Structured Literacy Lab
Structured Literacy Lab

LONG VOWEL TEAM SERIES · BOOK 3

Easter Hunt At The Beach

Help your child learn 128 words containing ea for the long /ē/ sound through one memorable story - with printable flashcards, games and step-by-step guidance included.

128 focus words containing ea

Focused practice with ea for the long /ē/ sound

Story, flashcards and printable games

Step-by-step guidance for adults

  • Cover of Easter Hunt at the Beach, an ea spelling story.
  • Story Spellers from Structured Literacy Lab
  • Characters from Easter Hunt at the Beach.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Sample Instruction page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.
  • Story page from Easter Hunt at the Beach featuring ea spelling words.

The Story

About Easter Hunt At The Beach

Quinn and Jane are enjoying their Easter holiday at Bells Beach when their dad’s bag - containing the family’s passports and wallets - suddenly disappears. With teamwork and help from their clever beagle, Spot, they uncover an unlikely thief.

The story gives children repeated exposure to 128 focus words using ea for the long /ē/ sound, helping them connect the spelling pattern with characters, events and images they can remember.

Spelling focus

ea

Target sound

long /ē/

Focus words

128

Example Focus Words

ea: eagle, meat, leaf, eat, beach

Buy Easter Hunt At The Beach

Choose your preferred bookstore. Easter Hunt At The Beach is available from Apple Books and Google Play Books.

The Challenge

Does your child recognise the long /ē/ sound - but still guess which spelling pattern to use?

Meat spelling-choice activity for the long e sound.

meat

or

meet

or

mete

or

meit

?

Eagle spelling-choice activity for the long e sound.
Eagle spelling-choice activity for the long e sound.

eagle

or

eegle

or

egle

or

iegle

?

Leaf spelling-choice activity for the long e sound.
Leaf spelling-choice activity for the long e sound.

leaf

or

leef

or

lefe

or

lief

?

The long /ē/ sound can be represented by several spelling patterns. A child may hear the sound correctly but still be unsure whether a word uses ea, ee, e-e, ie or another spelling.

Easter Hunt At The Beach gives children repeated, meaningful exposure to words in which ea represents the long /ē/ sound.

The Solution

How This Book Solves It

Instead of asking children to memorise isolated word lists, Easter Hunt At The Beach places 128 words containing ea for the long /ē/ sound inside one engaging and memorable story.

One Clear Spelling Focus

The story focuses on words in which ea represents the long /ē/ sound. This gives children repeated exposure to the same sound-spelling connection without overwhelming them with competing patterns.

Words Connected to a Story

Each focus word appears in a meaningful context. Children can connect the word to a character, event or image from the story, making its spelling easier to recall.

Practice That Reinforces Learning

Included flashcards, games and activities help children revisit the focus words through reading, spelling and play - building familiarity, confidence and fluency over time.

Inside the Book

What's Included

An Engaging Story

A carefully written and illustrated story featuring 128 focus words in which ea represents the long /ē/ sound.

Printable Flashcards

Story-linked flashcards featuring ea words from Easter Hunt At The Beach, helping children connect each word with a character, event or image.

Games and Activities

Printable games using words from the story to provide repeated reading and spelling practice through play.

Complete Focus Word List

A full list of the words featured in the story, making it easy to review and practise the target spelling pattern.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Clear guidance showing parents, teachers and tutors how to use the story and companion resources effectively.

Printable ea spelling flashcards included with Easter Hunt at the Beach.
Printable ea spelling 4 in a row game included with Easter Hunt at the Beach.
Printable ea spelling Race To The Top game included with Easter Hunt at the Beach.
Printable ea spelling Snakes & Ladders game included with Easter Hunt at the Beach.
Printable ea spelling bingo game included with Easter Hunt at the Beach.

The Audience

Who Is It For?

Easter Hunt At The Beach is designed for school-aged children who need additional support recognising, reading and spelling words containing ea for the long /ē/ sound.

It is especially helpful for:

  • Children who recognise the /ē/ sound but are unsure which spelling pattern to use

  • Learners with dyslexia or other literacy difficulties

  • Children who find traditional isolated spelling lists difficult to remember

  • Learners who respond well to stories, illustrations and meaningful context

The story can be read independently, read together with an adult or read aloud, depending on the child’s current reading ability.

Feedback About Story Spellers

What Parents and Educators Say

I love the way the words are broken into syllables and how colour is used to highlight phonics patterns. The printable games and clear guidance will be very helpful for busy parents and educators.

TheloniousMac, Dyslexia Therapist, Australia.

TheloniousMac, Dyslexia Therapist, Australia.

I absolutely loved these books. It's such an interesting idea. Too often, instruction gets overlooked in schools. I am excited to see how the whole series pans out. This is definitely a unique way to teach kids.

Sarah, Parent, Australia.

Sarah, Parent, Australia.

I read the book to my son, and we played the games included with it. He enjoyed the story and completed the activities without complaining.

Jess, parent of an 8-year-old.

Jess, parent of an 8-year-old.

How to Use the Book

Instructions

  1. Read the Story

Read Easter Hunt At The Beach to or with the child. Discuss the characters and important events so the story becomes familiar and memorable.

  1. Recall the Words with Flashcards

Use the included flashcards to connect each ea word with a moment from the story.

Example

Educator: (shows card ‘yeast’)

Prompt: “Tell me a short sentence from the story.”

Student: “Dad wanted to eat yeast rolls for lunch.”

Flash card yeast
  1. Practise Through Play

Use the included games and activities to revisit the ea focus words through reading, spelling and play.

  1. Practise Encoding and Decoding the Focus Words

If the student has difficulty spelling a word, remind them how the word appeared in the story to support their memory and reinforce learning.

Example

Educator: "Please spell meat, as in 'I like meat pies'."

Student: “Is it meet, mete or meat?”

Educator: “Remember, Quinn made beans on toast and meat for breakfast for himself and Jane?”

Student: “It's from the Easter Hunt book, so I'll use 'ea' to spell /ē/.” (Writes: meat)

Flash card meat

Please refer to the book for detailed step-by-step instructions.

The Results

What Children and Educators Gain

With repeated reading and practice, children build a stronger connection between the long /ē/ sound, the ea spelling pattern and the meaning of each focus word.

What Children Gain

  • Greater familiarity with 128 words spelled with ea

  • Improved recognition of ea representing the long /ē/ sound

  • Stronger connections between sounds, spellings and meanings

  • Increased reading and spelling fluency through repeated practice

  • A memorable story context for recalling ea words

What Educators and Parents Gain

  • A structured way to reinforce ea for the long /ē/ sound

  • Ready-to-use flashcards, games and activities

  • Less time spent creating supplementary materials

  • A resource suitable for individual, small-group or classroom use

The goal is not simply to help children remember a list for the week - it is to help these spellings become familiar, meaningful and easier to retrieve when reading and writing.

Ready to Make “ea” Spellings More Memorable?

Buy Easter Hunt At The Beach and help your child connect 128 ea words with a story they can remember.

Buy the Book

Choose your preferred bookstore. Easter Hunt At The Beach is available from Apple Books and Google Play Books.

All Rights Reserved | SIMEFF PTY LTD © 2026

All Rights Reserved | SIMEFF PTY LTD © 2026

All Rights Reserved | SIMEFF PTY LTD © 2026

All Rights Reserved | SIMEFF PTY LTD © 2026