Reading Tips -eep
He re are some quick and fun ways to use this
story to help children learn the word family –eep.
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Explain to children that you are going to read a story that has many words with the -eep sound,
made by the letters E, E, and P. All these words belong to a group called a word family.
Ask children to find the -eep word ending at the top of the front cover. Review aloud with children the
sound these three letters make together. Can they find two words in the title with the -eep sound?
Flip over the book and read the story summary on the back cover. Ask children to point out the
words they hear with the -eep sound. Explain that the story you are about to read includes many
more words that end in -eep. Can they help you find them?
Read aloud the story once for pleasure and enjoy the whimsical illustrations. Then reread the
book, emphasizing the -eep word ending in the appropriate words. Ask children to listen closely
and identify all the words that end in -eep (they might raise their hand or clap when they hear one,
or you might choose a volunteer to point to the word on the page). As they do so, make a list on
chart paper of all the -eep words.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in
part or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
SCHOLASTIC and WORD FAMILY TALES
and associated designs are trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Illustrated by Cary Pillo.
Produced by Brown Publishing Network.
ISBN: 0-439-26268-2
Copyright © 2002 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Write each of the words from your list on an unlined index card. Use a different color for -eep than
the rest of the word. Read each word on the cards with children. On another reading of the story,
distribute the cards to children and have them hold up
their card as their word is read.
Pages 14–15 of the book feature 10 riddles with
answers that require a word ending in -eep. Read
each riddle aloud and have children volunteer answers.
Read aloud the cheer on page 16 several times, with
lots of energy. Invite children to join you in reciting
the cheer when they feel ready (you might even
choose a “cheerleader”).
Other words in
the -eep family:
bleep
asleep
keep
oversleep
seep
knee-deep
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
When the night is long and you can’t sleep,
just lie in bed and count some sheep.
1
One sheep in a jeep.
2
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Two sheep in a traffic jam—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
3
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Three sheep sit and weep.
4
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Four sheep dust and sweep.
5
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Five sheep visit Little Bo Peep.
6
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Six sheep in the ocean deep.
7
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Seven sheep on a hill that’s steep.
8
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Eight sheep quietly creep.
9
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Cheep!
Cheep!
Nine sheep feeding chickens—
10
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Cheep!
CHEEP! CHEEP! CHEEP!
11
Ten sheep fast asleep...
12
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
just like this boy—
shhh! Don’t make a peep!
13
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
-eep Word Family Riddles
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Listen to the riddle sentences. Add the right letter
or letters to the -eep sound to finish each one.
1
Sometimes at night it is hard to ___eep.
2
When falling asleep it helps to
count ___eep.
3
It’s fun to drive around in a __eep.
4
When you honk a horn it makes a
loud __eep.
5
Another word for cry is __eep.
14
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
6
Jack and Jill climbed a hill that was really
___eep.
7
If it’s time to clean, use a broom
to ___eep.
8
Don’t swim out that far, the water is too
__eep!
9
These books are not for giving away.
They are to __eep.
10
The sound a baby chick makes is a __eep.
Now make up some new riddle sentences using - eep
15
Answers: 1. sleep, 2. sheep, 3. Jeep, 4. beep, 5. weep, 6. steep, 7. sweep, 8. deep, 9. keep, 10. peep
-eep
Cheer
Give a great holler, a cheer, a yell
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
For all of the words that we can spell
With an E, E, and P that make the sound –eep,
You’ll find it in jeep and sheep and sleep.
Three little letters, that’s all that we need
To make a whole family of words to read!
- eep
16
Make a list
of other –eep
words. Then
use them in
the cheer!
Reading Tips -eep
He re are some quick and fun ways to use this
story to help children learn the word family –eep.
Ask children to find the -eep word ending at the top of the front cover. Review aloud with children the
sound these three letters make together. Can they find two words in the title with the -eep sound?
Flip over the book and read the story summary on the back cover. Ask children to point out the
words they hear with the -eep sound. Explain that the story you are about to read includes many
more words that end in -eep. Can they help you find them?
Read aloud the story once for pleasure and enjoy the whimsical illustrations. Then reread the
book, emphasizing the -eep word ending in the appropriate words. Ask children to listen closely
and identify all the words that end in -eep (they might raise their hand or clap when they hear one,
or you might choose a volunteer to point to the word on the page). As they do so, make a list on
chart paper of all the -eep words.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in
part or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
SCHOLASTIC and WORD FAMILY TALES
and associated designs are trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Illustrated by Cary Pillo.
Produced by Brown Publishing Network.
ISBN: 0-439-26268-2
Copyright © 2002 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Write each of the words from your list on an unlined index card. Use a different color for -eep than
the rest of the word. Read each word on the cards with children. On another reading of the story,
distribute the cards to children and have them hold up
their card as their word is read.
Pages 14–15 of the book feature 10 riddles with
answers that require a word ending in -eep. Read
each riddle aloud and have children volunteer answers.
Read aloud the cheer on page 16 several times, with
lots of energy. Invite children to join you in reciting
the cheer when they feel ready (you might even
choose a “cheerleader”).
Other words in
the -eep family:
bleep
asleep
keep
oversleep
seep
knee-deep
Word Family Tales: To Sleep, Count Sheep (-eep) © Scholastic Teaching Resources
Explain to children that you are going to read a story that has many words with the -eep sound,
made by the letters E, E, and P. All these words belong to a group called a word family.