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Trip to Cactus Gulch 1. The Step-Up Team: Decodable Chapter Book Series for Students Learning to Read. For Developing Readers and Students with Dyslex (Large Print Edition)
Hardcover
Series: Dog on a Log Chapter Books, Book 41
ISBN13: 9781648312977
Publisher: Dog on a Log Books
Published: Mar 24 2026
Pages: 126
Weight: 0.56
Height: 0.44 Width: 5.00 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
Jan did not know she and her friends would hike 1,000 steps in Cactus Gulch.
This Book has about 5,300 words.
DOG ON A LOG Books are for anyone learning to read with phonics, including people with dyslexia. You can start anywhere in the series based on your student's reading skills.
The word list below will help you determine if this book is right for your reader.
About DOG ON A LOG Books:
--The series progresses in Steps. Each Step of books introduces a few more phonics rules.
--The stories get longer and more complex with each new step of phonics.
--Kids love that they get to read REAL chapter books that need a bookmark.
--Students should be taught the phonics and High Frequency Words in each book prior to reading.
--Written with a Systematic Phonics, Orton-Gillingham, Science of Reading-based phonics sequence.
This is an individual Step 9 chapter book. Books can be purchased individually or as collection volumes.
--(Blue) DOG ON A LOG Get Ready! Readers help students learn the letters and blending words.
--(Teal) DOG ON A LOG Get Set! Books offer more practice of three-letter words with a middle short vowel.
--(Purple) DOG ON A LOG Let's GO! Readers tell the same stories, but have fewer words than the chapter books. They help prepare kids who are not ready for the longer chapter books.
--(Red) DOG ON A LOG chapter books gradually introduce more phonics rules and allow students to work towards mastery of the phonics skills.
For additional information on using this series, see the e-Book: DOG ON A LOG's Teach Reading With Decodable Books.
Use this word list to help you decide where in the series your child should start.
DOG ON A LOG WHAT STEP SHOULD WE START WITH? WORD LIST
Have your child read the following words. If they cannot read every word in a Step, that is probably the step they should start with. For some kids, you may want to start at an earlier Step so they can build confidence in their reading ability.
IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT READY FOR GET READY! READERS
Check out the DOG ON A LOG Parent and Teacher Guide:
--Prepare For Reading (Activities for Pre-Readers)
Get Ready! Or Get Set! Books
jet, zap, pod, kit, rug, bin, hem
Step 1
chin, mash, sock, sub, cat, that, Dan's
Step 2
less, bats, tell, mall, chips, whiff, falls
Step 3
bangs, dank, honk, pings, chunk, sink, gong, rungs
Step 4
silk, fluff, smash, krill, drop, slim, whisk
Step 5
hunch, crate, rake, tote, inch, mote, lime
Step 6
child, molts, fold, hind, jolt, post, colds
Step 7
strive, scrape, splint, twists, crunch, prints, blend
Step 8
finish, denim, within, bathtub, sunset, medic, habit
Step 9
hundred, goldfinch, tree, wheat, inhale, play, Joe
Step 10
be, remake, spry, repeat, silo, sometime, pinwheel
Step 11
far, north, spire, turn, inhabit, calculate, Wyoming
Check out our books for Parents and Teachers:
--Teaching a Struggling Reader: One Mom's Experience with Dyslexia
--Prepare For Reading (Activities for Pre-Readers)
Teaching Letters & Sounding-Out Words
The Manual for Using Get Ready! Readers
--Learn to Read (Letters Make Words)
Teaching Phonics and Reading
--Teach Reading with Decodable Books
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