Five Chapter Books 8: Systematic Decodable Books Help Anyone, including Folks with Dyslexia, Learn to Read with Phonics (DOG ON A LOG Chapter Book Collections)

5 books in 1. Each Book is 1,700-2,875 words.

The DOG ON A LOG Book series help kids, including kids with dyslexia, learn to read. They are sound-out books that start with just a few phonics rules. Each following Step of books adds a few more phonics rules and sight words. This gradual progression helps kids learn to read without feeling so overwhelmed.

New readers love reading books that look like "regular" books. They especially love that they get to read "real chapter books." Having multiple chapter books in each Step means struggling readers are more likely to master the phonics without memorizing the books.

Start anywhere in the series based on your child's reading skills. The word list below will help you decide where in the series your child should start. Information on printable activities is provided in each book.

The "Look Inside" feature will help you determine if this book is right for your reader.

The (purple) Let's GO! books have fewer words for new or less confident readers. The (red) chapter books are longer for more reading practice.

Books can be purchased individually or as collection volumes. This is a collection of five Step 8 chapter books.

Research shows the most effective way to teach reading is with explicit systematic phonics. That means you teach just a few phonics rules then the student practices reading books with just the rules they have been taught. Each DOG ON A LOG Book also has a list of the "sight words" that cannot be sounded-out with the presented phonics. Kids can learn those words before beginning each book. The listed sight words will be the only words in the book that cannot be sounded-out with the rules from the DOG ON A LOG Phonics Progression.

Many early reader books, leveled books, and even "Beginning Phonics Books" are written so they cannot be sounded-out. Kids often struggle and grow frustrated when they can't sound out the words. However, kids who have been taught the phonics in DOG ON A LOG Decodable Books can be proud when they are able to sound out and read almost every word.

DOG ON A LOG Books follow an Orton Gillingham/systematic phonics-based progression.

For additional information on using this series, see the Kindle Book: How to Use Decodable Books to Teach Reading.

Paper books are optimized for learners with dyslexia. They have cream-colored paper, black and white images, and large Verdana font. Verdana is one of the most dyslexia-friendly fonts.

Kindle books have color images.

DOG ON A LOG "What Step Should We Start With" Word List
Have your child read the following words. If they can’t read every word in a Step, that is probably the step they should start with. For some kids, you may want to start at an earlier Step so they can build confidence in their reading ability.

Step 1
fin, mash, sock, sub, cat, that, Dan’s

Step 2
less, bats, tell, mall, chips, whiff, falls

Step 3
bangs, dank, honk, pings, chunk, sink, gong, rungs

Step 4
silk, fluff, smash, krill, drop, slim, whisk

Step 5
hunch, crate, rake, tote, inch, mote, lime

Step 6
child, molts, fold, hind, jolt, post, colds

Step 7
strive, scrape, splint, twists, crunch, prints, blend

Step 8
finish, denim, within, bathtub, sunset, medic, habit

Step 9
hundred, goldfinch, tree, wheat, inhale, play, Joe

Step 10
be, remake, spry, repeat, silo, sometime, pinwheel

If your child isn't ready for Step 1 books:
DOG ON A LOG Pup Books will help you teach them the essential Pre-Reading skills then the letters and how to sound-out words.
---Before the Squiggle Code (Pre-Reading Skills)
---The Squiggle Code (Learning Letters and Words)
---Kids' Squiggles (First Stories)

DOG ON A LOG Books Phonics Progression

DOG ON A LOG Pup Books
Book 1
Phonological/Phonemic Awareness:
·Words
·Rhyming
·Syllables, identification, blending, segmenting
·Identifying individual letter sounds

Books 2-3
Phonemic Awareness/Phonics
·Consonants, primary sounds
·Short vowels
·Blending
·Introduction to sight words


DOG ON A LOG Let's GO! and Chapter Books

Step 1
·Consonants, primary sounds
·Short vowels
·Digraphs: ch, sh, th, wh, ck
·2 and 3 sound words
·Possessive 's

Step 2
·Bonus letters (f, l, s, z after short vowel)
·"all"
·-s suffix

Step 3
·Letter Buddies: ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink,onk, unk

Step 4
·Consonant blends to make 4 sound words
·3 and 4 sound words ending in -lk, -sk

Step 5
·Digraph blend -nch to make 3 and 4 sound words
·Silent e, including "-ke"

Step 6
·Exception words containing: ild, old, olt,ind, ost

Step 7
·5 sounds in a closed syllable word plus suffix -s(crunch, slumps)
·3 letter blends and up to 6 sounds in a closed syllable word (script, spring)

Step 8
·Two-syllable words with 2 closed syllables, not blends (sunset, chicken, unlock)

Step 9
·Two-syllable words with all previously introduced sounds including blends, exception words, and silent "e" (blacksmith, kindness, inside)
·Vowel digraphs: ai, ay, ea, ee, ie, oa, oe (rain, play, beach, tree, pie, goat, toe)