August 19th, 2008 by admin
By first grade, students are usually excited about reading, and their learning skills have developed to the point where they can memorize sight words. This goes a long way to helping them develop fluency and confidence they need to tackle the more complex parts of reading, such as understanding phonics and learning about comprehension. Help these youngest students to get a leg up on reading by teaching common sight words as quickly as possible.
By way of a quick definition, sight words are the most common words in our language that are often taught early in the process of learning to read. Many are phonetically irregular, and all are important to learn quickly in order to get meaning from text. There are several hundred words that are considered sight words, but the most common 300 or so make up over 60% of most every day reading tasks. A student who masters these sight words is able to read nearly anything!
The words are referred to variously as sight words, high-frequency words, or first words. There are several main reference lists, including the Dolch list, the Fry list, and Essential Sight Words lists. These are generally organized in a standard order, though each list recommends different words be taught first. Most basal readers used by schools, as well as many controlled-vocabulary texts, use a very high number of sight words. Here are references for you if you’d like to print out any of the lists:
If you are searching for activity and lesson ideas for teaching sight words, here are some resources:
With these resources and those in the Sight Words section of this website, you can help your child or your class master this essential skill. Don’t delay-start today!
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© 2008 Sandra Fleming
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February 22nd, 2008 by admin
Some sight words can be especially troublesome for some students. Flashcards and context practice may not be enough to push their skills to mastery. Tricky pairs, like want/went, the/they, and were/where with their similar shapes and spellings, are often misread by students who are struggling with reading skills. Teachers and parents need to find alternative techniques to help these students.
One technique to try is writing the sight words. By adding a written component to the study program, you will be adding a kinesthetic element to the practice routine. Movement and motor memory can help some students master tricky sight words. There are several different ways to do this and each focuses on a slightly different combination of learning modalities.
Try copying the troublesome words from a model, much in the same way as spelling words are practiced. Have the student copy the words five to ten times daily, doing each whole group followed by the next. If you allow the student to copy first one word then another in round robin fashion, the practice will not be nearly as effective. And watch for students who copy the first letter of all of the repetitions, then the second, and so forth. This is counterproductive! Focus on a small number of words at a time; two to five words are best.
Another practice method involves making a few worksheets. Choose the target words, and create worksheets that have random letters missing from each example. For instance, the first item might be “w__ a t” and the next might be “w h a ___.” Progress from a single missing letter in each example through increasing numbers, and the final items should require the student to write the entire word from memory. Be sure to use a large font so that students’ writing will fit into the word comfortably.
Finally, tactile methods may help some students master difficult sight words. Put a small amount of sand in a clean tray or shallow box and have the student form the letters of the tough word by drawing with a finger. If a student has a great deal of difficulty, you can make a model of the word that will fit right inside the tray and then put the sand in on top. The student can actually trace the correct letters in order using this tool. For a different tactile experience, try using pudding on finger paint paper. Again, you can write the word on the paper ahead of time if the student needs to trace.
By involving other senses, you will be invoking additional avenues of learning and increasing the chances that the student will commit the word to memory. Remember to work on a very small number of words at a time, and experiment to find out which methods work best for each student. With some extra focused practice, your struggling reader will master the sight words in no time!
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