Long Word Attack Plan
Stuck on a long word? Don't guess. Use these five steps.
Need more than one? Tap + for extra copies (up to 10).
How to do it
- Look at the two examples at the top.
- Read the five steps together.
- Try the steps on a long word from a book.
Teaching tip
Keep this chart next to your child while reading. When they get stuck, point to step 1.
About this chart
Five steps for reading a long word (peel off the ends, find the vowels, split it, read each part, check it), with two worked examples and a list of common front parts and endings.
What kids practice
In 3rd grade, kids meet longer words with prefixes, suffixes and three or more syllables, and stories get longer. These sheets break that work into small, clear jobs with big print, color and marks instead of lots of writing. They follow a structured literacy approach, which teaches how sounds, letters and word parts work together step by step. They can help many children who find reading hard, including kids with dyslexia. They are not a test or a diagnosis. If reading is still much harder for your child than for other kids, talk with their teacher or ask for a reading evaluation.
Watch for
- Guessing a long word from its first few letters. Use the steps to read every part.
- Splitting a word in the wrong place. Find the vowels first. Each syllable has one vowel sound.
- Rushing to read faster. Smooth and accurate comes first.
- Too many words at once. Use the Fewer button if a page feels like a lot.
- Turning practice into a test. Correct gently, show the right way, and try again.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full reading helpers (dyslexia-friendly) guide for 3rd grade.
More sheets in this set
2. Long Word BreakerBig letter tiles for two- and three-syllable words like umbrella and yesterday. Kids mark vowels and split lines, with no writing. Fewer and More change how many. Includes an answer key.
3. Peel the WordWords like unpacking, careless and retelling in letter tiles to color, with a big writing line for the base word. Fewer and More change how many. Includes an answer key.
4. Heart Words3rd grade tricky words like because, through and enough, mapped sound by sound with a heart over the part to learn by heart. Fewer and More change how many. Includes an answer key.
5. Smooth Reading PathA short 3rd grade story split into scooped phrases, with three reads to color. One of eight stories.
6. Reading AdventureA short story in large print with shaded lines to keep your place and three questions to circle. One of six stories. Includes an answer key.
7. Tricky TwinsSentences with look-alike or sound-alike twins like though and through, quiet and quite, and desert and dessert. Fewer and More change how many. Includes an answer key.