How to Teach Children Sight Words
Sight words are words kids don't have to read, but immediately recognize by sight. A more detailed explanation of sight words is given by Edward William Dolch, Ph.D. in his 1948 book "Problems in Reading" in which he lists the 220 most commonly used English words. Recognizing these words by sight helps kids with reading fluency.
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Instructions
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Show children flash cards with a picture and the word spelled out below it. Pairing an image with the words will help kids recognize and retain the information. The visual link between picture and word reinforces what kids have learned from the phonetics when actually saying the word.
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Teach children to write sight words while reciting them. They should read the word then write it five times. As the K12 Reader website explains: "Repetition is key to sight word acquisition." Writing and reciting the sight words repeatedly will help with retention.
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Read sentences containing the sight words. Only through applying their knowledge will kids retain it. There are tons of books for different learning levels, often highlighting specific sight words.
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Use sight words to create sentences. Kids can apply their knowledge by using sight words to tell a story about their life. Using sight words in the correct context will help kids connect the word's meaning to the way the word looks when it is spelled out.
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Make up games that revolve around sight words. Make a sight word version of bingo, for instance. Instead of numbers, fill the squares with different sight words. Kids can mark off the sight words as they are called. When kids have fun while learning they are more inclined to try harder.
Also, try taping different sight words to the wall, turn the lights off and use a flashlight to shine on different words. When the light hits the word, the kids should yell out the word on the card.
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References
- Photo Credit words are not enough image by MateiA from Fotolia.com
