Teaching: Words in a sentence
Read this together, 149 words
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Tell Eli, 1 of 4
A sentence is a group of words that tells one whole idea.
A short one might sound like Nan has hens. Those three words work together to say one clear thing.
Tell Eli, 2 of 4
We can hear each word when we slow down.
Say a sentence slowly and tap the table once for every word you say. One tap means one word.
Tell Eli, 3 of 4
In a book, a small space sits between words so readers can tell where one word stops and the next begins.
You can run a finger under a line and pause at each space.
Tell Eli, 4 of 4
The people and animals a story is about are its characters.
In "Sam and the Egg Hunt", the characters are Sam, Nan (Sam's grandmother), Tess (Sam's sister), and a hen named Dot.
Do it together, 1 of 5
Go back to the very first sentence of "Sam and the Egg Hunt."
Run one finger slowly under the words and pause at every little space. Ask Eli what those spaces are for.
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Do it together, 2 of 5
Say this sentence from the story out loud, very slowly: Sam took the basket.
Tap the table once for each word as you say it. Have Eli tap along, then ask Eli how many taps were heard.
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Do it together, 3 of 5
Try another line from the story the same way.
Say One brown egg slowly and tap together. Ask Eli how many words were heard.
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Do it together, 4 of 5
Ask Eli who the characters were in "Sam and the Egg Hunt."
Help Eli name Sam, Nan, Tess, and the hen Dot if a nudge is needed.
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Do it together, 5 of 5
When that feels steady, go on to the Word blocks activity below.
Sam and the Egg Hunt
Sam was five, and he loved Saturdays, because on Saturday he went next door to help Nan with the hens.
Nan was Sam's grandmother. She wore big boots and a straw hat, and she knew every hen by name.
"Good morning, Sam," said Nan. "The hens have been busy. Can you find the eggs?"
Sam took the basket. He looked in the straw. One brown egg! He looked under the bench. Two white eggs! Then he looked behind the water pan and found a hen named Dot, sitting very still.
"Dot is sitting on her egg," said Nan. "We will let her keep that one."
Sam counted the eggs in his basket. "One, two, three."
"Three eggs for three pancakes," said Nan. "One for you, one for me, and one for Tess."
Tess was Sam's big sister. She was still asleep.
"Let's save her the biggest one," said Sam.
Make something together
Word blocks.
Put six blocks, spoons, or pennies in a row. Say a short sentence slowly, like "Sam found an egg." Eli pushes one block forward for each word heard, then touches each block while saying the sentence back. Try three more sentences of two to six words, like "Nan has hens" and "The hen sat very still." Last, Eli makes up a sentence about breakfast, and you push a block for each word while Eli says it.
- six small blocks, spoons, or pennies
Tip If Eli loses the count, slow way down and hold up one finger for each word instead of tapping. If Eli flies through it, let Eli invent a short silly sentence and you do the counting while Eli listens.
On paper
Counting Words
5 problems. In your own lessons you print it from here, with an answer key for you.
That’s the lesson
Then you mark it done
In your own lessons, it goes in your child’s record, and a note or a grade helps the next lessons fit. This one isn’t yours, so nothing is saved.
Eli isn’t real. Arbor writes lessons like this for your kid: their name, what they love, and where they actually are in each subject.