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Please Touch Discovery Center! Words, Words, Words!

Our newest station explores how words can be used!

Children are encouraged to explore this area independently or together with their parents or guardians.

Sight Words
Successful readers use a number of tools to help them understand texts. One of the most effective and powerful reading tools that parents and teachers can help children develop is sight word recognition. When a child is able to grasp and identify sight words he is well on his way to becoming a thriving reader.

What are Sight Words?


Believe it or not, 50% of all reading texts are made up of the same 100 words! The most frequently used and repeated words in the English language are known as sight words. This list of words includes the, a, is, of, to, in, and, I, you, and that. Think about the number of times that you have seen these words in a piece of reading material. Its probably too many times to count. Sight words are critical to reading not only because they are used so

frequently, but also because many of them cannot easily be sounded out or illustrated. Imagine what reading would be like if you attempted to sound out walk ever time you encountered it in your reading. Then imagine that you do not know the word the. You cannot use the pictures accompanying a text to help you decipher this word because it cannot be illustrated. Using phonics or picture reading skills for words like these is useless and fruitless for readers, especially those who are in the early stages of developing their decoding skills. Because they are used so often it is important that readers be able to recognize these words on sight (hence the term sight words). When a reader masters sight words she is able to understand at least half of the words in a particular text. By eliminating the need to decode these words, the reader is able to focus on those that are more difficult and less

familiar. Beyond this, sight words offer important clues about the meaning of a sentence. For example, when a reader is able to identify and understand the word and in a sentence, he knows that there will be multiple figures, actions or descriptors in the sentence. Similarly, if the reader sees the word into in the sentence, she knows there is movement from one location or idea to another.

Sight Word Sundae! Construct a sundae using sight words! Helping your kindergartners learn and master sight words is important to their

future success as readers. In fact, continued exposure to these common words through classroom activities, games, and literacy center activities works to improve student fluency when learning to read.

Activities: The Sweetest Sentences Sight Word Sound it out Capture the Words

Shoo Fly! Sight Word Swat Dinosaur Sight Word Game Sight Word Chutes and Ladder Roll a Sentence A-Z Literacy Cards

The Sweetest Sentences


Directions

Unscramble the words to make sweet complete sentences. Optional: Write the sentences that youve made on the recording sheet.

Sight Word Sound it out


Follow the instructions on the cards and practice reading the sight words on the cards. Sight words may be on the front and back of the cards.

Capture the Words


Materials: One Game board per player Counters to mark spaces Dice (one die has the letters a-f. The other die has the numbers 1-6.) Students roll the dice to get a set of coordinates. They find that spot on the game board and read the word. If they can read the word correctly, they put one of their markers on the word. If they do not read the word, their turn is over. They continue to play until the board is covered or they run out of markers. Winner has covered the most words.

Sight Word Quilts


As you read, look for the sight words on the quilt. When you find the word, color in the box.

Roll a Sentence
Use the different color dice to make sentences

A-Z Literacy Cards


26 fun activities to build reading, writing & communication skills

Dinosaur Sight Word Game (see folder) Sight Word Chutes and Ladder
Players advance in the game by moving the number of spaces as determined by rolling the green die. Prior to advancing, players must correctly identify the word in the space. Depending upon the players reading readiness, upon landing on the sight word the player can define the word and/or use it in a sentence. The first player to cross the finish line is the winner! Source: Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teachers Book of Lists 5th Edition. Sanfransico, CA: Jossey Bass.

Shoo Fly! Sight Word Swat


To Play this Game:
Choose which words you wish to work with and pick out the corresponding flies. Scatter flies on the table. Take turns swatting flies (catching them with the fly swatter) and reading the words. If the word is read correctly, the student can keep the fly/flies. Continue play until all the flies are gone.

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