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High frequency words or sight words are important in the reading process. Sight knowledge of these words helps the reader to maintain fluency and to not get caught up on the meaning or spelling of these words. These words are not meant to be sounded out, but learned just by sight.
I like the Dolch Sight Word List, but there are many other lists available. Sight word cards are an essential part of your Teacher Resources kit. Pop them onto cards about 12cm x 6cm. Then use these cards to enjoy some of the following sight word games and activities with your children.
1. Play Battleships with words on a grid with a partner or as a class.
2. Scatter the sight words onto the floor. A button or coin is tossed onto the words. Children shout out the word that the button lands on.
3. During the conferencing or editing stages of children's writing, have a box of mini blank cards available. These are about 10cm x 3 cm. Children use these cards when looking for words on word wall, boxes, on charts, in story books, to write the words on. They then take these smaller versions back to their writing to edit their spelling.
4. Play who am I? - I am yellow, I have 5 letters, and I end in the letter t.
5. Draw a letter chart using chalk on a concrete floor. Play the game - twister - by children using their arms and legs to spell out the sight words.
6.Photocopy small versions of the sight word lists. Children then make up their own alphabet book or word wall in their scrapbooks. This can be an ongoing project, with words being added to alphabet pages throughout the year.
7. As a whole class or in pairs, play a game of hangman using the sight words.
8. Count how many times certain sight words can be found in children's reading books, or whole class big books.
9. Play dominoes using same end letter / beginning letter. Children love these sorts of hands-on sight word games.
10. Whiteboard pens can be used on the laminated word cards to circle certain letters within the sight words.
11. Children form a circle and play - Chinese Whispers. Use the word cards to choose a word for the children to start whispering. The last child then points to the word card that matches the whispered word.
12. Using erasable marker pens, children find different phonic blend such as wh, ee, ay within the laminated words.
13. Using chalk on concrete, children practice writing the sight words.
14. Turn handwriting practice into sight word games by using erasable pens for children to trace over the letters of the laminated sight words.
15. Order the sight word cards alphabetically.
Sight word cards can be used for so much more than just look and say sessions. Keep a laminated set of words as part of your essential teacher resources. I have used them for impromptu lessons, as well as planned and sight word games have always been a part of my weekly language group planning.
Now, go and have some fun with those sight words!
SOURCE:About Home Schooling
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