What Do Researchers Say?īut you don’t just have to take my word for it. Plus, when a child is able to read smoothly and effortlessly, it is much easier for them to focus their energy on actually understanding what they read. They can explore their passions and read books that genuinely interest them. They won’t be limited to a certain level of books in the classroom library or a topic that’s easier to understand. Think of it this way: If your child memorizes a list of 100 sight words, they’ll be able to read those 100 words.But… if they learn how to sound out words, they’ll be able to thousands and thousands of words on their own- even if they’ve never seen them before!Īnd the more words they can read, the more books they can read. Knowing how to sound out words is crucial to later reading development and phonemic awareness (e.g., being able to sound words out) is what will ultimately give your little one the tools they need to read harder and harder books. Well as it turns out, it makes a big difference. So now you might be asking yourself: “Even if they can learn how to sound out words, why does it matter? What difference does it make if they’re memorizing them instead?” If your child knows the more common vowel combos/two letter sounds: they can sound out ∼31/40 words.Īnd the remaining 9 words? Words like: come, said, have…They can usually be explained by just one rule (or exception). If your child knows the basic, single letter sounds: they can sound out ∼ 5/40 words. Take a second to count how many words on this list can be sounded out: In fact, almost 90% of all words in the English language are decodable (that means we can sound them out).Īs an example, let’s look at this kindergarten sight word list that might look similar to one your little one would bring home from school. “But Sight Words Can’t Be Sounded Out!”īy now, you might be thinking to yourself, “But Spence- sight words CAN’T be sounded out! That’s why they’re called sight words!”Īnd if I had a dollar for every time I got that comment from a parent or teacher on one of my sight word videos, I’d have retired by now.īut the thing is, that’s not necessarily true. Just imagine trying to learn each of those words one-by-one. Compare that to someone else who’s been reading for years (if you’ve read this far, this is you!) who probably knows thousands and thousands of sight words.īut here’s the thing: it’s precisely BECAUSE we need to know so many sight words (thousands and thousands) that makes learning to read by memorizing sight words (50-100) so problematic. For example: a young reader who has only been reading for a year or two might only know a hundred sight words. Now, the number of words a reader can recognize automatically is going to change based on their reading level. Sight words are any words that a reader can recognize automatically and without hesitation. So in this blog, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to teach sight words in a way that will help your child not only learn those specific words, but they’ll be able to read almost any word they see! What is a sight word?īefore we jump into it, let’s clarify what sight words actually are: And there are things your child needs to know before you ever touch that sight words list. But there are better and worse ways to teach your child to read sight words. Now don’t get me wrong: kids do need to learn how to read sight words. And while many educators will tell you just memorize these words, just memorize them, just memorize them… it’s not going to teach your child how to actually read.Īt least, not the thousands of other words they’ll see as they progress through school and through life. Learning to read by memorizing sight words is a waste of time. Now, if you follow me on social media, then what I say next is going to come as a surprise: And it’s not surprising that many parents (and kids) hate being drilled on sight words lists. It’s not uncommon for kids to bring home, 50, 75, or even 100 sight words that they need to memorize in order to pass the test/grade/subject.Īnd practicing that list with them? Showing them the words again and again, not sure if they’re learning how to read or simply memorizing a few words that they’ve seen a lot of times? It’s stressful. If you’re like most parents, then you know what it’s like to send your child to school and have them return to you with a long list of sight words to memorize.
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