What are Sight Words
Sight words are words that appear frequently in reading and writing. Most of the words are learned by sight and cannot be easily sounded out. When students automatically know these words, they can focus on more difficult words that can be decoded. The more students see the words and use the words in activities, the more successful they will feel and be at reading. The words begin simple and get more difficult the older students get or as their knowledge advances. Provide students with both home and school activities to get the words to create automaticity. These engaging activities will help students recognize the words, improve reading skills and show students how much fun they can have while learning to read.
Shaving Cream
This one is easy, helps clean desks and the students LOVE it! Add some shaving cream to a table for students to spread around. Call out sight words or have students pull sight words out of a bag to have students write the words in the shaving cream. You can do this in small reading groups as well.
Pudding?
When parents ask what they can do at home, consider having them add pudding to a sheet pan. The parent calls the words out. The child will write the words in the pudding. If they get it correct, they get to lick their finger! YUM!
Fly Swatter
If you have a word wall that is low enough for students to reach, this is a great game for your students. Word walls are a MUST in elementary classrooms because there are so many great activities a teacher can do with words. Create two teams. Each team gets a fly swatter. Call the word out and the “swatters” have to go swat the word on the word wall. The team who swatted the correct word first, gets a point. Play to 10 or 20 points.
Sight Word Necklace
My students loved to have sight word necklaces. Basically they would have a ball chain necklace that could open easily. Once they knew a sight word, they would add the word to their necklace to share with their family at home that weekend. Students would use the necklace during writing activities too. Have them use the necklace to find their words in books during center time or small reading group time.
Paint It
Have students work pull sight words out of a box. They would write the word. Then, they would paint the word next to the word they wrote on paper. They could use watercolors. You can even use chalk instead of paint. Want to have students think a little deeper about patterns? Tell them they have to do every other letter a different color to create an AB pattern. Grab the FREE Sight Word Download Here.
STAMP IT
Find some letter stamps for students to work on spelling sight words using the stamps. This will help with fine motor as well as spelling. Provide some different color stamp pads for students to use during this activity to keep it interesting.
USE IT
This is a great way for students to build some comprehension while working with sight words. Students will first write the word. Next, they will have to use it in a sentence. This way you can check to see if they understand what they are reading or see if they make need to be taught the meaning of the words.
STOMP it!
Print out the sight words you want students to learn for the week. Scatter them on the floor. Another student calls out a word while their partner STOMPS on it. This is a great activities to do at home or in small groups. Need more activities? Click HERE
Hopefully these activities will give you some ideas when planning for future lessons using sight words. I can’t wait to hear about your favorite activities for teaching high frequency words in your classroom!
