"We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading." -B.F. Skinner

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Teaching Dolch Sight Words

There are many words that our mind registers automatically when we read them. For learners, reading may be more difficult because they are not familiar with theses sight words. In order to make reading easier, we can do activities with these words, called Dolch sight words, to help them read more fluently.

Image: http://www.uniqueteachingresources. com
First, print out a list of sight words. You can use these to make flash cards, bingo and other games, and to select books for your lesson. Next, slowly review the words with your learner to see where they need help. You can do this like a flash-card-drill, or be creative and review in other ways. This will help you to learn exactly which words to focus on in your lessons.

Now comes the fun part. Use games, activities, review, and reading to help your learner identify their sight words. I found a great website with sight word lesson plans, another with games, and another where you can create your own Dolch worksheet! Just remember, for these kinds of activities, you need to be sure to include variety so your learner doesn't get tired of sight words. It's easy to get bored with flashcards!

No comments:

Post a Comment