Pumpkin Trail Decodable Worksheet
The Night of the Glowing Gourd
Grade 3 Decodable Reading Passage • Phonics & Text Evidence
Name:
Date:
Target Phonics Vowel Teams: ai, oa, ee, ea, igh
Warm-Up Words: Gail cloak sweet bright
Read the Story Carefully Check the line numbers to locate text proof
1 On Halloween night, Gail and Cole stepped out into the cool autumn breeze. Gail wore a green witch cloak with a tall black hat. Cole wore a shiny silver knight suit that clinked as he walked along the sidewalk. High above the oak trees, a bright, round moon shone in the quiet sky.
5 First, the pair walked down Oak Street to look at the carved pumpkins. A giant pumpkin rested on the top porch step of the corner house. It had three round teeth, two star-shaped eyes, and a sweet candle glowing warmly inside its grin.
9 Next, Gail and Cole stopped at Mrs. Green’s white picket gate. Mrs. Green smiled and dropped crisp red apples and sweet oat bars right into their canvas bags. "Have a safe trek under the moonlight!" she called out cheerily.
13 Near the edge of the street, Cole pointed at a silly scarecrow tied to a post. The scarecrow wore a wide straw hat and held a black paper bat on a string. By eight o’clock, both treat sacks were packed full. Gail and Cole strolled home side by side, eager to feast on their Halloween goodies.
Text-Explicit Comprehension Questions
Fill in the bubble beside the best answer from the text.
- What costume did Gail wear on Halloween night? (Line 2)
A A shiny silver knight suit
B A green witch cloak and tall hat
C A silly scarecrow straw costume
D A black bat suit with wings
- What did the giant pumpkin on the porch step look like? (Lines 6–7)
A Two wide ears and a square nose
B Sharp pointy teeth and glowing ears
C Three round teeth and star-shaped eyes
D Four triangular eyes and a wide grin
- What treats did Mrs. Green drop into the children's bags? (Line 10)
A Crisp red apples and sweet oat bars
B Chocolate candy and crunchy cookies
C Warm pumpkin muffins and cider
D Sour fruit gummies and pop corn
- What object was the silly scarecrow holding on a string? (Line 14)
A A small glowing jack-o'-lantern
B A black paper bat
C A green canvas treat sack
D A yellow dried oak branch
Phonics Detective: Word Hunt
Find and write words from the story that match each vowel sound.
Long O (oa):
Long I (igh):
Long E (ee or ea):
Pumpkin Trail Answer Key
The Night of the Glowing Gourd
Answer Key
Teacher Reference & Evidence Guide • Grade 3 Decodable Reading
Lesson Resource Halloween Phonics Series
Quick Answer Overview
Question 1 B Witch cloak & hat
Question 2 C 3 teeth & star eyes
Question 3 A Apples & oat bars
Question 4 B Black paper bat
Text-Explicit Evidence & Analysis
1. What costume did Gail wear on Halloween night? Answer: B
Exact Quote (Line 2): "Gail wore a green witch cloak with a tall black hat."
Teacher Note: Choice A is Cole's costume (knight suit). Remind students to read character names carefully.
2. What did the giant pumpkin on the porch step look like? Answer: C
Exact Quote (Lines 6–7): "It had three round teeth, two star-shaped eyes, and a sweet candle glowing warmly inside..."
Teacher Note: Explicit factual detail located directly in Paragraph 2.
3. What treats did Mrs. Green drop into the children's bags? Answer: A
Exact Quote (Line 10): "...dropped crisp red apples and sweet oat bars right into their canvas bags."
Teacher Note: Reinforces decodable vowel teams ea in 'treat' and oa in 'oat'.
4. What object was the silly scarecrow holding on a string? Answer: B
Exact Quote (Line 14): "The scarecrow wore a wide straw hat and held a black paper bat on a string."
Teacher Note: A direct verbatim detail found in the final paragraph.
Phonics Detective: Target Word Bank (Accept Any)
Long O (oa):
cloak, Oak, oat
Long I (igh):
night, knight, bright, moonlight
Long E (ee / ea):
breeze, green, trees, street, teeth, sweet, treat, feast
Instructional Strategy: Have students highlight line numbers with yellow markers when finding text proof.
Grade 3 Phonics • Right-There QAR
