Ways to Practice High-Frequency Words



Ways to Practice High Frequency/Sight Words

Each week your child will have list of words to study that are used in the stories we read. These words are “High-Frequency Words” or “Sight Words.” High-frequency words, or sight words, are words that students need to recognize automatically. They are the most frequently used words in our language and/or do not fit standard spelling rules. The more words students have memorized, the better they can understand what they are reading because they can focus on the meaning of the text rather than trying to sound out each word. Below are some ideas for ways to memorize the words. The list of words that comes home each week will have a few additional ideas for ways to memorize and understand the meanings of the words.

Read for Speed: Use the three pictures on the back of this paper (rocket, bicycle, snail) to practice sight words.

1. Hold up a word for your child.

2. If your child can’t say the word, hesitates, or tries to sound it out, place the word on the picture of the snail.

3. If your child says the word fairly quickly, but it’s not yet automatic, place the word on the picture of the bicycle.

4. If your child says it automatically and quickly, place the word on the picture of the rocket.

5. Repeat this again and again, moving words from the snail pile to the bicycle pile and from the bicycle pile to the rocket pile.

6. The goal is to get all the words into the rocket pile.

Beads for Words: As you read with your child each night, have them look for the weekly sight words. Every time they find a word, they earn a bead (or some other inexpensive token). Your child can place the beads in a collection jar or box or string them on a piece of yarn. Agree on a reasonable collection goal for your child and when the goal amount is earned, let them use the beads to 'buy' a treat or a special privilege.

Speed Reading: Use a stopwatch to time your child as he/she reads a stack of sight word cards. Challenge them to

beat their own time!

Sight Word Sorry: With a sibling or friend, place all the sight words face down in a pile. Each player takes a turn picking up a sight word and saying it. If the player can say it automatically, they get to keep the card, otherwise it goes back into the pile. When someone pulls the “Sorry!” card, they have to put all the cards they’ve won back into the pile.

Word Find Challenge: Challenge your child to find and circle the sight words he/she knows on a page of a newspaper or magazine.

Can you make up your own sight word game?

If so, you can teach it to us and share another way to practice sight words!

Read for Speed!

Place the words you know in the boxes based on how quickly and automatically you can read them.

Keep practicing until all of your words are in the box with the rocket ship!

| | |Zoom! |

|Snail’s Pace… |Getting Better! | |

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