The Campsite Mix-Up Reading guide

Phonics focus

Lessons 48–50: complex consonant clusters, compound words and review of endings

Practise longer clusters, compounds and endings in these words: played, opened, backpack, lunchbox, backpacks, lunchboxes, straps, stretched, returned, packed, helped, checked, missing, sunset. Compare each practice word with its base and discuss how the meaning or spelling changes. Use the programme lessons to introduce new sounds; the story is original.

Bold red vowel letters and bold blue consonant letters show the selected focus spellings. Read endings and word parts in context. Colours identify vowel and consonant letters, not their pronunciation. Compare each focus word with its base; the selected extra consonant is also bold where doubling occurs. Read the guide note for each pattern. Help children with other letters and patterns in the word when needed. A highlighted letter does not mean the whole word is independently decodable.

Adult supported words

An adult reads the title with the child. Preview and help with: Sophie, Finn, campsite, made, pretend, Mum, tent, now, time, found, torch, our, things, mixed, said, emptied, both, onto, blanket, too, flat, let’s, sort, everything, beside, picnic, basket, know, where, belong, after, grass, before, nothing, this, time. Review other words as needed. This is supported shared reading, not a fully decodable text.

Before reading

Read three practice words and compare their base words and endings. Look at the cover, name the setting and predict what might happen.

During reading

Read each sentence aloud together. Point to the highlighted letters, blend the focus words and reread naturally. Use Talk Together to discuss the character, problem, actions and ending.

Narrative structure

Sophie and Finn find their camping things mixed up in their backpacks. They empty both bags onto a blanket, sort lunchboxes and return Mum’s tent straps. Checking everything before leaving prevents another mix-up.

After reading

Invite the child to retell what happened first, what went wrong, what the character tried and how the story ended. Reread the book to build confidence.

Read compound words as two meaningful parts: back + pack, lunch + box and sun + set. The second part is highlighted as a visual cue, including plural endings where present; help with both parts. In straps, blend /s/ /t/ /r/ without extra vowel sounds. Stretch starts with /s/ /t/ /r/ and ends in the /ch/ spelling tch; stretched has /t/ for -ed. The whole review word is highlighted so all selected vowel letters stay red and consonants blue. Compare miss → missing, with the extra s and -ing highlighted. Returned and opened end in /d/; played /d/, packed/helped/checked /t/. Lesson 50 consolidates earlier spellings and endings; this story is a supported review, not a claim that every longer word is decodable independently.