Curriculum & Instruction: NES

Helping Your Child Become a Better Reader

Practicing Sight Words at Home

by Donna Fleury

October 12, 2006

Sight words are the words that appear frequently in reading and make up the majority of all written language. Many of these words cannot be sounded out (examples: the, what, was, one, come, there, where). A reader with a large sight vocabulary can instantly identify these words without having to sound them out. Knowing these words allows a child to read faster and accurately, resulting in better reading comprehension. The sight words that I use most in my reading program come from the Dolch Sight Words List. It is divided and labeled into five groups based on difficulty and frequency. The lists are labeled from lowest to highest as Preprimer, Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade.

Here are a few ways you can help your child at home with sight words:

Sensory (touch): Write sight words in shaving cream, salt, sugar, etc.

Use magnetic letters, letter cards, blocks, etc. to write words.

Word searching: Find sight words in books, poems, magazines, newspapers, and on signs.

Reading regularly: Read every day and have your child find the sight words.

Flashcards: Go over the words with your child; put them on a book ring and flip through them each day. Play Memory or Go Fish.

If you would like to have a copy of the lists of flashcards to cut out and use at home we will have them available in the cafeteria during Parent-Teacher Conferences at our annual Title 1 Open House on Wednesday and Thursday, October 18-19. You may also request some by note, phone call, or email. I have provided related sites in which you can find and make sight word lists and flashcards.