciting! Once they know how to read AND understand a story, it's a whole new way to explore the world around them. Not only do the connections in their minds fire up at the thought that books are stories and a way to learn, but that reading and learning is all around them. Words on a restaurant menu, words on street signs or supermarket signs, words on home appliances...the list goes on! All of a sudden they begin to notice that words make up our whole world! (And later units will explore this more with making text to world connections!)

Why Grammar?

When teaching younger kids to read, you may not think of including something like grammar right away. But showing kids how words and sentences work in a very simple way helps them understand their reading better. For example, in the first CVC story (the cat on the mat) kids learn that words can be put together to make sentences. It's a simple oral lesson and they can look through the book and point to all of the sentences they read. In the second CVC story, they learn that sentences end with a period and this means we take a small pause. They can then practice reading sentences and noticing the periods at the end of each. 

These simple concepts build on one another and even though our young learners might not memorize them perfectly at first, it will help them when they start more formal grammar lessons in the future. It will also be just another way to point out that reading is so much more than just words.

Download CVC Phonics Story 5!

You can download this story unit below by clicking on the link.

You may use it in your classroom, school, on your smartboard or in your homeschool. You can also use it in virtual classrooms or lessons, and it's great for tutoring too!

All I ask as per my terms is that my website is left on each page (www.messybeautifulfun.com) as is.

Enjoy teaching our future readers!<3

Download CVC Story 5 Here!

Phonics CVC Story 4: The Van (AN words)

The newest phonics story is here!

This is the first one in the -an words series.

You can see the rest of the phonics books on my phonics page.

I am excited to have made the next booklet in the phonics stories series! It includes all of the things you found in the first few too, including a short story for beginner readers, some comprehension questions, a grammar lesson, and more!

Literacy is more than reading words

Being literate is more than just being able to read words on a page. It means being able to understand what you've read, and later on, read into the deeper meanings of texts. But before we get our learners there we need to start simple: building phonetic skills and helping them understand that texts have meanings.

A short little story like this might seem overly simple to us. The thought of taking meaning from it might seem ridiculous. But for our emerging readers its a small peek into a world of reading that can open up for them, stories that can make them think about other worlds, people, and scenes.

Inside a Phonics CVC Story

That's why inside each phonics story you'll find more than just a simple story for your learners to practice reading. These stories follow the same sequence of word family words and sight words that my CVC Booklets here do. Every week a new word family and new sight words are introduced. While the booklets are for basic practice and getting to know the words, the stories are to show that words can be sentences, stories and fun! Not only will they discover that they can read a story on their own, but they can learn to understand stories through comprehension questions and activities, learn to summarize through drawings, and even learn that we can make reading more exciting through grammar concepts.

Inside Phonics Story 4 You'll Find:

• A CVC Story
• An optional grammar lesson (Words can have more than one meaning)
• Comprehension Activities (Questions, Drawing Comprehension, Draw your van

Download CVC Story 4

You can download this story using the link below. It is perfect for us ein classrooms, virtual classrooms, homeschools or for tutoring. All I ask, per my terms, is that you keep my website (Messybeautifulfun.com) on each page.

Thanks for reading and enjoy teaching our future readers!

Download Phonics CVC Story 4 Here

I Can Math Booklets for Kindergarten Math 2: Counting and Cardinality Within 20

 

I Can Booklets for Kindergarten Math 2: Counting and Cardinality Within 20

This is booklet 2! If you want to see booklet 1 click here! 

To see more math books, go to my Math Booklets page!

Counting. Recognizing numbers. They seem like such basic skills, but sometimes they're difficult for kids to grasp. We often mix up counting with writing numbers, counting objects, etc. but sometimes our learners just need to count without focusing on writing or counting out groups of objects. 

That is exactly what these books focus on: All of the worksheets can either be done orally or with coloring, cutting and pasting. They're designed to focus on one skill at a time. In this case, counting within 20.

What's Inside an I Can Booklet?

Inside each of my math I Can booklets, you'll find worksheets and charts that focus on one skill (or a few interconnected ones). In booklet 1, learners focused on counting from 1 to 10. In this booklet the focus will be on counting from 1 to 20. Diving into numbers past ten prepare your learners to count up to 100, and by tens.

Inside you'll find:

• Oral practice charts: Learners practice counting to 20 out loud
• Worksheets: Worksheets are either cut and paste or color-in
• An achievement certificate: Once your learner has mastered the skill or finished the book, you can give them this certificate

Download the booklet here!

You can download the booklet by clicking on the link below. As per my terms, you may use it in classrooms, homeschools, for tutoring and virtual classes, but please always leave my website watermark (messybeautifulfun.com) on the pages. Thank you and enjoy learning to count!

Download I Can Booklet 2 Here!

Phonics CVC Story 3: The Bat Cat!

 Another new phonics story is here! The third one in the -AT family word group!

Looking for the other CVC stories? Find them here or by heading to my phonics page!

This new book features a fun story, comprehension questions, a simple (optional) grammar lesson, and a few fun activities too!

These CVC booklets are great for reading practice and assessment whether you're teaching in a classroom or your own learners at home.

What Inside CVC Stories?

Inside every CVC booklet you'll find more than just a story, because reading is more than just saying words. Early literacy skills are so important when it comes to kids literacy skills later on, and being sure your kdis understand what they're reading is such an important part of that. Aside from that, research shows that learning things like grammar conventions (sentences begin with capitals, for example) are great to introduce to early readers and will give them a leg-up in reading, writing and spelling later on, even a simple introduction!

Activities and more!

That's why in each booklet I've included some small activities you can use with your learners to help them understand that reading is fun to talk about after you've read it, that books have messages that we can understand, and that stories can help us be creative.

While a simple story about a bat cat might not seem like a great work of literature, to a new reader it's a small peek into a world of stories and information that they can read, understand, and learn from. It's exciting to see!

Download the CVC Story

You can download the CVC story by clicking on the link below and use it in your classroom, homeschool, or online classes. You can also find more phonics stories here, and also find phonics learning booklets that go with these stories there too!

Enjoy learning and bringing up the next generation of readers <3 

Download the CVC Story 3 here

Phonics Story 2: The Hat Bat

 CVC Phonics Books Story 2: The Hat Bat

If you like the last phonics story, The Cat on the Mat, then you're going to love this one too! The bat hat features the same -AT word family words and the same sight words but in a whole new story!

In this booklet you'll find the same activities too, with a few extras! I've included reading comprehension questions, a grammar lesson, and more!

What Inside a Phonics Story?

My CVC stories go beyond just a simple story for your learners ot read.They include a short story to practice reading words, but extra activities to be sure your learners are actually comprehending what they're reading.

Inside you'll find:

• A short story featuring the -at word family (bat, sat, mat, hat)
• A page of reading comprehension questions (What was the bat wearing?)
• A simple grammar lesson (A sentence ends with a period)
• A Making Predictions pre-reading activity
• A Drawing Comprehension activity (one version with writing line, one version without)

Download the story below!

You can download this phonics booklet at link below. It pairs with my CVC learning booklets too that can be found here! Stay tuned for more phonics books and activities to come!

Download the booklet here

or

See more phonics stories here!

Let's Read! Phonics Stories and Lessons

 Phonics Stories

For building early literacy skills

If you loved my free CVC and sight word books then you're going to love these companion stories that go with them!

Building literacy skills is so important. We don't just want out learners to be able to read, we want them to be able to understand what they're reading, images in storybooks and how words work.

The one thing I find so many phonics programs lacking is a way to check not only kids reading abilities, but early literacy skills that can lead to literacy success later on. I think we've all looked at a complex text before and though "Huh? I better read that again!"

Teaching kids these early literacy skills like comprehension, speaking about what they read, noticing patterns in sentences and words, these can all lead to later success in secondary education when they start to really need to learn about the messages behind what they're reading. 

That's what I hope to help with through these short stories!

Be sure to check the Phonics Page for more books coming soon!

Download the booklet here!

I Can Booklets for Kindergarten Math: Counting and Cardinality Within 10

 Easy No-Prep Kindergarten Math Practice

Counting & Cardinality Within 10

If you’re looking for simple, no-prep math activities that actually help your kindergarten learners master the standards, these open-and-go workbooks are designed just for you. Whether you homeschool or have a classroom full of learners, I hope these booklets will help you teach the standards with confidence <3 

Each booklet is focused on one specific math standard, making it easier to teach, practice, and assess skills without spending hours planning or prepping materials. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, homeschool parent, or tutor, these resources are built to save you time while keeping learning clear and purposeful.

What Makes These Booklets Helpful?

Each workbook is designed around a straightforward idea: help students practice key skills in a focused and manageable way.

Instead of overwhelming worksheets or scattered activities, you’ll get a clean, structured booklet that supports both instruction and assessment. Every booklet includes an “I Can” statement on the cover so students know exactly what they are learning. There is also a certificate included, which is perfect for portfolios, reporting, or simply celebrating progress.

Booklet 1: Kindergarten Math – Counting & Cardinality

This first booklet focuses on early counting skills that build a strong foundation for future math learning.

Students will work on simple counting concepts, including:

• Counting from 1 to 10
• Counting backward from 10 to 1
• Counting forward starting from numbers other than 1

This booklet does not include subitizing or quantity comparison. Instead, it focuses on number recognition and number order, helping students build confidence with the number sequence itself.
All activities are designed to be simple, clear, and easy for young learners to follow independently or with minimal support.

What’s Included in the Booklet

Inside this resource, you’ll find:

A fun cover page with space for the learner’s name

A counting chart for reference and practice

Printable worksheets

Simple hands-on craft activities

A certificate of achievement for learners

Why Teachers and Parents Love It

This booklet is ideal for busy educators who want meaningful math practice without the extra prep work. Everything is ready to print and use, making it easy to integrate into your daily math routine, learning centers, or homeschool lessons.

It’s simple, structured, and designed to help young learners build confidence with early number skills—one step at a time.

The best part? It's free! And there's more to come!

Just like my Phonics Booklets Here there will be more of these to come soon along with tracking charts, pacing guides and more! For now you can download these for free on this page or by clicking the link below - so keep it bookmarked because it will be updated often!

Download the free booklet here