We teach all of our students sight words, but there isn’t one way to practice them. There are a ton of ways to teach sight words to our students. Read on to learn 10 ways to practice sight words with your students.
If you need help with sight word IEP goals, be sure to read this blog post next!
Sight Words Flashcards
The first way to practice sight words is the most obvious: sight word flashcards. There are so many different sight word lists, so you can choose the set that works best for your students or whichever set your school uses.
Depending on your students’ response methods, you can use sight word flashcards in a variety of ways. I typically either have my students orally read the sight word presented or choose the correct sight word from a field of choices.
Sight Word Ring
The second way to practice sight words is with a sight word ring. This is similar to sight word flashcards, but it is much easier to take on the go and use in the school wide setting. When I use a sight word ring, I like to start with an initial five or ten words, then as the student masters those words I add more words to it. This way, the students work on mastered words and new words.
Picture/Word Flashcards
The third way I like to practice sight words with my students is with picture/word flashcards. I like to use this with my early learners to support their reading with visuals. You can also incorporate picture/word flashcards into a sight word ring.
Picture to Word Matching
The fourth way to practice sight words is to match pictures to sight words. This works great with the Edmark sight words. The way I do this is I make two sets of flashcards- one with just pictures and one with just words. Then, I present a field of pictures and one word for the student to match. This is a great way to check for comprehension of the sight word the student read.
Sight Words File Folders
Sight word file folders are a great way to practice sight words. This could also be a great independent center activity. There are several ways you can make sight word file folders. They can be word to word matching, word to picture matching, sight word spelling, and much more.
Sight Words Bingo
The sixth way to practice sight words is by playing sight word bingo! This is such a fun way to practice sight words with your students! Get some fun bingo dauber or tokens, make up some quick sight word bingo boards, and practice playing bingo with your students! This is great way to switch up your instruction!
Sight Words Readers
I use Edmark for the majority of my students. One of the things I love about it, is the sight words taught are able to make up easy readers for students after they learn around 6 words. That is amazing for our students! There are tons of easy sight word readers out there, and you can even DIY these! It is so empowering to students to be able to read a book even if they struggle with decoding and blending.
Sight Words Spelling
The eighth idea I have for you to practice sight words is to do sight word spelling. I have done this a couple of ways as well. The first way is to have a sight word printed and laminated, then have letter cards laminated with Velcro to match to spell the sight word. The second way is to do a sort of “spelling test” where you give the student a sight word and they have to spell it by either putting the letters in order or by writing it. You can also use magnet letters to spell sight words.
Sensory Sight Words
Making sensory sight words is one of my favorite ways to practice sight words! You can use sand, play dough, shaving cream, rice, pipe cleaners, really anything! My students love practicing their sight words in a multi sensory way!
Sight Words Memory Match
The last idea I have for you to practice sight words is with another game. Try playing sight word memory match with your students. You can repurpose your sight word flashcards or your picture to word matching flashcards to play a game. You can either use just words where they match the words or you can use the words and pictures to match the picture to the correct word. This is another great way to switch up your instruction!
Sight word practice is one of my favorite skills to work on with my students. Do you have other ways you like to practice sight words? Share below! If you want more ideas on how to teach sight word IEP goals, check out my blog post here!
You can find the SSE Leveled Sight Word Rings here.
