The Magic Pens
This story is an example of a story that might be told when teaching your child to read, in order to teach phonics and letter blends. For more information, see the article “How to Teach Your Child to Read” at anneethompson.com

The Magic Pens

by Anne E Thompson

It was evening and the classroom was empty. All the children had gone home, all the teachers had gone home and all the lights had been switched off. It was very quiet. However, in the corner of the classroom, there was a sound. It came from the tub of pens. The pens were magic!

Every evening, after all the people had left, the pens would start to move. They rolled around in the pen pot, they chatted and sometimes, they took off their lids and wrote things.

This evening, one of the pens wanted to write. Clever red pen had been watching the children and she wanted to write a word. She took off her lid and rolled to the white board. She began with an ‘i’.

Start in the middle, top to bottom, with a dot on top. Then she wrote a ‘t’. Start up high, top to bottom, then across the middle. She had written ‘it’. She was very excited!
“Look everyone,” she called to the other pens, “I have written a word. I have written ‘it’.

Everyone thought she was very clever. Everyone except for the naughty green pen. The naughty green pen waited until the red pen had put her lid back on and then he rolled to the white board.

“It,” he read. “Ha! I can change that!” He started right at the top, went down to the bottom, went back up the same line to half way, then out and round to the bottom. He had drawn a ‘b’. Now the word said ‘bit’.

The red pen was very cross!
“No, no, no,” she said. “I do not want to write ‘bit’ I want to write ‘it’!” She quickly took off her lid, rolled to the board and wrote ‘it’.

“Ha, ha, ha,” said the naughty green pen. “I can change that!” He rolled to the board, started in the middle and went backwards, forwards, backwards. He had drawn an ‘s’. Now the word said ‘sit’.

“No, no, no,” said the red pen, “I do not want to write ‘bit’ or ‘sit’, I want to write ‘it’.” She went back to the board and wrote ‘it’.

“Ha, ha, ha,” said the naughty green pen, “I can change that!” He started at the top, went all the way down, then up the same line to half way, over and down. He had drawn an ‘h’. Now the word said ‘hit’.
“No, no, no,” said the red pen, “I do not want to write ‘bit’ or ‘sit’ or ‘hit’, I want to write ‘it’.” She went back to the board and wrote ‘it’.

“Ha, ha, ha,” said the naughty green pen, “I can change that!” He started half way and went down down down, then up the same line all the way to the top, then over and down to half way. He had drawn a ‘p’. Now the word said ‘pit’.

“No, no, no,” said red pen, I do not want the word to say ‘bit’ or ‘sit’ or ‘hit’ or ‘pit’. I want to write ‘it’. She rolled back to the board and this time she wrote ‘it’ in such big letters that there was no more space on the board and naughty green pen could not add any more letters.

All the pens looked at the big red ‘it’.

Then they put on their lids, and went to sleep.

xxxx

 

Anne’s books can be found in bookshops and Amazon. Amazon Link Here