One of the most challenging aspects of reading is when
you read words that do not follow the standards rules of spelling. Examples of
these are who, have, come, the, but, again,
unit, better. Just to name a few. These words are what you
call trick words or sight words.
Since these words have spellings that do not follow
their pronunciations, it can be quite challenging to decipher their meanings
like other phonetic words. Hence, the best way to remember these words is
through memorization. The best age to start memorizing them is at the
Pre-School level to Junior Kindergarten. This is the reason why children learn
sight words early. Once children build up with their repertoire of sight words,
it will help them become more fluent and fast readers.
But before we delve into how to teach children to
learn sight words. Let us first go over the many different types of site words.
Types of Sight Words
There are
quite several sight words to remember, and these are ranked into two types:
High-Frequency
Words
These are terms that commonly appear in books. Some of
its examples are: get, too, and, if,
what. They are easy to read aloud. Children will have an easy
time reading. It will also keep their focus on the rest of the text. Young
readers normally can identify these words around them instantly when they see
the same words on signs or charts.
Kids can enhance reading fluency when they can read
the words instantly. To be fluent means to read with more accuracy and with the
right tone of voice or expression. Eventually, it will then help them
understand better. They will pick up on the words in sentences which will
encourage them to want to go on to read all the words in the sentence. The
cognitive natural reaction of the brain picks the need to identify all the
words in the sentence, hence it pushes the child to become eager to want to
read.
Irregular
words
Irregular words are another type of sight word. They
are much harder to understand. Typically, their spelling and how they sound do
not follow regular traditional spelling.
In other words, the sound does not correspond to the
letters. Great, give, often, and, though,
are irregular words. Sometimes, children find it hard reading these words
because they are quite hard to identify. It is best to automatically recognize them
in an instant to save time and enhance faster reading.
How to Teach Children to Read Sight Words
Now, how do you make the children learn sight words? That is the real
question here. Memorizing words can be tedious, especially for kids who have a boundless
supply of energy. That is why, in teaching children to read sight words, you
must be smart and creative. You can start with three tips to make children
learn sight words:
·
Make a
list. Gather sight words in a list based on how
frequent these words appear. Do not get excited and shove 100 words immediately
to the child. Remember that a child should have a solid grasp of 30 sight words
than a “kind of” knowledge of 100 words. Place site words on the walls and get
them to identify them each day. Place site words in sentences on flash cards
and each day give them simple sentences to read. By Junior Kindergarten you can
get them to start making and writing simple sentences and then get them to draw
a photo. Never let this seem tedious but instead make it as a game. Give
rewards such as a sticker when they do well.
- Use repetition. Teach the child one or two sight
words at a time. You can allocate 10 min every day to teach the child
these words and have him/her repeat it as many times. This strategy can
help beginners as well especially with children who struggle to read. This
will their learning to read more interactive and engaging, you can make
use of flashcards and word games. It is even better to associate these
words with objects that they can relate as many children are visually
learners. It is important that parents and teachers see reading and
learning through the eyes of a child and not how they perceived how fast a
child ought to be reading. Do not get tired of repeating the same flash
cards of sight words every day as this is how children learn. Make up
songs, rhymes and jingles and it will be imprinted in their minds, and
before you know it they will be identifying the words in their story books
or whenever they see them.
- Use games. Remember that you are teaching a child. They get
bored quickly. So, make the learning fun for them by adding games. You can
organize a sight word hunt where the child will have to look for sight
words in a story you are reading. You can also use search puzzles, where
children search a set of sight words in a word search puzzle. Hide words
around the house and tell them to find a pair of the word and when they do,
they should make a sentence. Reading is life long and we should never feel
as if reading must be taught in the same boring conventional ways that we
were taught as children. The possibilities are endless. Get children to
make their own sight word games.
Conclusion
Sight words are tricky to learn, especially for
children who rely on pronunciation for the first few years of learning how to
spell words. However, you can easily navigate around this by making the
children learn sight words gradually through memorization. Start with a few
words first and build it up. Allow them to practice on repeat and give them
responses or feedback along the way. Hands-on practice and repetition help
children master their reading ability. It is also great if you add games into
the mix to further boost their motivation to learn and keep their attention on
the lesson. Parents and teachers also remember that every child learns at his
or her pace. Never right off a child because it seems as if they are not
reading at the standard and expected time you want them to. And lastly DO NOT
compare children to other siblings or children. Let each child fall into
reading at their own pace. After all we want them to have a life time of loving
to read.
