Summary:

Mom is at home practicing on her drums, trying her best to come up with a new beat for a song. She is distracted by all kinds of noises coming from inside and outside--a construction crew hammering in the streets, an ice cream truck's jingle, and a couple of leaky faucets in the bathroom. At first she is frustrated that all of this noise is breaking her concentration, but then as she listens she hears the noise transform into a new kind of rhythm. She makes some modifications to her drum set in order to imitate these sounds. Her band stops by to hear the new beat and they are impressed by her creativity.

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Full Text:

Mom needs to write a song, but she feels stuck.

A robot with a hammer rammed the street.  Thud! Thud! Thud!

A truck drove past, ringing a bell.  Ding! Ding! Ding!

The pipes dripped.  Plop! Plop! Plop!

Mom grumbled, "I cannot write a song with so much going on!"

But as she listened, she started to hear a beat.

She got up from the drums and emptied a box.  

She will hit that block, tap that bell, and spray that bucket.

Thud! Ding! Plop! Ding!  Thud! Ding! Plop! Ding!  

Her band said, "This rocks!" Mom smiled.

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Phonemes:

/ă/ (IPA: æ),        /m/,                  /t/,                   /ē/ (IPA: i),            /s/,                       /ĭ/ (IPA: ɪ),        

‍/f/,                       /d/,                   /r/,                   /th/ (IPA: ð),         /ŏ/ (IPA: ɒ),          /g/,

‍/l/,                        /h/,                  /ŭ/ (IPA: ʌ),      /k/,                       /b/,                       /n/,

‍/sh/ (IPA: ʃ),       /ā/ (IPA: eɪ),     /k/,                   /v/,                       /ō/ (IPA: oʊ),        /w/,

‍/ch/ (IPA: tʃ),     /ŏr/ (IPA: ɑr),    /ər/ (IPA: ɜr),   /ĕ/ (IPA: ɛ),           /j/ (IPA: dʒ),        /p/,

‍/ī/ (IPA: aɪ),        /ĭŋ/ (IPA: ɪŋ),     /y/ (IPA: j),      /ks/,                      /kw/,                    /z/,

‍/ū/ (IPA: ju)

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Decodable:

‍This booklet is designed for kindergarten students to read independently after they have reached the cycle indicated on the cover. Students should use this to practice decoding and to develop independent reading habits. This should not be used for guided reading or for the development of content knowledge.

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Printable: ‍

This file is designed to be printed, folded, stapled, and given to students as a booklet.  

• Step 1: To print, select “print on both sides of the paper” and “flip on the short edge” in your print menu.  

• Step 2: Fold the printed pages along the dashed line in the center, and staple on top of the three staple images on the front cover.

When one student finishes reading the booklet, you can pass it on to the next student who is ready for it.  Or you can create one copy for each student and tell them that they can color the pictures when they finish reading it.