Writing a First Sentence

You can tell someone something with a sentence. A sentence is a group of words that tells a whole idea. Say, "The duck swims." You hear what the sentence is about and what happens.

From letters to a sentence

Look at "d", "u", "c" and "k". Each one is a letter. Put them together to make the word "duck". Put words together to make a sentence: "The duck swims." A letter, a word and a sentence are different things.

Most sentences you write tell who or what they are about. They also tell what happens or what something is like. In "The duck swims.", "The duck" tells what. The word "swims" tells what it does. In "My cup is blue.", "My cup" tells what. The words "is blue" tell what it is like.

Finish the idea

Say, "the little duck". You have named something. What about that duck? Add what it does: "The little duck swims." Now the words tell a whole idea.

Try "sat on a log". Who sat there? Add the missing part: "A frog sat on a log." You can hear who did it now. Asking "Who?" or "What about it?" helps you find a missing part.

Put the words in order

"Swims duck the." sounds mixed up. Say the words in a way that makes sense: "The duck swims." Read them from the start and listen again.

A sentence does not have to be long. "I hop." tells a whole idea in 2 words. "I hop on one foot." tells a whole idea in 5 words. The longer sentence tells more about the hopping.

Try it with your ears

Say, "My socks are wet." Does the idea sound finished? Yes. You know what the sentence is about and what the socks are like. Now say, "my wet socks". Ask, "What about them?" You could finish with "My wet socks are cold."

You already have things to write about. You can write about a drawing, a place you went or something you wish for. Start with one small thing you want to tell.

Look at a drawing

Draw something you care about. Look at the picture and ask, "Who is here? What is happening?" Imagine you drew a dog with a ball. You could say, "My dog has a ball." Your answer gives you words to write.

You do not have to tell about every part of the picture. Choose the part you want someone to notice. The ball, the dog or a game could be your idea.

Remember a place

Think about a short trip you took. Maybe you went to a store or a friend's home. What did you see? What did you do? You could tell about carrying a bag or playing a game. Pick one part that you remember well.

Think of a wish

A wish is something you want or hope for. You might want a toy or hope to visit someone. You can also make a pretend wish. Ask, "What would I like to have or do?" Say your answer out loud.

Use a little start

These words can help you begin:

• "I like …"
• "I can …"
• "I see …"
• "I went to …"
• "I am going to …"

A starter needs your idea after it. Say "I can …", then think of something you can do. "I can zip my bag." tells a whole idea. Just "I can" leaves your reader waiting to hear what you can do.

Talk to find your words

Tell a grown-up or a friend about your idea. They can ask you what happened. You can answer in a short sentence before you write.

If choosing feels hard, think about your lunch, a game or something in your room. "I like my yellow cup." is enough to write about. A small, clear idea is easier to hold in your head than your whole day.

Before your pencil moves, say your whole sentence out loud. Your voice helps you choose the words. Then you can use your pencil to put those words on paper.

Say it twice

Look at your idea and decide what to tell. Suppose you want to tell about a kite. Say, "My kite is up high." Say it again with the same words: "My kite is up high." Now you know how the sentence starts and how it ends.

Listen as you say it. "Is up high" leaves out what is up there. Add "My kite" before you begin writing. It is easier to fix your words while you are still talking.

Make it easy to remember

Start with a short sentence you can say twice. You may have lots to tell about a game. Choose one part, such as "I hit the ball." You can hold that idea while you think about letters and spaces.

Keep the same words as you write. If you say "My kite is up high." and then write "The kite", stop for a moment. Choose the sentence you want, say it again, and make your writing match.

Find your place again

Sometimes you forget the next word. Read the words you have already written. Then say your whole sentence from the start. Your voice can help you find the next word.

For "My kite is up high.", you might have written "My kite is". Read those words, say the whole sentence, and listen for "up". Write "up", then leave a space for "high".

Tell a little more

You can add a word before you start. "I see a shell." can become "I see a pink shell." Say the new sentence twice so you remember the extra word.

The word "and" can join two things: "I like peas and corn." It can also join two small ideas: "I sat and I ate." One "and" is plenty for now. If your sentence becomes hard to remember, choose a shorter idea before you write.

You can write with a grown-up and share the pen. You choose the idea and say the sentence. You take turns putting the words on paper.

Your words lead the way

Say the sentence you want to write. Your grown-up can write the words you say. The idea and the words are yours, even when the grown-up holds the pen.

You can choose who writes each part. Write a word you know, or write the letters for sounds you hear. Ask your grown-up to help with a part you do not know yet.

Take turns on one sentence

Let's write "We can make a tent." together.

1. Say the whole sentence together.
2. Count the words: "We", "can", "make", "a", "tent". There are 5 words.
3. Write "We" if you know it. Start with a capital "W".
4. Leave a space. Sound out "can" and write its letters.
5. Ask your grown-up to write "make". Watch the space before it.
6. Write "a", then work together on "tent".
7. Add a period and read the sentence together.

You can share one word too. For "tent", you might write "t" and "e". Your grown-up can help with "n" and the last "t".

Watch and join in

While your grown-up writes, look at the page. Where does the next word go? You can say, "Leave a space here." Point to the first letter and name the capital. Point to the period when the idea ends.

If a sound is hard, ask your grown-up to say the word slowly. Listen first, then choose a letter for the sound you hear. You get to think about the word while someone helps you.

Read what you made

Point to each word as you read your sentence together. You can add a drawing of your tent beside it. The picture shows your idea, and the words tell it.

You may write a few letters today and more words another day. There is no race to hold the pen for every word.

Counting your words helps you keep your whole sentence. You can count before writing, then check the number on your page. Each word gets one count, even a very small word.

Say and tap

Say "We see a little bug." slowly. Tap the table once as you say each word:

1. "We"
2. "see"
3. "a"
4. "little"
5. "bug"

You made 5 taps, so you will write 5 words. You can put up a finger for each word instead. Say every word and make each tap match your voice.

Count small words too

"a" has just one letter, but it is still a word. So is "I". Words such as "to", "the" and "is" count too. Say them slowly enough to give each one its own tap.

Try "A fox is in the box." Count "A", "fox", "is", "in", "the", "box". You need 6 words. Skipping "is" or "the" would make your count too small.

Words, letters and claps

Look at "bug". You can see 3 letters, but "bug" is one word. When you count words, tap once for "bug". Do not count each letter.

Now say "little". You may clap two parts, "lit" and "tle", but it is still one word. In "We see a little bug.", "little" gets one word tap. Clapping parts helps with long words; tapping words helps with a sentence.

Make a place for each word

You can draw one short line for each word before writing. For "We see a little bug.", draw 5 lines. Leave gaps between the lines. Write one word on each line as you say it.

After writing, point to the words on your page. Count them again. If you planned 5 words and can see only 4, read slowly to find what is missing. The count tells you to look; reading helps you find the missing word.

Spaces are small empty gaps between written words. They help your reader see where each word ends. Keep the letters inside a word close, then leave a gap before the next word.

Write one word at a time

Say "My fish can swim." Count the 4 words first. Write "My". Put a finger from your other hand after it. Start "fish" after your finger, then move your finger away.

Do the same after "fish" and "can". Write "swim" and add the period right beside it. You have 4 words with 3 spaces between them. A small stick can help you leave a gap too.

Keep a whole word together

Look at "Myfish". The words have bumped together. Leave a space to show "My fish".

Now look at "fi sh". This time the gap splits one word. Move those pieces together to make "fish". The letters "f", "i", "s" and "h" all belong in that word.

Your gaps should be easy to see, about one finger wide. Tiny gaps make words crowd together. Very big gaps spread them too far apart. Look along the sentence to check the spaces.

Listen for the words first

Talking can sound smooth, with words running together. "a lot" can sound like one word, but it is two. Say "I see a lot." slowly and count 4 words. In writing, leave a space between "a" and "lot" too.

Move across the page

Start at the left side and write toward the right. When there is no room for the next word, move down to a new line. Start at the left again.

Keep the whole word together when you move. If "swim" will not fit, put all of "swim" on the next line. Do not leave "sw" on one line and "im" on the next. The sentence can carry on across a line break; its words stay in order.

A sight word is a word you know right away. You do not need to stop and sound it out when you read it. You can learn to write familiar words by heart too.

Start with words you use often

Common words turn up again and again. Try a few from this group: "the", "a", "I", "to", "and", "is", "my", "we", "you", "he", "she", "said", "was", "of", "like" and "see". Learn a few at a time, then use them in your writing.

In "I like my hat.", you might already know "I", "like" and "my" by heart. That leaves more time to listen to the sounds in "hat".

Look closely at a word

Some words have a part that sounds different from what you expect. Say "said". The letters "ai" spell the sound you hear in "bed". Say "of". Its "f" sounds like "v". Look closely at those parts as you learn the words.

A word can become a sight word even when its letters make the sounds you expect. What matters is knowing the word right away.

Look, cover, write, check

Learn "said" step by step:

1. Look at "said" and say the word.
2. Say the letters in order: "s", "a", "i", "d".
3. Cover the word so you cannot see it.
4. Write it from memory.
5. Uncover the word and check each letter.

Did you write all 4 letters in the right order? If you wrote "sed", your sounds help someone understand you. Now look again at "said" and remember its "ai". Try writing the book spelling again.

Find a word when you need it

A word card or word wall can help when you get stuck. Find the word, look carefully, and check the letters in your own writing. Then use it in a sentence you want to tell. You might write "We said yes." after learning "said".

You can try a new word by listening to its sounds. Say the word slowly, then write a letter or letters for each sound.

Build a short word

Let's write "net". Say it slowly. Hear "n" first and write "n". Say it again and listen for the middle sound, "e". Write "e" next. Listen for the last sound, "t", and write "t". Read your letters back: "net".

A letter has a name and a sound. The name of "m" is "em". Its sound is "mmm". When you listen inside a word, use the sounds. Keep a short sound short: "t", not "tuh". An extra "uh" can make you think you need another letter.

Give each sound a place

You can draw a sound box for each sound. "net" has 3 sounds, so draw 3 boxes. Write "n", "e" and "t", one in each box. These boxes count sounds inside one word. They do not count the words in a sentence.

Hear the middle and the end

The middle sound in a short word is often a vowel sound. The vowel letters are "a", "e", "i", "o" and "u". You hear them in "cat", "bed", "pig", "dog" and "sun".

If you wrote "nt" for "net", say "net" slowly again. Listen between the first and last sounds. Add the "e" you missed. If you wrote just "n", keep listening until the word ends.

Sounds beside each other can hide when you talk quickly. "jump" has 4 sounds: "j", "u", "m", "p". A try such as "jup" misses the "m". Say it slowly to hear that sound before the last "p".

Two letters can make one sound

In "ship", the "s" and "h" work together. You hear 3 sounds: "sh", "i", "p". You need 3 sound boxes, with both letters "sh" in the first box. "fish" also has 3 sounds, with "sh" at the end.

Your first try may look different from a word in a book. "kak" for "cake" is a try that gives each sound a letter. Keep writing your sentence. Your grown-up can show you the book spelling when you check.

You can use two ways to spell in one sentence. Write the words you know by heart. For a new word, listen to its sounds and have a try.

Choose a way for each word

Say "I see a moth." You may know "I", "see" and "a" by heart. Write those words, leaving spaces. Then say "moth" slowly and write the sounds you hear. Read the whole sentence when you finish.

A hard word can still be part of your idea. If you want to write about a hippo, keep that word. A try such as "hipo" for "hippo" lets you tell what you mean. You can look at the book spelling together later.

Break a long word into parts

Say "sunset" and clap its two parts: "sun" and "set". Listen to the sounds in "sun" and write them. Then listen to "set" and write those sounds right after them. Put the parts together as one word: "sunset".

Claps help you tackle a long word a part at a time. They do not make separate words. Leave your space after the whole word "sunset".

Borrow a spelling you know

Rhyming words often share an ending. If you know "cat", look at its "at". Change the first letter to write "mat", "hat" or "sat". Say the new word to check that it is the one you want.

Find just the help you need

Look for your word on a word card, a label or a page in a book. Compare the letters with your try. A grown-up can help you find it.

You can ask about one part too. Say, "I hear the first and last sounds. Can you help me hear the middle?" Then say the word slowly together. Write the part you can hear now.

Go on with your sentence

After your best try, say the sentence from the start. Find the next word and keep going. When you read it all back, you can return to the word that was hard. One hard word does not have to stop your idea.

A capital is the big form of a letter. It is also called uppercase. You can see the pairs "a" and "A", or "b" and "B". Capitals help mark the start of sentences and names.

Start your first word

Read "the hen is small." The sentence starts with "the". Change its first letter to a capital "T": "The hen is small." The rest of "the" stays in small letters.

You need just the first letter of that word. "THE hen is small." makes the whole word big. "tHe hen is small." puts the capital inside it. The sentence starts with "The".

The word "I"

When "I" means you, always write it as a capital. It stays big wherever it goes in the sentence. "I like milk." starts with it. "May I sit?" has it in the middle. Both use "I".

Try fixing "I wish i had a boat." The first "I" is already right. The second one needs to be big too: "I wish I had a boat."

Names get capitals

A person's name, a pet's name and a place's name start with a capital. In "I saw Sam.", "Sam" starts with "S" even though it is not the first word. In "My dog is Pip.", "Pip" needs a capital because it is the dog's name.

The word "dog" names a kind of animal. It does not need a capital in the middle of that sentence. Keep ordinary words small unless they start the sentence.

A new line can carry on

You may run out of room while writing "The hen is small." Move the next whole word down to the next line. If that word is "small", its "s" stays small. Moving down a line does not start a new sentence.

When you check, look first at the start. Then find each "I" and each name. Fix the letters that need capitals and leave the other letters small.

A period is a small dot that ends a telling sentence. It shows your reader where the idea finishes. Put it right after the last word, close to the last letter.

Find the last word

Say "The bell rang." You are telling what happened. The last word is "rang". Write the sentence, then put a small dot after the "g": "The bell rang."

The period is not a word, so it gets no word count. You do not leave a finger space before it. Keep the words apart, then place the dot beside the last word.

Let the idea finish

Listen to "The bell". Those words name something, but the idea needs more. What happened? Add "rang" before you put in the period.

Read "The. bell rang." The dot comes too soon. It stops after just one word. Move it to the end of the whole idea: "The bell rang."

See it and hear it

Read your sentence aloud. Stop briefly when you reach the period. That pause helps someone hear where your telling ends. When you are learning to check, you can softly say "period" at the end and look for the dot.

Write "My bag is wet." Read each word and find the end. Is the dot next to "wet"? Is it small and easy to see? If you left it out, add it there.

Keep the words together

A period does not go after every word. "My. bag. is. wet." breaks one idea into pieces. Leave spaces between the words and save the period for the end.

If the sentence carries on to another line, wait until the idea ends. The edge of your paper does not tell you where to put a period. Your whole sentence does.

Look at the end of a sentence. Its mark helps show how the words are meant. You can tell something, ask something or show a strong feeling.

Ask with a question mark

A question asks something. "Can we play?" asks for an answer. The curvy mark at the end is a question mark. Put it right after the last word.

You may hear a question start with "who", "what", "where", "can" or "do". Read "Where is my sock?" The writer wants to know where the sock is. A question mark fits that asking sentence.

Show a strong feeling

An exclamation point is a line with a dot below it. It can show surprise or joy. "We did it!" sounds excited. You can hear the feeling when you read it aloud.

Save this mark for a strong feeling. A sentence that simply tells something usually ends with a period. "My sock is blue." just tells about the sock.

Hear what changes

Say these aloud:

• "We can jump." tells something.
• "Can we jump?" asks something.
• "We can jump!" shows a strong feeling.

The words and the mark work together. "Can we jump?" begins by asking "Can we". Listen for what the sentence is doing before you choose the mark.

Choose one ending

An end mark finishes the sentence by itself. In "Is it cold?.", the writer added a period after the question mark. Take away that extra dot: "Is it cold?"

The question mark already has a dot as part of its shape. The exclamation point has one too. You do not add a second end mark beside either one.

Try saying "Did you find it?" and "I found it!". The first asks for an answer. The second can show how glad you feel. Point to the mark that matches each voice.

Rereading means reading your writing again. It helps you see whether your page says the idea you meant. Your finger can help your eyes stay with each word.

Point and read

Put your finger under the first word. Read out loud, touching each word as you say it. Move from left to right. Stop at the end mark.

Say one word for each word you touch. If a word has several letters, touch the whole word once. Your finger moves to the next word after the space.

Find a word that went missing

Imagine you planned "We sit on the rug." You counted 5 words. On the page you wrote "We sit the rug." Point and read exactly those 4 words.

You know what you wanted to say. Your head may sneak in "on" while your finger has no word to touch. Slow down and look between "sit" and "the". Add "on" there. Then read the 5 words again.

A count can help you notice a missing word. It does not tell you which word is missing. Reading and listening help you find that out.

Notice an extra word

Read "We sit on on the rug." Touch each word. You will touch "on" twice. You only wanted to say it once. Cross out the extra "on" and read again.

Listen for a whole idea

Read "The pup in the box." You know where the pup is, but the sentence has not finished telling about it. Add a word that makes the idea whole: "The pup is in the box." Read it again to hear the change.

You can also reread while you are still writing. If you stop after "The pup is", go back to "The" and read up to your place. Then say the whole sentence to remember what comes next.

When you finish a sentence, check one thing at a time. You can work with a grown-up or a friend. One person reads while the other points to the words.

Check in small steps

Read the whole sentence first. Does it make sense? Then look for a capital at the start, spaces between words and an end mark. Last, look closely at the words.

If the idea stops too soon, add what it needs. "My toy is in the." leaves you asking, "In the what?" Add "box" to finish it: "My toy is in the box."

Fix a sentence together

Look at "we see a redbus". You meant to tell about a bus.

1. Read the words and listen to the idea.
2. Change "we" to "We" for the start.
3. Leave a space between "red" and "bus".
4. Put a period right after "bus".
5. Read the fixed sentence: "We see a red bus."

You made three small changes. Each one helps someone read your words.

Check spellings with care

Compare words you know by heart with a word card or word wall. Look at every letter in order. For a word you sounded out, say it slowly and check that you wrote letters for each sound. A good sounded-out try can stay.

If you wrote "sed" for the familiar word "said", look at "said" on your card. Use its "ai" when you fix it. For a new word such as "hippo", a try like "hipo" shows the sounds you heard.

Make a clear change

You do not have to start your whole page again. Cross out a wrong word with one line. Write the new word beside it or above it. To add a missing word, make a little mark where it belongs. Write the word above the line.

Read again after a fix. Check that you can follow the changed words in order. Then share your sentence aloud. Speak clearly so your listener can hear it. You can tell why you chose your idea or talk about the picture beside it.

Draw a picture, then tell something about it in words. Your picture gives you an idea to look at while you write. Use your steps: think, say, count, write and read.

Choose what to tell

Look at your drawing. Who or what is in it? What is happening? You might start with "This is …", "I see …", "Here is …" or "I drew …". Finish the start with your idea.

Imagine you drew a red hen in a yard. The word "hen" labels the animal. It does not tell a whole idea yet. You could say, "I see a red hen." That tells someone what you see.

Write the idea step by step

Let's use "I see a red hen." for the drawing.

1. Think. Pick the hen as the part to tell about.
2. Say. Say "I see a red hen." twice.
3. Count. Tap "I", "see", "a", "red", "hen". There are 5 words.
4. Write. Start with capital "I". Write "see" and "a" by heart if you know them. Sound out "red" and "hen". Leave a space between each pair of words.
5. Read. Add a period after "hen". Touch the 5 words as you read.

Check that the sentence fits your drawing. You wrote about the hen you can see there. If you drew a blue boat instead, choose words about that boat.

Tell more than a label

A label such as "my hen" only names something. Add what it does or what it is like. "My hen is small." tells about its size. "My hen runs." tells what it does.

Your words can also tell something a picture cannot show. A drawing of a blanket shows its shape and color. "My blanket is soft." tells how it feels to touch. You can share that idea even if the reader cannot feel the blanket.

An outing is a trip to a place. A walk to a nearby store counts, just like a visit to a zoo. Think of one thing you saw or did there.

Pick one part to tell

Ask yourself where you went, who was there and what happened. You do not have to put all the answers in one sentence. Pick the part you want to share.

Starters can help: "I went to …", "We went to …", "I saw …" or "We ate …". If you saw a big fish, you might choose "I saw a big fish." That tells one small part of your trip.

Use words for what happened

"I go to the pool." tells about something you often do. "I am going to the pool now." tells about now. "I went to the pool." tells about a time that is over.

For an outing that already happened, use words such as "went", "saw", "ate" or "played". Say the sentence aloud and listen to how it tells about that time.

Write your news

Let's write "We fed the ducks."

1. Remember feeding the ducks and choose that one idea.
2. Say "We fed the ducks." twice.
3. Count "We", "fed", "the", "ducks". There are 4 words.
4. Write "We" with a capital "W". Sound out "fed". Write "the" by heart if you know it. Try the sounds in "ducks" and ask for help if you need it.
5. Leave spaces, add a period, and point to each word as you read.

Your grown-up can share the pen for a hard word. You still choose what happened and which words tell it.

Names and feelings

A place's name starts with a capital. "pool" is an ordinary word. "Pine Pool" is a name, so both parts start with capitals. You could write "We went to Pine Pool."

You can add a feeling with "and": "I went to the pool and I was glad." Say the whole sentence before writing so you remember the extra words. On another day, choose a new thing to tell for your news.

A wish tells something you want or hope for. You can wish for something real or something pretend. Your sentence lets someone else hear your wish.

Choose a wish

You could start with "I wish I had …", "I wish I could …", "I want a …", "I want to …" or "I hope …". Add the thing you want to have or do.

"I wish I had a tent." could be a real wish. "I wish I had a talking tent." is a pretend wish. Both give you something to write about.

Write it from start to finish

Let's write "I wish I had a tent."

1. Say the whole sentence twice.
2. Count "I", "wish", "I", "had", "a", "tent". That is 6 words.
3. Write the first "I" as a capital.
4. Sound out "wish": "w", "i", "sh". The last sound needs the two letters "sh".
5. Write the next "I" as a capital too. Then write "had", "a" and "tent", using known words or sounds.
6. Leave spaces, add a period, and read the sentence back.

The little word "I" counts both times you say it. It needs a capital both times too. Look for each one when you check.

Check a hard part

If you write "wis" for "wish", listen to the last sound again. It is the sound at the end of "fish". Write "sh" to show it. The two letters stay together in your word.

For a wish with "could", ask your grown-up to help you learn that common word by heart. You can share the pen while you learn it.

Pick the ending you mean

"I want a tent." tells a wish. "I want a tent!" can show strong excitement. "Can I have a tent?" asks for it. Say your words and choose the end mark that fits.

Keep your sentence in a folder or a little book. Later, you can look back at your wishes and see the words you have learned to write.