nu — Learning to Read 9: Read a Whole Sentence

Hello, Reader

You Are Ready to Read!

Wow, look how far you have come. You know your letter sounds. You can blend sounds into words. You know your star words like the, is, and a.

Today is a big day. Today you will read whole sentences all by yourself!

Here is the trick: read slowly, one word at a time. Sound out each word, then move to the next. When you finish the sentence, stop and think: what does it mean?

Take a deep breath. You can do this. Let us read our first sentence together.

The Cat and the Mat

Here is your very first sentence. Read it slowly, word by word.

The cat sat on a mat.

Let us read it together, one word at a time:

The ... cat ... sat ... on ... a ... mat.

You did it! You read a whole sentence! Now think about what it means. A cat is sitting somewhere. Where is the cat sitting?

In the sentence "The cat sat on a mat", what did the cat sit on?

I Can See

Here comes another sentence. Read it slowly, one word at a time.

I can see a big dog.

Read it with me:

I ... can ... see ... a ... big ... dog.

You read it! Now think about what it means. Someone can see something. What can they see?

In the sentence "I can see a big dog", what can I see?

Sam Has a Hat

Here is a sentence about our friend Sam. Read it slowly, word by word.

Sam has a red hat.

Read it with me:

Sam ... has ... a ... red ... hat.

You read it! Now think carefully. Sam has a hat, and the sentence tells you what color it is. What color is the hat?

In the sentence "Sam has a red hat", what color is Sam's hat?

The Fish in the Dish

This time you get to read all by yourself! Here is your sentence.

The fish is in a dish.

Read it out loud, slowly, one word at a time. Sound out each word: The ... fish ... is ... in ... a ... dish.

When you finish reading, stop and think: where is the fish?

Read this sentence out loud, then tell me: where is the fish?

You Did It!

You Are a Reader!

Today you did something amazing. You read whole sentences all by yourself:

- The cat sat on a mat.

- I can see a big dog.

- Sam has a red hat.

- The fish is in a dish.

And you knew what every sentence meant. That is what readers do!

Think about your whole journey. You started with tiny letter sounds. Then you learned to blend sounds into words. You learned your star words. And now you read sentences. Sounds, words, sentences. You can do it all!

Here is your next adventure: go find a real picture book. Sit down, open it up, and try to read the words you know. You will be surprised how many you can read now.

You finished all nine Learning to Read lessons. That is a huge thing to be proud of. You are not just learning to read anymore. You are a reader. Congratulations, reader!