Stage Magic Slides UFLI Foundations • Lesson 61 New Concept
Sound Mastery
Soft g Ending Rule
The Sound /j/ Spelled _ge
Discover when and why the letters g-e team up at the end of a word to say /j/ !
Target Sound
/j/ as in jug
Target Spelling
_ge (at the end)
Key Anchor
page • cage • huge
Step 1: Articulatory Gesture How We Make the /j/ Sound
/ j /
Affricate • Voiced Stop-Fricative
Voice Box is ON (Vibrating)
1
Tongue Position
Place the front of your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth just behind your top front teeth.
2
Lips & Air Release
Pucker your lips slightly and quickly push a burst of air out as your tongue pulls down: /j/!
3
Feel the Vibration
Touch your throat. Feel the buzz! /j/ has voice, unlike its unvoiced partner /ch/.
Teacher Prompt: "Put your fingers on your throat. Say /j/, /j/, /j/. Do your vocal cords buzz? Yes!"
Step 2: The Spelling Rule When do we spell /j/ as _ge?
English words do not end in the letter j!
To protect the /j/ sound at the end, we add an e after the letter g .
Condition 1
After a Long Vowel Sound
The letter e does double work: it makes the vowel say its name AND makes g say /j/!
p a g e
page
c a g e
cage
h u g e
huge
Condition 2
After a Consonant (l, n, r)
When /j/ comes directly after consonants like n, r, or l , we spell it with _ge .
b ar g e
barge
h i n g e
hinge
l u n g e
lunge
💡 Next Lesson Preview: If the vowel before /j/ is short, we will spell it with 3 letters: _dge (badge, bridge)!
Step 3: Sound-to-Letter Mapping Tap the Sounds • Map the Letters
Word: stage
s /s/
t /t/
a /ā/
ge /j/
4 Sounds
5 Letters
Word: plunge
p /p/
l /l/
u /ŭ/
n /n/
ge /j/
5 Sounds
6 Letters
Notice: "ge" shares one sound box because the letters team up to spell the single phoneme /j/!
Step 4: Blending Drill Read Across • Continuous Blend
Long Vowel A
cage
/k/ /ā/ /j/
Initial Blend
stage
/s/ /t/ /ā/ /j/
Long Vowel U
huge
/h/ /yū/ /j/
R-Controlled
barge
/b/ /ar/ /j/
Nasal Blend
hinge
/h/ /ĭ/ /n/ /j/
Initial + Nasal
plunge
/p/ /l/ /ŭ/ /n/ /j/
R-Controlled
charge
/ch/ /ar/ /j/
Nonsense Challenge!
clunge
/k/ /l/ /ŭ/ /n/ /j/
Choral reading routine: 1. Tap sounds 2. Sweep and blend 3. Read whole word with automaticity
Step 5: Word-Building Chain Change One Sound at a Time
p a g e
Start
➔
c a g e
change /p/ to /k/
➔
s t a g e
add blend /st/
➔
s t a l e
change /j/ to /l/
➔
s c a l e
change /t/ to /k/
Metacognitive Question
When we moved from stage to stale, what happened to the /j/ sound? (The letter l replaced g, so the soft sound disappeared!)
Step 6: Irregular & Heart Words Read by Sight & Heart
Heart Part: "o"
c o m e
"Come see the huge stage!"
Heart Part: "eir"
t h e i r
"Their dog ran on the barge."
Heart Part: "ould"
c o u l d
"Could you turn the page?"
Review: there
Review: would
Review: one
Review: said
Step 7: Connected Reading Read with Accuracy & Expression
1 Sentence 1
The huge ape sat inside the iron cage on the stage .
2 Sentence 2
A rusty hinge broke as the big barge began to drift into the lake.
3 Sentence 3
Did the frog plunge off the dock with a wild surge of speed?
Read 1: Whisper read to self
Read 2: Choral read together
Read 3: Read with dramatic stage voice!
Stage Tales Decodables UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Story 1 Target: _ge /j/
The Huge Cage on the Stage
Name:
Date:
Target Phonics Word Bank (Read before story):
huge cage stage page rage sage engage hinge
Story Passage 146 Words
Gabe had a grand pet ape named Max. Max was not small; Max was huge ! Max sat inside a safe brass cage with a shiny lock. Today, Gabe took Max to the big city theater. The bright spotlights lit up the center stage .
Gabe opened his script and turned to the front page . The script said Max must act like a king. But Max felt a burst of rage when the loud drum began to bang! Max shook the iron bars. A rusty door hinge bent with a loud pop!
"Quiet, Max," whispered Gabe with the calm voice of a wise sage . Gabe gave Max a fresh, sweet fig to engage him. Max stopped shaking the bars. He took the sweet fig, bowed to the crowd on the stage , and sat right back down in his cage . The crowd rose to clap!
1. Phonics Evidence Hunt:
Write 3 words from the story where _ge comes right after a long vowel:
a.
b.
c.
2. Reading Response:
How did Gabe calm Max when the door hinge bent?
Repeated Reading Tracker: 1st Read (Accuracy) 2nd Read (Phrasing) 3rd Read (Expression)
UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Passage 1 of 3
UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Story 2 Target: Consonant + _ge (/j/ after r, n)
The Grand Dog Show Barge
Name:
Date:
Target Phonics Word Bank (Read before story):
barge large charge surge urge gorge fringe plunge
Story Passage 152 Words
Captain Clark steered his large river boat down the winding stream. Right behind the boat, he towed a wide wooden barge . The deck of the barge had a red velvet fringe tied along the rail. Today was the annual river pup contest, and the captain was in charge of the show.
A sudden surge of water splashed over the side as they drifted into a deep rock gorge . A small hound named Jasper felt a sudden urge to run. Jasper leaped past the crowd and took a wild plunge straight into the river waves!
"Jasper, swim back!" yelled Captain Clark. Clark threw out a soft floating ring. Jasper paddled fast with his paws and grabbed the ring. Clark pulled the wet hound back onto the dry barge . The judges smiled and handed Jasper a blue ribbon for the best river dive!
1. Phonics Sort:
Find words in the story that end in -rge :
2. Cause and Effect:
What caused Jasper to get pulled back onto the barge?
Repeated Reading Tracker: 1st Read (Accuracy) 2nd Read (Phrasing) 3rd Read (Expression)
UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Passage 2 of 3
UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Story 3 Target: Mixed _ge Patterns & Challenge Words
A Strange Plunge in the Cave
Name:
Date:
Target Phonics Word Bank (Read before story):
strange plunge sponge lunge cringe singe hinge huge
Story Passage 148 Words
Paige and her scout troop hiked deep inside Whisper Cave. At the end of the trail, they noticed a strange wooden door set in the stone wall. The door swung open when Paige gently tapped its old copper hinge .
Inside the hidden cavern was a huge pool of glowing aqua water. "Do not cringe ," laughed Paige. "The water is fresh and warm!" Paige took a swift running step, made a big lunge , and did a flying plunge into the pool. Splash!
Under the surface, soft moss soaked up water just like a giant kitchen sponge . Paige held up a lantern so the hot flame would not singe her sleeves. In the back of the cave, she spotted crystal rocks shining with purple tints. It was the most strange and wonderful secret room in the entire canyon.
1. Phonics Meaning Match:
Write the word from the story that matches each clue:
To burn slightly:
Soaks up water:
A dive into water:
2. Visualizing & Details:
What made the secret room look strange and wonderful?
Repeated Reading Tracker: 1st Read (Accuracy) 2nd Read (Phrasing) 3rd Read (Expression)
UFLI Lesson 61 • Decodable Passage 3 of 3
Barge Quest Fluency Reader UFLI Lesson 61 • Fluency Decodable Reader Phonics Focus: _ge /j/
The Great Barge Quest
Student:
Date:
One-Minute Timed Fluency Routine
Read aloud smoothly for 60 seconds. Track errors and circle the last word read.
Target: 70+ WCPM
Passage Text (Focus: -ge words) Word Count
Sage and her grandfather lived by the river near a huge wooden dock. 13
Every morning, they loaded cargo onto a grand flat-bottom barge . 23
Their job was to carry goods past the winding cliff and stone gorge . 36
Today, they had to deliver a shiny brass cage to the palace stage . 49
"Check each hinge on the iron gate," Grandpa reminded Sage with care. 61
"If a latch is loose, we might cause damage while we travel out there." 75
Sage checked every joint and polished the front page of her notes. 87
Suddenly, a large surge of river water rocked the floating barge . 98
Sage held tight to the wooden rail and did not cringe or drop her rope. 113
She steered the boat past the rushing bend with courage and skill. 125
When they reached the city port, fans cheered from the wide stage . 137
Grandpa smiled and said, "You did a grand job in charge of our barge !" 151
Fluency Progress & Tracking Matrix Formula: Words Read - Errors = WCPM
Attempt
Words Read (1 min)
Errors
WCPM (Accuracy)
Expression (1-4)
Initials
Cold Read
Practice 1
Practice 2
Hot Read
Turn page to complete the 5 comprehension questions. Page 1 of 2 • Fluency Reader
UFLI Lesson 61 • Comprehension Assessment Score: _____ / 5
Comprehension Check: The Great Barge Quest
Name:
Date:
Directions: Fill in the circle next to the best answer choice for each question based on the text. 5 Questions
1. What was Sage and Grandpa's primary job on the river?
A) Catch river fish using large nets
B) Carry cargo on their flat-bottom barge
C) Build shiny cages inside the gorge
D) Paint and repair the palace stage
2. What special item did they need to deliver to the palace stage?
A) A shiny brass cage with an iron gate
B) A large wooden crate of fresh figs
C) A set of red velvet ropes and fringes
D) A thick sponge to soak up river water
3. Why did Grandpa remind Sage to check every hinge on the gate?
A) To see how heavy the iron gate was
B) To ensure a loose latch wouldn't cause damage
C) To prepare the cage for a wild bear
D) To polish the brass until it turned gold
4. How did Sage react when a large surge of water rocked the barge?
A) She cried out and ran inside the cabin
B) She leaped off the boat into the river
C) She held tight to the rail and didn't cringe
D) She let go of the rope and dropped the cargo
5. What is the central lesson or theme of this story?
A) River barges are too slow for dangerous trips
B) Taking care of equipment and staying calm brings success
C) Delivering cages to stages is very easy work
D) Only grandfathers know how to steer boats
Text Evidence Challenge:
Quote or describe one sentence from the story that proves Sage was skilled and courageous:
UFLI Lesson 61 • Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.2.3, RL.2.1 Page 2 of 2 • Comprehension
Soft G Verbal Ticket UFLI Foundations • Lesson 61 Exit Ticket Target: _ge /j/ Verbal Mastery
Verbal Reading & Dictation Check
Student:
Date:
Score: ___ / 10
1
Student Reading Sheet (Read Aloud Across Rows)
5 Real Words • 5 Decodable Nonsense Words
1. Real stage
2. Nonsense fage
3. Real barge
4. Nonsense clunge
5. Real huge
6. Nonsense moge
7. Real plunge
8. Nonsense trange
9. Real hinge
10. Nonsense spige
2 Teacher Verbal Scoring Rubric
Benchmark: 8/10 (80% Mastery)
1. stage (/s/ /t/ /ā/ /j/)
Correct Error
2. fage (/f/ /ā/ /j/) [Non]
Correct Error
3. barge (/b/ /ar/ /j/)
Correct Error
4. clunge (/k/ /l/ /ŭ/ /n/ /j/) [Non]
Correct Error
5. huge (/h/ /yū/ /j/)
Correct Error
6. moge (/m/ /ō/ /j/) [Non]
Correct Error
7. plunge (/p/ /l/ /ŭ/ /n/ /j/)
Correct Error
8. trange (/t/ /r/ /ā/ /n/ /j/) [Non]
Correct Error
9. hinge (/h/ /ĭ/ /n/ /j/)
Correct Error
10. spige (/s/ /p/ /ī/ /j/) [Non]
Correct Error
Real Words Accuracy: ___ / 5
Nonsense Words Accuracy: ___ / 5
Soft g (/j/) Error Type:
3 Sentence Dictation (Teacher Reads • Student Writes)
Listen, count words, write cleanly.
Sentence 1: "The huge ape sat inside the cage." (7 words) Check: Cap ___ Spacing ___ _ge words ___ Punct ___
Sentence 2: "A large barge floated past the dock." (7 words) Check: Cap ___ Spacing ___ _ge words ___ Punct ___
Student Self-Check:
🌟 I know _ge says /j/! 💡 I need a little help.
Next Instructional Step: Based on exit ticket score
Ready for Lesson 62 (_dge /j/) Small-Group Intervention
UFLI Lesson 61 • Phonological & Orthographic Assessment Form Print Ready • 10-Word Verbal Check
