Tying it all together-Sight Words and Real Reading

As mentioned in my first post, sight word knowledge is an essential component of reading success.  It is imperative that teachers and parents use real books as they teach children how to read.  Isolating one skill can help with a child's weak areas, but it takes real reading to improve fluency and comprehension.  I always tell parents to read TO their children and WITH their children. 

One wonderful website I am fortunate to have for my students is www.raz-kids.com.   This website offers leveled books that children can listen to, read themselves, and answer comprehension questions.  The students move up to the next level as they complete a designated number of tasks.  There is also a "space theme," and students are allowed to spend "stars" they have earned to decorate their spaceships.  In the past, parents have said how much they like this website because they have access to it at home.  Students may also listen to books more than once, which is a great way to increase sight word knowledge and fluency.

An example of text and illustrations

A child's spaceship which he/she can customize

There is a fee to be a member of "Raz-kids.com," but Henry County Public Schools has purchased a subscription to this website for the past 7 years.  It has proven to be successful for my students, and I hope to continue to use it for years to come.

Click on the image to discover "Raz-kids.com."

Using Twitter for Sight Word Ideas

As I was developing ideas for the posts in this "Sight Word" blog, I really did not think I would be posting the suggestion to search on "Twitter" for ideas.  Then I tried it myself just to see what I would find.  There are indeed LOTS of good sight word ideas available on Twitter.  I knew that one could search #edchat for educational ideas overall, but now I realize you can be specific in your search.  (So that's what the hash tags are for!)

As a parent myself, I discovered that many of the ideas are developed by parents and not necessarily educators.  That knowledge helps me realize that these are practical, parent-friendly ideas that have been used by real parents and real students.  As with other websites  I have discussed in previous posts, the hardest part about using Twitter is signing up and learning how to use it. 

A parent could use Twitter to search for all components of literacy education:  spelling, comprehension, fluency, and writing.  Other academic areas are available as well, such as math and science.

So visit www.twitter.com and start discovering!

Flashcards for Sight Words

Sometimes technology, specifically WiFi, is not available to us.  Many of the resources I have offered to parents and students to help with sight word acquisition are Internet based.  The below website offers free printables to help with teaching sight words.  Many students respond well to "old-fashioned" flashcards for practice.  Flashcards also provide children with the opportunity to use the words in different ways, such as putting words in alphabetical order, creating sentences, and playing memory games.

Click HERE to view the sight word website.

In addition to sight word flashcards, this website also includes other resources for parents to use in teaching sight words.  There are workbooks available to purchase, sight word puzzles, and lists of words.  Of course, as mentioned in other posts, sight word recall and knowledge is only one component of fluent reading.  However, my experience has been that a solid foundation of sight word knowledge usually corresponds to a good reader.

Free Sight Word Games: ABCya.com

A colleague just sent me information about this website.  Called "ABCya!," this website offers a variety of free educational games for children.  There are games for grades K through 5 in both reading and math.  Click on the image below to visit the website.

 There are two games specifically made to practice sight words.

One game is sight word bingo.  Students and parents can choose the Dolch word list that they are working on and play!  Click on the images below to go directly to the bingo game.

Another sight word game is "Hop Kitten."  This game can actually be played along with other users and allows the student to hop along a path of sight words.  Click on the images below to go directly to the game.

These games are also available as apps for the iPad. 

VoiceThread for Sight Word Fluency Phrases

Above you will find a "Voice Thread" of fluency phrases.  My voice is what you hear, but parents and children can add their voices as well for each phrase.  The goal of fluency phrases is to use sight words in a more practical manner rather than one word at a time.  Good readers group words together as they read.  (I call it "chunking" in my classroom.)  Repeated readings will improve a child's fluency, so feel free to add your child's voice more than once!

Recording your voice is simple.  First, you'll need to create an account on "Voice Thread."  That's probably the hardest part!  Then you can add your voice (or your child's voice) to each slide of the presentation.  The challenge I present to my students is to see who can make their voices sound like true "talking" and not robot reading.  They enjoy hearing their voices and are amazingly quiet while others are recording.  Have fun!

Sight Word iPad Apps

As a mother of a 3-year-old, I have discovered one key to learning almost anything:  TECHNOLOGY!  We have in our household an iPad, iPod, Android phone, Kindle Fire, Dell Laptop, and Dell Desktop.  This tech savvy little girl knows apps, games, programs, etc. for each device!  They keep her attention in times of need (waiting in line at the drive-thru, doctors' appointments, etc.) and provide an alternative to mindless television programs. 

My point is this:  if our children desire to use technology, then let's use it to help them LEARN!  There are a variety of sight word applications available for the iPad along with other devices. 

One of my favorite sight word apps is from "Alligator Apps" entitled, simply enough, "Sight Words."  This app provides slideshows of Dolch Words (something I've already posted before), but it offers sound!  A child can open the app, choose their list, and hear the words spoken.  Another great feature of this app is a teacher or parent can create new lists and record their own voices.  This also allows an adult to create lists with fewer words so as not to overwhelm a new or struggling reader.

Click the image below to learn more about this useful app!

Other iPad apps appropriate for practicing sight words:  Just click on the images to learn more!

More Hands-on Sight Word Ideas: Pinterest Board

One question that many parents ask me is "How do we practice sight words?"  I've already shared my sight word slideshows which can indeed be very useful.  However, everyone likes things to be "changed up" from time to time, so I've included below a link to my Pinterest board entitled "Sight word ideas."

Click the Pinterest symbol to gain access to the board.



Out of all these useful ideas, I certainly have my favorites.   All of these activities can easily be replicated at home.

•  "Craft Stick Sight Word Puzzles" is definitely an activity that I could quickly make and one parents could make as well at home. 
• "Roll Those Words" would prove useful for sight word knowledge and writing practice.
• "The Sight Word Song" reaches the auditory learner and just seems like fun!

Keep your eyes on this Pinterest board as I plan to continue to add new pins in the future!







Sight Word Power Points

Sight words are not going to be learned just by practicing them once.  A student must be exposed to sight words repeatedly in order to become automatic in their recall.  One way I use repetition in my classroom is by having the students practice sight words through the use of a slideshow.

Click HERE to gain access to my slideshows.  You will need Microsoft Powerpoint to view them.

 

 

 

Parents, when viewing the slideshows, try saying the sight word first, and then have your child "echo" you.  With struggling readers, I usually only work with 5 to 10 words at a time.  Use your own judgment about the number of words you think your child can focus on in one sitting.

 

The correct order to practice these sight (Dolch) words are the following:  Preprimer, Primer, First, Second, and Third grade.  In my classroom, we generally focus on one list per 9 weeks grading period.

 

Remember, practicing sight words is only ONE component of reading instruction.  Be sure you are modeling fluent reading with your child every day! 

 

 



Rationale of Sight Word Blog

What are sight words?  Many parents ask me this question early in the school year.  According to www.k12reader.com,  "[sight words] are critical in early reading development because they represent high-frequency words and are difficult to sound out or to illustrate."  I try to ensure that parents understand that their children should not try to "decode" or "sound out" sight words.  Knowledge of sight words contributes to a child becoming a fluent reader, thus leading to better comprehension or understanding of what is read.

My purpose of this blog is to offer suggestions and resources to parents, and perhaps other teachers, relating to sight words.  I plan to include links to sight word resources found on the internet along with activities that I myself have created.

After teaching for almost 20 years, I have had both fluent readers and struggling readers.  The common thread among fluent readers was a strong knowledge of sight words.  On the other hand, most of my struggling readers were weak in sight word knowledge.  My hope is that this blog proves to be helpful to a parent needing information about strategies to improve their child's reading ability.