Resources

Sight words, sometimes called trick words, popcorn words, red words or high frequency words are words that may be difficult to decode. They are not always spelled phonetically or how we would think if we tapped them out so they must be practiced often so that your child can read, write, spell and recognize them instantly. Click here for a list of sight words covered in our classroom on printable flash cards.

  Below are some ways to practice: 

• -arm tap each letter 

      -for the word the (tap your shoulder and say t, elbow and say h and wrist and say e, then swipe down your entire arm and say the) 

• -clap out the height of the words 

  -for the word the (clap above your head for t becuase it's tall, clap above your head for h and in front of your body for e, then clap and say the) 

• -skywrite

  -cross your body with your non-dominant hand and touch the bone in your back. Write and spell the words outloud and underline it & say the word      

• -say, spell, read, write  

• -put hair gel or fingerpaint in a ziploc bag and write the word 

• -use flash cards to quickly read/identify the words 

• -use the words in sentences (orally and written)

Phonological Awareness (PA) is the ability to work with sounds in the English language. One way to know if you are practicing a PA skill is to think about if you can do it in the dark. The best part about PA skills is that you can practice them anywhere, anytime without any materials. These skills build the foundation of reading and writing and should be practiced as much as possible!

• play rhyming games

• count the number of syllables in words by placing your hand under you chin and counting how many times your chin hits your hand

• segment words or break them into sounds - CAT = /c/ /a/ /t/

• blend sounds into words /c/ /a/ /t/ = CAT

• isolate or state the beginning, medial or ending sound in a given word

Click here for some ways to practice phonological awareness and here for a LIST of words to use!

Decoding is the ability to sound words out. Once a sound/letter correspondence or pattern is mastered, children can apply it to any word with that pattern. For example, once they know the short vowel sounds and the /sh/ digraph, they an read and spell, rush, shut, shun, shush and so many more words. As adults, we still use "sounding out" to decode new words. Think of the names of medicines or ingredients. When you read them for the first time, you have to break them into syllables and decode those syllables. Click here for decodable words that your child can practice reading and spelling in the order that they're taught in my classroom!      List 1      List 2