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Have Students Memorize More Sight Words

Tags

ELA: Reading Elementary School Strategy

Skills

Auditory Processing Working Memory Verbal Memory Processing Speed Visual Memory

Have Students Memorize More Sight Words

If your student is struggling with reading fluency, particularly if they have good memory skills

How To Apply It!

  1. Elementary students can improve fluency by developing automaticity with key sight words that could otherwise interfere with their sounding out words and reading at an appropriate pace
  2. There are 300 sight words (also known as Dolch or Fry words) which make up approximately 65% of written text. Students who have reading difficulty benefit from memorizing a greater number of these words so they have more mental energy for decoding the less common words and for comprehension.
  3. You can use one of the many apps to teach sight words.
  4. Using paper-based tools is often a better that digital for memorizing. Start by printing two copies of the word list, one for the parent and one for the child. Have the child to read the words, one column at a time. Highlight the words the child does not know automatically, so that you can focus on those words in the steps below. Word lists come in groups of ten and this is probably the right number to do in a sitting.
  5. Write a word on one side of an index card and draw a picture on the other side. Introduce one to three words to learn at a time so the child can master words rather than being overwhelmed by too many new words. Use the visuals to help reinforce the word. Make them memorable and fun when possible.
  6. Separate cards into three sections (A-child does not know, B-child is making progress, and C-mastered). As students progress in their level of mastery, move the cards into the appropriate sections of the index card box and focus on them accordingly.
  7. Continue to mix-in the C words so the child doesn't forget them and develops the self-confidence.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

Young students with weaker processing speed or working memory may take longer to decode words phonetically. By recognizing more words on sight, students can free up mental resources to focus on sounding out more challenging words. They will not get as tired as quickly and be able to progress faster. This is a long-established practice with over 100 years of research as explained by Huey (1905) "repetition progressively frees the mind from attention to details, makes facile the total act, shortens the time, and reduces the extent to which consciousness must concern itself with the process. Read more on Huey and others in One Hundred Years of Reading Research.