Tutors > Tutor Tips > Lesson Ideas > Controlled Vocabulary Stories

One way to reinforce your learner's reading skills is to have her/him practice reading stories with a controlled vocabulary. A controlled vocabulary story uses words your learner already knows (or introduces new words in a prescribed and repetitive way). Laubach provides supplemental stories for Skillbook 1 -- More Stories and In the Valley . The stories below were created by tutor trainees using controlled vocabularies. The appropriate lesson level is indicated. We hope you and your learner will give them a try.

Joyce Mende Wong - wongjm@oaklandlibrary.org

CONTROLLED VOCABULARY STORIES

LAUBACH WAY TO READING, SKILLBOOK 1

Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Whole Book

Lesson 7 (6 stories)

FISHING AT SNAKE RIVER

Ann, Bob, Ed and Fran are up on Indian Hill.
They are looking at Snake River.
Snake River is in the valley.

"Look," yells Ed, "the fish are jumping in the river."
Bob and Ann fish at the river.
Fran says to Ed, "Go to the tent and get a pan for the fish."

At the tent, Ed yells, "A snake!"
Ed is kicking and jumping.

APPLES AND SNAKE EGGS

Liz picks apples in the valley.
She puts the apples in the box.
Liz gives the apples to Cal.

He sells the apples in the shop.
The Indian girl gives Cal a quarter.
Cal gives her an apple.

The Indian girl says, "Thank you for the apple."
Cal yells, "Look! A quarter!"
Cal gives the quarter to Glenn.

Glenn gives Cal a box. The box has snake eggs.

Glenn is happy. Cal is happy.
The Indian girl is happy.
Liz is happy.
They are happy.

FISHING AT INDIAN HILL

Liz, Jill, and Kim are fishing at the river at Indian Hill.
They are looking at the snake and the bird.
"Look!" yells the woman.

The bird picks up the snake.
They put the snake in a box.
They sell it to the shop.

Dan Says, "Thank you for the box."
He gives the girls a quarter for the snake and the box.
Kim says, "I want to eat."
Then Jill says, "I want olives, eggs, and apples."


IN THE SHOP

Liz is in the shop.
Dan is in the shop.

Dan sells olives in a cup.
Liz picks up olives in a cup.
She puts the olives in her box.

Dan sells apples in a box.
Liz picks up apples in a box.

Dan sells fish in a pan.
Liz picks up a pan and puts it in her hand.

Look. Liz drops the olives in a cup.
Liz drops the apples in a box.
Liz drops the fish in a pan.
Dan gives her a hand.


CAMPING AT INDIAN HILL

Ann is camping.
Bob is camping.
Cal is camping.
Dan is camping.

They are camping at Indian Hill.
They are camping in a tent.
They are camping and fishing.

Bob yells, "Snake!"
Cal says, "Look! Look at the snake!"
Ann picks up the snake.
Ann, Bob, Cal, Dan and the snake fish.


FISHING FOR A QUARTER

Ann and Bob are fishing at the river in Glenn Hill.
Ann and Bob are looking for fish in the river.
Ann looks and listens.

The fish are jumping.
Bob picks up the fish.
Ann puts the fish in a pan.

A woman yells.
Ann is looking at the woman kicking a snake.
Bob sells the fish for a quarter to the woman kicking the snake.

The woman puts a quarter in Bob's hand.
Bob thanks the woman for the quarter.
Bob and Ann have an apple and an egg in the tent.

Lesson 8

A PUP FOR LIZ

Liz is a girl.
Mrs. Fran Oliver is her mother.
Liz's mother looks at Liz's homework.
Liz's mother gives Liz a pup.
Robert and Liz play.
They play kicking and jumping.

Lesson 9 (2 stories)

FISHING AT THE RIVER

Queen Pam and Uncle Van are fishing at the river.
Uncle Van gives Queen Pam a fish in a pan.
The fish jumps up in the pan.

The boy, Dan, runs into the tent.
He sees a snake and yells, "Help! Help!"
Queen Pam picks up the snake and puts it in a box.
"Thank you for the help, Queen Pam," Says Dan.

KIM AND LIZ SHOP AT THE PET STORE

Kim and Liz are going to the pet store.
They are looking for a pet for Liz.
The store has pups, fish, snakes, and birds.

The store sells Indian snakes.
Liz picks an olive snake.
Mr. Ned sells her the snake for a quarter.
He puts it in a box.

Liz says, "Thank you."
She hands the box to Kim.
The snake is jumping in the box.
Kim yells and runs.

Lesson 10 (2 stories)

THE JUMPING FISH

The Indian River is in the valley.
The river is in the valley.
The boys and girls live at the river.
They live in tents at the river.

They fish at the river.
The fish are jumping in the pan.
The children yell, "Look at the fish jumping and kicking."

SPORTS

Robert Oliver is a father.
His children are Dan and Pam.

Robert Oliver likes sports.
In his sports he likes jumping and kicking.
He likes to yell when he looks at sports.

His children like looking at sports.
His children thank their father for the sports lessons.

Lesson 11

MRS. OLIVER'S PET STORE

Mrs. Oliver has a shop. She sells pets.
She sells birds and pups and fish and snakes.

Robert wants a pup.
Robert handpicks the boy pup he wants.
Mrs. Oliver wants a box for Robert's pup.
Mrs. Oliver has an apple box for the pup.

The pup jumps in the box.
Mrs. Oliver sells Robert the pup in the box.
Robert yells, "Thanks" to Mrs. Oliver.

Pam wants fish for pets. She has children.
The fish are for her children.
She picks the fish she wants.
Mrs. Oliver looks for a fish bowl.
Mrs. Oliver puts the fish in the fish bowl.
She sells them to Pam.

Lesson 12 (3 stories)

GLENN AND JILL AT THE RIVER

Jill is looking at the fish jumping in the river.
Glenn is fishing.

Jill yells, "Look at the snake going in the river!"
Glenn jumps up and runs to the street.
Jill looks for a telephone number.

PAM AND THE SNAKE

Uncle Robert and Pam are looking for a pet.
They go to the pet shop on Jump Street.

Pam sees the birds.
Pam sees the pups.
Pam sees the snakes.

Pam yells, "Uncle Robert, they have snakes!"
Uncle Robert says, "Yes, Pam, they have four snakes!"

Mrs. Oliver picks up one snake.
Mrs. Oliver pets the snake.
She says, "Snakes cannot jump. Snakes have eggs."

Mrs. Oliver gives Pam the snake.
Pam gives Mrs. Oliver the quarter.
Mrs. Oliver sells Pam the snake.

Mrs. Oliver gives Uncle Robert the shop's telephone number.
Uncle Robert writes the telephone number.
Uncle Robert thanks Mrs. Oliver.
Pam thanks Mrs. Oliver.

THE PET SHOP

Mr. and Mrs. Robert have five children and three pets.
Mr. Robert sells pets and birds.
Mrs. Robert likes snakes and Uncle Ted likes snakes' eggs.
Mr. Robert picks his snakes at the shop.
Mrs. Robert's' s dog and cat live on the streets.

Lesson 13 (3 stories)

CAL AND FRAN

Cal is going to Las Vegas.
He loves Las Vegas.
He loves boxing.
Cal will box in Las Vegas.

Fran lives in Las Vegas.
She sells snakes in a pet shop.
She loves snakes. She loves Cal.
Cal will live with Fran in Las Vegas.

Fran hates boxing.
She hates for Cal to box.
Cal hates snakes.
He hates for Fran to sell snakes.

Fran yells at Cal. Cal yells at Fran.
Cal is packing.
He will not live with Fran in Las Vegas.
Cal hates Fran.
Fran loves snakes.

JUMPING AND KICKING

Fran lives in a valley.
She lives with Robert and Queen.
They have seven pets.

They have one snake, two birds, three pups, and a fish.
Robert, Queen and Fran run kicking and jumping to the shop.
Robert picks an apple for the birds.

Queen picks a box of eggs for the snake.
Fran picks a toy for the pups.
The three children run kicking and jumping back to the valley.

UNCLE SAM'S PET SHOP

Kim and Robert are writing their homework lesson.
Fran runs in.
She yells, "Uncle Sam's Pet Shop has five pups."

They get the address, Four York Street, and go.
The pet shop has fish, birds, snakes, and pups.
The pups are in a box.
They are jumping up and looking at the children.

Fran has a quarter.
They telephone their Uncle Ned.
He says to pick two pups and one bird.
Uncle Sam sells the pups and a bird to the children.

Whole book

FISHING IN THE VALLEY

Ted's uncle lives in the valley.
Ted, Sam, Anne and Fran are going fishing in the valley.
Anne takes her pet pup.

The valley has snakes and birds.
The pup runs to get a bird.
The bird gets hurt.

Fran yells, "No, no!"
Anne picks up the bird.
It has not hurt its wings.