Flores, Stephanie - Reading Specialist
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Sight words are an important component of reading because they teach the reader's brain to instantly recognize a word, rather than taking the time to sound it out. Many sight words do not follow common spelling patterns, meaning that they are impossible to sound out. Some common sight words that don't follow spelling patterns are the, said, and come. Other sight words do follow common spelling patterns, but are seen very frequently in text which is why it is important to create "shortcuts' in the brain so that the reader doesn't have to exert as much mental energy when he/she encounters these words. Some common sight words that do follow common spelling patterns include with, she, and because.
Many researchers have studied the impact of sight word knowledge and students' overall reading ability, as well as the most important words to know. Some of the most popular lists of sight words are Fry's and Dolch. DVUSD has it's own customized list that is built on the research of both lists, but also incorporates other critical vocabulary. DVUSD students are expected to be able to read and spell this list of 500 words by the end of 3rd grade.
Sight Word Practice:
There are many commerically available products to help your child to practice sight words. The DVUSD most closely aligns with the Fry's list if you wish to use commercially available products. There are also many free websites and games that can help your child to build his/her sight word knowledge. Some of those activities are linked for you below. Please also feel free to make your own flashcards based on the DVUSD sight word list.
Sight Word Bingo Choose your level from Pre-Primer (early Kindergarten), Primer (later Kindergarten), and grades 1-3 *You'll need Adobe Flash Player for this activity
Submarine Spelling Practice Choose your level from Pre-Primer (early Kindergarten), Primer (later Kindergarten), and grades 1-3 *You'll need Adobe Flash Player for this activity
Education.com Choose from over 20 different sight word games on this site. You can filter by grade level on the left side of the page.
Make your own sight word game! Use this link to get templates to create your own offline sight word games like Dominoes, Book Land (twist on Candy Land), and Snakes & Ladders