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Sight Words Homework
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 such as the, a, is, of, to, in, and, I, you, and that. 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 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, instead they must rely on their 'oral language' skills (what sounds like it should come next to make this sentence make sense) and their memory recall of the word the.
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 they are 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. (adapted from: http://www.k12reader.com/what-are-sight-words/)
Homework: Throughout the year we will be learning to read and spell sight words at the grade one level. Please practice these words with your child regularly to help them! You can do this in several ways: print off the flash cards and flip through them while you are driving around! If they can't read them yet just have them spell the words to you. Then you can tell them what the word is and have them repeat it. You can also print off two sets of the flash cards and play a matching game. As you read books you can pick a few words from the list and look for them in the book, having your child try to pick out the words in the text and practice saying them. You can also post a few words each week on the fridge or bathroom mirror and practice saying them whenever you are in the kitchen or the bathroom! Simple, quick and easy ways to help your child get ahead!
Each week we will progress through the sight words list included below. There is a printed copy of these in your child's agenda binder. We will place the following Mondays date on the top of one column of sight words. These will be your focus words for the week. You can practice these words using the strategies above. Then on Monday we will check in with your child and see if they can easily read these 5 words. If they can we will move on to the next column. If your child has not yet memorized the words we will keep working on them for another week until they are ready to move on. Each child will move through the list of sight words at their own pace.
known as sight words such as the, a, is, of, to, in, and, I, you, and that. 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 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, instead they must rely on their 'oral language' skills (what sounds like it should come next to make this sentence make sense) and their memory recall of the word the.
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 they are 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. (adapted from: http://www.k12reader.com/what-are-sight-words/)
Homework: Throughout the year we will be learning to read and spell sight words at the grade one level. Please practice these words with your child regularly to help them! You can do this in several ways: print off the flash cards and flip through them while you are driving around! If they can't read them yet just have them spell the words to you. Then you can tell them what the word is and have them repeat it. You can also print off two sets of the flash cards and play a matching game. As you read books you can pick a few words from the list and look for them in the book, having your child try to pick out the words in the text and practice saying them. You can also post a few words each week on the fridge or bathroom mirror and practice saying them whenever you are in the kitchen or the bathroom! Simple, quick and easy ways to help your child get ahead!
Each week we will progress through the sight words list included below. There is a printed copy of these in your child's agenda binder. We will place the following Mondays date on the top of one column of sight words. These will be your focus words for the week. You can practice these words using the strategies above. Then on Monday we will check in with your child and see if they can easily read these 5 words. If they can we will move on to the next column. If your child has not yet memorized the words we will keep working on them for another week until they are ready to move on. Each child will move through the list of sight words at their own pace.
How to Read with your child... some tips, tricks and ideas to make reading time with your child more effective! Make an impact with only 10 minutes a day!
Often parents ask me for resources and apps that will help them help their child learn to read. It can be difficult to weed through all of the content on the internet and know what is good and what is a waste of time. Recently I discovered ReadingRockets.org. This website offers EVERYTHING parents need to know about helping their child learn to read. It has videos for parents to watch, resources, games for kids, recommended apps and so much more. You can even learn how to reach your child to read. To check out Reading Rockets click the button below!
Here are some quick ideas from Mrs. Webb...
"Snug House, Bug House": This video is one we made to demonstrate how you can play I Spy to teach and read sight words. We begin by teaching and sounding out the sight word and then reading the book together while the student looks for the word on the pages and reads that one word. There are lots of great books that focus on sight words... Dr. Seuss, Sandra Boyton books, and Cat and Pig books by Mo Willems, are just a few great ones that are readily available in our local libraries, book stores and in Scholastics.
In this video we also practice finding new words. We give the student clues to look for new words, like saying I see this new word on this page 4 times. Do you see it? This helps students begin to focus in on print and look for similarities and differences between words instead of just guessing. Learning to read is all about teaching students to balance guessing with paying attention to fine detail and thinking. We don't want them to just guess at every word, we want them to think and pay attention to the details of each word.
In this video we also practice finding new words. We give the student clues to look for new words, like saying I see this new word on this page 4 times. Do you see it? This helps students begin to focus in on print and look for similarities and differences between words instead of just guessing. Learning to read is all about teaching students to balance guessing with paying attention to fine detail and thinking. We don't want them to just guess at every word, we want them to think and pay attention to the details of each word.
"Time to Sleep, Sheep the Sheep": This video is a sample of how to get your child to "read" a book they have memorized. When a child recites a book they have memorized it isn't reading but it is a very very important step towards reading. Once your child has memorized a story the next step is to have them use their finger to point to each word as they say it without skipping over the words or going to fast/slow. This teaches them word recognition and helps the brain develop the idea that words belong to print. The video below is one we made to illustrate how to work on this skill and how to introduce the unmemorized part of the story and help the child figure it out by using initial sounds and picture cues. This is the reading level students should be at at the beginning of grade one. (keeping in mind this is working with a familiar and memorized story, much like the white reading books we send home)
Here is another great sample of reading a memorized story using finger pointing... watch with your child and see if they can 'read' along too!
Stages and skills your child will develop while learning to read!
Want to understand the miracle of reading?
If you have ever wanted to understand how the human brain has developed the ability to read then the following video is for you! This is a very detailed video about the structure of the brain and how it processes visuals (letters) into spoken language that we 'hear' in our heads. Mid-way through the video there is some excellent information on phonics and explanation as to how and why children are able to print backwards. Enjoy!
Why on earth is English so confusing!?
Sometimes in teaching our children to read we realize that English just makes no sense! There are so many rules and yet just as many 'exceptions'! Why?! It just leaves us in tears... well if you think this way then here are two short videos that might just put you out of your misery... or will they? Check it out:
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As the students begin to learn this 'code' they will take off reading! If you ever want some tips and tricks on how to teach your child about a specific code so that they can sound out words with more ease then don't hesitate to ask. And don't be afraid to 'google it'! I have learned so much about english just by asking questions like 'why do we use ck and sometimes just k'? I will be sharing all of my discoveries with the kids throughout the year but if you discover one then be sure to share it with us!
If you are looking to practice and understand some of our rules then check out my youtube list of videos. You can find them here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP2nTer5u9oL4UOibd4pMfFfU4hEZy2YM This list is complied in the order of how we learn these rules throughout the year.
Does my child have a learning or reading disability? What is Dyslexia anyways?
"Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized bydifficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge."
(International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, 2002)
In Cain's (2010) book, Reading Development and Difficulties, Chapter 10 reviews The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), a framework for the study of reading development and reading difficulties. Broadly, this model posits that reading comprehension is a product of word reading and listening comprehension ability. The figure below is presented in the chapter, which discusses the two literacy processes critical to reading development, word recognition processes and language comprehension processes, in which each fall on a continuum of Good to Poor. There are four quadrants or combination of abilities displayed.
(International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, 2002)
In Cain's (2010) book, Reading Development and Difficulties, Chapter 10 reviews The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), a framework for the study of reading development and reading difficulties. Broadly, this model posits that reading comprehension is a product of word reading and listening comprehension ability. The figure below is presented in the chapter, which discusses the two literacy processes critical to reading development, word recognition processes and language comprehension processes, in which each fall on a continuum of Good to Poor. There are four quadrants or combination of abilities displayed.
- The typical reader will develop good word recognition and good comprehension skills
(top right quadrant) - A dyslexic reader has poor word recognition abilities and good comprehension
(top left quadrant) - More severe reading difficulty includes both poor word recognition and poor comprehension (bottom left quadrant)
- A good decoder with developed word recognition abilities is expected to be on their way with comprehension, however, when these readers present with poor comprehension abilities, they are described as poor comprehenders or unexpected poor comprehenders (bottom right quadrant)
Source: Cain, K. (2010). Reading development and difficulties. Toronto: Wiley.
This model represents another framework to guide our understanding of reading development and reading difficulties. We know that this may seem to be an oversimplification of the complex reading processes that work together to support reading achievement. However, it is important to note that this is one of many frameworks that continues to be built upon in scientific studies of reading across developmental age groups and across languages.
This model represents another framework to guide our understanding of reading development and reading difficulties. We know that this may seem to be an oversimplification of the complex reading processes that work together to support reading achievement. However, it is important to note that this is one of many frameworks that continues to be built upon in scientific studies of reading across developmental age groups and across languages.