In our home, we think sight words are pretty awesome. Well, at the very least, we think that they are a super helpful tool for beginning readers and we’ve got a pretty rockin’ routine for studying them.
Here’s what you need to rock your sight words too…
-a set of sight word flashcards (we used these!)
-a dry erase board and marker
-a set of alphabet letters (can be magnets, flashcards, anything… I printed a super cute font on cardstock and then cut them out and laminated them)
I choose four sight words every week. Since it’s the beginning of the year and we’re focusing more on learning the right routines and habits, I make sure to throw in some super easy ones. Hang them up somewhere that they are seen frequently. This bulletin board in our classroom/dining room was the perfect spot for me.
So here’s how it goes down:
Take the “word of the day” off the bulletin board and place it in front of your child.
Read the word aloud together and come up with a few sentences together using the word.
Ask your child to “say” the word silently in their mind, and then “spell” it silently. (“Did. D-I-D.”)
Tell them to focus on the word and repeat the saying/spelling until they can see it when they close their eyes.
When they’re ready, give them the letters of the word. Flip the flashcard over and ask them to arrange the letters in the correct order.
Once they’ve correctly arranged the letters by memory, ask them to cover the letters up with their dry erase board and write it from memory.
Tada!!! You just rocked your sight words!
Learny McLearnerton 