Sight words & Reading

There is a push in lower grades for children to memorize the list of sight words that are comparable to their grade level.   Sight words are frequently used words in a text that students recognize instantly without sounding them out.  They account for about 75% of words that beginning readers see in a book, and they do not follow phonetic principles.

Some people believe that once a child has mastered sight words that they will learn how to read. That is not necessarily true. There is a difference between recall and reading.  Let me stop right here and say, learning sight words is important and has its place, but it’s not a replacement for foundational knowledge in phonemic awareness and phonics. 

Teaching your children early literacy skills is essential for them to become strong readers.  If a child has learned a list of sight words but has not made progress in letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and phonics, they are going to have difficulty in the areas of fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Reading is like baking a cake.  Each ingredient is essential and plays a role in the outcome of the cake. If one ingredient is missing, you will have the appearance of what looks like a cake without the correct flavor, texture, consistency, structure, etc. It’s the same with reading. Sight words are just one of the ingredients that’s needed for beginning readers, but it’s not beneficial if the five main ingredients: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension are not added.  Without these ingredients, you will have a child that has mastered recalling words without the ability to decode unknown words, understand the meaning of words, and process what they’ve read in a text.

As you walk this journey of teaching your child how to read, I would suggest that you teach sight words in isolation after your child has mastered letter recognition and sounds.  Here are a few suggestions:

1. Look at a list and then introduce sight words in isolation. After you’ve done that, have your child read a sentence with the sight words they’ve just learned.
2. Make sure instruction is brief.  Only work with your child for 10-15 minutes a day.
3. Create a word wall at home so that your child can see the words that they are learning.
4. Allow your child to practice the words (in a book, using flashcards, or writing a sentence) and give them positive feedback.
5. Have your child point out sight words that they’ve learned when you are outside of the house.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at, educatespeak@gmail.com

CEO Ty

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