Orton-Gillingham Decodable Stories: Level 8 ? The Active Boy is a structured decodable reader designed for developing readers learning through the Orton-Gillingham approach.
This Level 8 story builds on short-vowel words, magic-e words, digraphs, consonant clusters, r-controlled vowels, vowel teams, suffixes, and two-syllable words. It provides focused practice with the vowel teams oi, oy, ou, and ow.
Readers practise oy in words such as joy, toy, and boy, and oi in coins and noise. They practise ou in words such as loud, sound, ground, out, and shout, and ow in words such as cow, clown, down, and now.
The story also provides practice with open syllables in words such as hotel, lilac, and music, as well as marker e after v in active.
Carefully controlled text helps children apply previously learned phonics skills while building accurate decoding, fluency, confidence, and reading independence.
Is This the Right Level?
Level 8 is designed for readers who:
• Can read short-vowel words, magic-e words, digraphs, consonant clusters, r-controlled vowels, and common vowel teams
• Are ready to practise oi, oy, ou, and ow
• Are learning to read open syllables
• Are developing confidence with two-syllable words and longer sentences
• Benefit from controlled text, guided reading, and rereading
Phonics Skills Practised
• oy, as in joy, toy, and boy
• oi, as in coins and noise
• ou, as in loud, sound, ground, out, and shout
• ow, as in cow, clown, down, and now
• Open syllables in hotel, lilac, and music
• Marker e after v in active
• Review of previously taught vowel teams, suffixes, consonant clusters, and two-syllable words
Sight Words Practised
a, was, to, he, everything, are, walk, said, where, watch, table, does, giggled, bread, night, your, floor
These words should be reviewed before reading. Most other words are intended to be decoded using previously taught phonics skills.
About the Story
Jay is an active boy who likes to look at everything around him. One day, he and Meg go for a walk to meet Meg's pal Beth.
They visit a small hotel and stop at its coffee shop. Jay sees a toy train, a book about a boat, a muffin, and a picture of a cow. He also spots a clown with a red coat and a big horn.
Later, Jay, Meg, and Beth walk to the pond. Along the way, they see lilac flowers and a girl playing music. At the pond, Jay watches geese and ducks, tosses them stale bread, and laughs as a duck splashes its wings.
After a busy day, Jay and Meg return home. Jay gives Meg a hug, takes his toy bunny to bed, and soon falls fast asleep.
The clear sequence, familiar activities, and repeated sentence patterns support comprehension, accurate decoding, and fluency practice.
Who This Book Is For
• Orton-Gillingham tutors
• Structured literacy and reading intervention teachers
• Parents and homeschool families
• Children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties
Written by Tammy Harris, an Orton-Gillingham certified reading tutor with over eight years of experience supporting students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.
