How to Teach Sight Words… and Skip These 3 Common Mistakes!
Let’s talk about how to teach high frequency words. sight words. Trick words. Whatever you call these words that we can’t do without. Let’s talk about what to do. And what not to do. We’ll also cover memorization. And applying phonics skills. Ready? Here are 3 common mistakes teachers make while teaching sight wordsand how to improve upon them!
1. Focusing Too Much on Memorization.
First, let’s discuss the commonly used names for these words- sight words, high frequency words, trick words. These words are used interchangeably, but technically identify different traits of the same words. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure which term is best, because I’ve heard all 3 used. At times, I prefer one over the other, depending on the situation. I think it’s best to keep things simple and just explain why each term is used and what that reasoning has to with memorization.
Sight Words
Sight Words: This term is probably the one used most often. And that’s because it refers to words that we must simply know by sight, as they do not follow the rules of phonics. Words like, “the”, “is”, and “because”. We find ourselves teaching these words early on, usually in kindergarten or first grade. It’s necessary once kids start reading, because they will come across them so often. More on that later. However, I do have to admit that the term sight words tends to make the phonics lover in me slightly panic. Why? Well, what about words like “in”, “on”, or “at”? These words are often grouped in with sight words. But they follow the rules of phonics! Kids that struggle in reading tend to rely on their memory to read. It’s important that we explain to them that yes, sometimes we do need to memorize sight words. But other times, the words follow the rules that they have learned or will learn eventually.
High Frequency Words:
As I mentioned above, high frequency or sight words are often taught early on in elementary school, because they are necessary to read sentences. Try to write a sentence without one. It’s a challenge! They are found often in books for beginning readers. It does makes sense to call a word like “my” a sight word or high frequency word. First graders have not yet learned that phonics rule yet- “y” makes the long i sound at the end of a one syllable word. Told you I was a phonics nerd. 😉 But eventually, once more complex rules are learned, I think it make sense to explain how they apply to “sight words” as well.
Trick Words:
I’ve heard various opinions on this one. Some say that it’s appropriate to call them this. Some sight words or word parts are tricky. The letters do not always represent the sounds in a way that “follows the rules”. But sometimes there are parts of a words that does. Which brings me to the next common mistake.
2. Throwing Phonics out the Window
While an entire sight word might not follow the phonics rules that we teach, parts of the word might. Often the word begins with the letter that corresponds with its first sound. This might be true for other letters in the word too. It can be helpful to remind students of these predictable patterns in their sight words, as it can help with reading and spelling. I won’t get into further detail (trust me, I would love to, but I’m sure you have had a long day teaching…) Anyway, while memorization often does need to be a factor for sight words, our students benefit when we point out the parts that “follow the rules.”
3. Making it Boring
This one is obvious. But we all need reminders. With so much content and so little time, sometimes we tend to forget the best part. The fun part. I’m a firm believer that we can bring some fun into anything that we teach students. A large part of reading does involve memorizing sight words (even if we know the rules for some of the sounds). Might as well make a game out of it!
Sight Words Games:
Here are a few games to help your students practice sight words, trick words, high frequency words (whatever you want to call them 😉).
High Frequency Words: Buy Activities on Teachers Pay Teachers
Kindergarten Sight Words:
High Frequency Words for First Graders:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sight-Words-First-Grade-Trick-Words-Memory-Game-10982471
