High frequency words are words used most often in print. Our Fundations/phonics program refers to these words as "trick words."
Storage ideas: hole punch high-frequency word cards and keep on a key ring, organize in a Dollar Tree photo album, keep in a recipe/index card box
Create a Sentence- Write your new trick on an index card. Write a sentence for your trick word on the back. This is helpful for students to identify their trick word in connected text.
What’s Missing - Write a trick word on a whiteboard with a missing letter. Ask your child “What’s missing?” Your child then tells you the missing letter and you write what is missing.
Mix and Fix - Give your child magnetic/foam letters to make a trick word. Your child reads the word then have them slide each letter to the left or push them up one at a time. This will ensure they look at each letter. Students then mix the letters and remake (fix) the word from left to right. Students then trace each letter with their finger.
Technology Time - Watch a video of a “heart” word on www.reallygreatreading.com or type your words on a computer. Magnetic alphabet is a generic app on which students can make trick words.
Whiteboard Practice -Your child writes a trick word multiple times on a whiteboard saying each letter as they write it.
Building Words- Build words with playdough or Wikki Stix.
Ghost Words- Write the trick word with white crayon and then color a marker over top of the white crayon and the “Ghost Trick” word appears!
Good-night Trick Words- Hang 3 trick words in the bathroom. After brushing your teeth, read your trick words
Shaving Cream Fun - Squirt shaving cream on a table or cookie sheet and have your child use their finger to write the word.
Wear a Trick Word - Use letter beads to build a trick word on a pipe cleaner. Turn it into a bracelet if you wish! (letter beads can be found at the dollar store)
Zap! - Write a trick word at the end of each popsicle stick. Write “Zap!” on a few of the sticks. Place in a cup. Goal: Get the most sticks. Keep your sticks if you read (or spell) the word correctly. If you miss one, put it back in the cup. If you draw a Zap! stick, put ALL of your sticks back. (popsicle sticks can be found at dollar store)
Memory - The game is played in much the same way as the standard Memory Card Game, with the addition of the players reading the word on each card as they play the game. The goal is to collect as many pairs of matching word cards as possible.
Word Hunt - Choose 5 trick words for which to search. Have your child hunt for them in different texts, seeing which one he can find the most. (If using newspapers or magazines, you can have your child cut the words to make a collage or highlight them.)
Practice three words at a time with at least two having some type of similarity. For example, come/some or where /there. You will know when your child has mastered a trick word once they can read it in 2 seconds at 2 unique times.