Strategies and Hands-on Activities for Teaching Sight Words

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Strategies and Hands-on Activities for Teaching
Sight Words

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Presented by

• Dr. Deborah Ellermeyer
• Clarion University of Pennsylvania
• dellermeyer_at_clarion.edu
• Dr. Kay Chick
• Penn State Altoona
• kxc19_at_psu.edu

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What are sight words?

• Sight words are words that are recognized
  instantly and without any analysis.

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• Many sight words cant be sounded out because
  they dont follow decoding rules.

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• Sight words are high frequency words the words
  most frequently occurring in reading materials.
  

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Why do we teach sight words?

• Students who learn sight words have a good base
  for beginning reading instruction.

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When do we teach sight words?

• Sight word instruction usually begins in
  kindergarten and continues into first and second
  grade, although struggling readers continue
  learning sight words beyond second grade.

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Two Sight Word Lists Used by Teachers

• The Dolch Basic Word List
• The Fry Instant Word List

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The Dolch Basic Word List

• Consists of 220 high frequency words

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The Dolch Basic Word List

• Comprise approximately 50 - 75 of all the words
  found in reading materials

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The Fry Instant Word List

• Consists of 1000 words which are divided into 10
  groups of 100 words

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The Fry Instant Word List

• First 300 words make up approximately 60 of the
  words found in reading material

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Common Sight Word Practices

• Flashcard drills
• Word list drills
• Word walls

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• How do I teach sight words?

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Drill and Practice

• Do I always
• teach sight
• words the
• same way?

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• Do I enjoy teaching sight words?

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Do my students enjoy sight words routines?
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How can I make sight word practice more enjoyable?

• Presenting words within an enjoyable context
• Engaging students in fun, hands-on activities
  that teach sight words other skills

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Use the poems and lessons to

• Introduce new sight words

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Use the poems and lessons to

• Reinforce learned sight words and provide reading
  practice

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Use the poems and lessons to

• Assess sight word retention

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Use the poems and lessons to

• Integrate language skills
• Antonyms
• Synonyms
• Homophones
• Parts of speech
• Same double consonant words
• Word family words
• Beginning sounds and vowel sounds

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Benefits

• Easy to Use Lessons
• Minimal preparation
• Few outside resources required
• Sight words are identified in boldface type in
  poems
• Enjoyable, hands-on activities

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Benefits

• Versatility of Use
• Can be used to introduce, practice, review and/or
  assess
• Can be used for whole-class or small-group
  instruction

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Benefits

• Poems
• Engaging
• Enjoyable
• Provide authentic context
• Controlled vocabulary with emphasis on sight
  words

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Benefits

• Repetition and Multiple Exposures to Sight Words

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Benefits

• Patterned and
• Predictable Text is Perfect
• for Emergent and Beginning
• Readers

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Benefits

• Enjoyable Activities
• Foster Sight Word
• Acquisition

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We Are Opposites

• We are opposites,
• And Ill tell you more!
• I say after,
• And you say before.
• I look up,
• And you look down.
• I like to walk,
• You run to tow

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I think its hot,You think its cold.I say
its new,You say its old.

• I come in,
• And you go out.
• We are opposites,
• Lets give a shout!
• We are opposites
• Its like I said before.
• Think of your own.
• If you want any more!

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Opposites Pyramid

• Objective
• to identify and read the antonym of a given
  sight word

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Activity 2We Are Opposites

• Setup
• One copy of Opposites Pyramid page
• per child

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• Setup
• Write sight words on the board
• black on start to good
• after give yes up all
• out new under hot first
• little bring come do full
• run always long light sit
• full far clean right fast

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Activity 2We Are Opposites

• Setup
• Write opposites on index cards and place in a
  paper bag.

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Using the Poems

• Familiarize yourself with the poems in advance.

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Using the Poems

• Print the poems on chart paper and highlight the
  sight words.

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Using the Poems

• Point to the words as you read the poems aloud.

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Using the Poems

• Read the poems aloud several times and invite
  students to read with you.

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Using the Poems

• Print the sight words on flashcards for practice
  in isolation. Hang poems on chart paper around
  the room and take poetry walks for practice in
  context.

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Using the Poems

• Have children print sight words on index cards
  and create individual sight word banks.

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Using the Poems

• Hang the poems around the room to keep them
  visible for student practice.

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Using the Poems

• Create a word wall and USE it!

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Scholastic Teaching Resources byDeborah
Ellermeyer
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Resource Books by the Presenters

• Activities for Standards-based, Integrated
  Language Arts Instruction
• by Deborah Ellermeyer Kay Chick
• Holcomb Hathaway Publishers
• (Grades K-6)
• The many activities in Activities for
  Standards-Based, Integrated Language Arts
  Instruction were designed to meet the
  instructional needs of teacher educators, pre-
  and in-service teachers, and students in grades
  K6. Designed for versatility, the book can serve
  as a companion text for existing language arts
  textbooks in university-level language arts
  methods courses, or it can be used independently
  as a valuable teacher-resource book.

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Resource Books by the Presenters

• Multicultural American History through Childrens
  Literature
• by Deborah Ellermeyer Kay Chick
• Teacher Ideas Press (Grades 3-6)
• This integrated teacher resource provides lesson
  ideas for the instruction of social studies and
  history concepts within the context of quality
  multicultural children's books and picture books.
  Each chapter focuses on three picture books
  related to various multicultural themes in
  American history. Chapters are organized
  chronologically, and by theme, and include book
  summaries, materials lists, student-centered
  activities, related books and poetry, and links
  to national history standards. Multicultural
  themes include the Old West, American
  Revolution, Slavery, Civil War, World War II and
  the Holocaust.

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Resource Books by the Presenters

• Ancient Civilizations Readers Theater
• by Deborah Ellermeyer Judy Rowell
• Creative Teaching Press
• (Grades 5 6)
• This book features fun readers theater scripts
  that foster reading fluency, improve text
  comprehension, build vocabulary, and help
  students understand ancient civilizations that
  include the Aztecs, Inca, Maya, Etruscans,
  Minoans, Romans, Chinese Han, Indus River Valley
  culture, and the Mesopotamians.

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Resource Books by the Presenters

• All About the Weather
• by Deborah Ellermeyer Judy Rowell
• Evan-Moor (Grades PreK K)
• This 208 page, full color, thematic resource
  book features colorful storybooks with flannel
  board pieces and ready-to-use activities to teach
  skills and concepts across the whole early
  childhood curriculum. Activities center around
  reading, math, art, dramatic play, cooking,
  music, outdoor fun and movement.

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Resource Books by the Presenters

• All About My World
• by Deborah Ellermeyer Judy Rowell
• Evan-Moor (Grades PreK K)
• This 208 page, full color, thematic resource
  book features colorful storybooks with flannel
  board pieces and ready-to-use activities to teach
  skills and concepts across the whole early
  childhood curriculum. Activities center around
  reading, math, art, dramatic play, cooking,
  music, outdoor fun and movement.

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Resource Books Available at

• Scholastic, Inc.
• http//shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servl
  et/SearchResultDisplayView?queryEllermeyerNEW_QU
  ERY_PARAMtruestoreId10001langId-1catalogId1
  0002viewParamSearchsubmit2.x16submit2.y7

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Resource Books Available at

• Evan Moor Educational Publishers
• http//www.edumart.com/sui/edumart/e_search.cgi/ev
  anmoor?cart_idevanmoor.68.162.143.177textonlyq
  uerygradePreKgo_manu.x53go_manu.y9

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Resource Books Available at

• Creative Teaching Press
• http//www.creativeteaching.com/c/_at_7K0R9._xq2Z7k/P
  ages/list.html?curList_at_3

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Resource Books Available at
Teacher Ideas Press http//www.teacherideaspress.
com/catalog/LU9556.aspx
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Resource Books Available at

• Holcomb Hathaway Publishers
• http//www.hh-pub.com/book.php3?bookHH1765