This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Are you teaching sight words to young readers?
You’re in the right place!
In this post I’ll show you exactly how to teach sight words using hands-on lessons and free printable sight word books.
But first things first …
What ARE sight words, anyway?
It depends whom you ask.
When reading researchers use the term sight words, they’re referring to the words that a reader recognizes instantly, on sight.
Sight words can also refer to words that our readers encounter frequently when reading. That’s the definition I’ll be using here. We want our readers to know these words instantly as they work to become fluent readers.
It’s time to rethink how we teach sight words.
I used to think that when we teach sight words to young readers, we should teach them as whole words. This is why I used to share a collection of sight word books that taught the words through repeated exposure. (Those will soon disappear from the site and my shop.)
But research is telling us that this isn’t how the brain learns to read.
In order for kids’ brains to make new words a part of their permanent sight word vocabulary (the fancy word for this is orthographic mapping), they need to connect the sounds to the letters.
In other words? Sound it out.
Integrating high-frequency words into phonics lessons allows students to make sense of spelling patterns for these words. – readingrockets.org
I know what you’re thinking.
What about words that we CAN’T sound out?
We call attention to the parts of the word that are phonetic (and there’s usually at least 1-2 of them). Then we teach learners to learn the tricky parts by heart.
How to teach high frequency words to young learners
- First, know our goal here. Our goal is not to teach loads of sight words as whole words, because kids need to connect the sounds to letters when reading. Instead, our goal is to integrate sight word learning with phonics instruction.
- Next, we need to make sure our learners are ready to sound out words. Not sure? Check out this post.
- All set? Great. Name the new word, and have your learner repeat it.
- Name the individual phonemes (sounds) in the word. For example, in the word is, there are two phonemes: /i/ and /z/.
- Spell the sounds. Call attention to any unexpected spelling. In is, we spell /i/ with i and /z/ with s.
- If possible, have your learner read related words. Has and his are great words to read alongside is because they are short vowel words with an s that represents the the /z/ sound.
- Have your learner read connected text. Connected text can be decodable sentences or books.
Watch the video to see a sight word lesson in action …
Where can you find sight word lessons and decodable sight word books?
You’ll find a beginner’s collection below. Enjoy!
P.S. I look forward to adding more of these to our membership site, The Measured Mom Plus. I do not plan to add any more free books to this page. Learn more about membership here.
Sight word readers
SIGHT WORD WORKSHEETS THAT ALIGN WITH THE SCIENCE OF READING
Sight Word Worksheets – Based on the science of reading!
$15.00
Say goodbye to worksheets that simply keep kids busy. THESE worksheets help kids focus on the spellings of each individual sound … which is exactly what they need to master these high frequency words!
Check out the rest of our sight word series
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
You May Also Enjoy These Episodes:
Reader Interactions
Trackbacks
In our pursuit to promote literacy, we collaborated to create books ideal for an early emergent reader. Using high frequency words, simple sentences, familiar objects and experiences, we created stories that are both educational and entertaining.
Learn With Fern: Sight Words I & Am
Sight word content: > 50%
Repetitive sight words: I, am
Concepts: feelings
Click here for a free sight word book introducing the sight words “I” and “am”. This book is ideal for an early emergent reader. It contains simple sentences, repeated text and illustrations that support the text.
After reading the above sight word book, complete this sight word worksheet which shows you how to properly write the sight words “I” and “am.” It also provides sentence strips for a child to complete the sentence, “I am …” and a space to draw a picture.
Sight Word Book – Meet Emily Michele
Sight word content: > 84%
Repetitive sight words: she, is, to
Concepts: parts of face, colors
Click here to read about Emily Michele.
Sight Word Book – Meet Emily’s Family
Sight word content: > 84%
Repetitive sight words: she, has, a
Concepts: family
Click here to read about Emily’s family.
Sight Word Book – Do You Know What I Am?
Sight word content: > 75%
Repetitive sight words: Do you know what I am
Concepts: farm animals
Click here to read about Emily’s disguises.
Sight Word Book – Emily Makes a Fruit Basket
Sight word content: > 60%
Repetitive sight words: will, go, in, the
Concepts: Counting from 1 to 5
Click here to read about Emily making a fruit basket.
Sight word books help children learn to automatically recognize high frequency words and develop a sight word vocabulary.
Reader Interactions
So many sight word books are available on the market for teaching emergent readers. Check out these tried and true sight word books and sets.
When kids first learn how to read, it’s important for them to learn sight words alongside phonics. Give kids these top sight word books to expand their knowledge!
FREE Sight Word Email Series
Sign up for the sight word email series filled with tips to get you started teaching sight words in the best ways, strategies for success, and FREE activities kids will love. Everything you need to build reading skills with sight words!
You may also enjoy these posts:
Reader Interactions
It is important for beginning readers to practice reading sight words. Sight words are word that are most frequently used and they appear on almost every page of text. These are also words that can’t necessarily be sounded out, so they need to be memorized. For example, if you sound out the word ‘the’ it would sound totally different than how it should be pronounced.
I wanted to help you as educators out, so I created sight word reader booklets for beginning readers. There are 42 altogether! They all are from the Pre-Primer Dolch Sight Word List (with 2 extra sight words added in). Each sight word contains 3 sets of printable booklets.
You can download the readers for free on the colored buttons below, or you can save time and buy them in a bundle HERE.
Printing Directions:
Print the pages on paper. (Page 1 is my Terms of Use.) You can also print the pages front and back. If you have troubles printing, make sure Adobe is up to date. You can download the most current version here.
After printing, cut out the pages and staple them together. Enjoy reading!
Click on the pictures below to take you to the sight word readers!
Pre-Primer-
Primer
Sight words are a vital part of the reading journey, particularly for young children. The more times they see a word, the easier it becomes for them to recognize it.
Words on sight word lists are commonly used and so they appear often. Reading age appropriate texts using these words enhances their understanding of the word as well as ensures a solid foundation for reading in the future.
Sight word books give kids a variety of ways to see and practice these words in a fun, engaging way. Check out the great options below to find activities to fit your needs.
Purchase FromTeachers Pay Teachers
EducationOutside’s mini books cover the first 100 Fry sight words and provide ample opportunities for young readers to read, write, and identify each word. These interactive books invite kids to do a different task on every page.
Each book focuses on a single sight word and has pages for tracing, circling, writing, reading in context, and completing a sentence using the target word. These books come in black and white or color so you get to choose whether to add coloring pictures into the mix.
These books will keep kids busy and learning as they memorize these important words.
These readers by JEFishy provide one-to-one correspondence as kids read through sentences each featuring a kindergarten sight word. With colorful pictures and a fun storyline, kids will be engaged and interested the whole time.
You get an option of printing in black and white or color so you can let kids color the pictures as part of your lesson. These are great for desk work, at home learning, or as a center.
Each book lets kids trace one of five sight words multiple times while reading a kid-friendly story.
If you want to cover a variety of words, this endless sight word bundle by SimplyKinder will keep your students busy for a long time. The bundle includes 67 pages for each sight word and over 200 books to work through.
The set includes color words, number words, Dolch pre-primer through first grade sight words, Fry’s first 100 words, and a variety of other common words. Kids get to dot, trace, write, cut, search, practice, and read the target word in a variety of fun activities.
With this bundle, you won’t soon run out of ways to practice nearly any sight word.
These sight word reader books by SoDangFun provide five common sight words for kids to practice. Also, included are color and number words within two of the books.
Students will get to trace words and finish sentences, as well as draw pictures to go with their sentences. Each sentence begins with a sentence starter including the sight word and allows students to use their imagination to create their own unique book.
Purchase FromTeachers Pay Teachers
If you’re working with preschoolers, this pre-primer mini book set from EducationOutside covers the full list of Dolch words for this age group. The books present a variety of interactive ways for kids to practice each word. Each book features one word and is eight pages of different activities.
These printable books include tracing, circling, writing, and reading the word, as well as a place to finish the sentence.
With both black and white and color options, you can turn this into a coloring activity if desired. This is great for centers, desk work, or at-home learning.
EducationToTheCore’s sight word booklets feature the top 100 Fry words and each book targets a different word. Kids will enjoy tracing, coloring, and highlighting the sight word in the book and won’t even realize they’re learning at the same time.
Picture clues help kids understand the reading passage in each book and a visualization component is included for kids to draw their own picture.
With 200 pages of practice, these printable books are ready in a just a few minutes and are an excellent addition to any lesson plans.
Looking for a simple set that is easy for preschoolers and kindergarteners to follow? These sight word books by PagesWithPurpose feature Fry’s first 100 words in easy-to-read sentences with the target word in a traceable font for kids to practice.
The cute illustrations also provide picture clues and coloring opportunities to add a fun, creative aspect. Each book has six sentences for kids to read and trace. These are great activities to improve sight word recognition and are quick and easy to print.
If you’re looking for the whole kit and kaboodle, this huge set of sight word books from SightWordActivities will fit the bill. First off, this is the entire 220 word Dolch sight word set from pre-primer through third grade. Each book highlights one sight word and you can progress through each list as quickly or slowly as your lesson plans dictate.
Each page provides kids an activity to do, such as coloring, tracing, cutting, and writing the word. This is great for any lesson plan or activity center and keeps kids engaged and interacting. You even get a blank, editable book so you can add any word you like.
This is another great Dolch sight word bundle from MrsDsCorner that includes 219 sight words. Each page of the book features a different activity for students to complete. The cover also depicts the word in sign language.
Inside, students will read sentences, trace, write, find and circle, color, and cut and paste the target word. Sentences are repeated to increase comprehension and give confidence as they read through the book.
Each day of the week, the first four pages can be done again to further increase word recognition. At the end of each book, there is a certificate which can be signed as proof of completion and mastery.
Conclusion
Reading is a skill we use throughout our lives and recognizing commonly used words is essential to reading success.
Whether you’re teaching preschoolers or school-age kids, the resources above are great sight word book options to help grow their skillset and set them up for success.
