Literacy Routines: From Foundation to Fluency
Sight Words & High Frequency Words
![]() Sight words are words, like come, does, or who, that don’t follow the rules of spelling. These words have to be memorized because decoding them is really difficult. Students are taught to memorize sight words as a whole, by sight, so that they can recognize them immediately (within three seconds) and read them without having to use decoding skills.
Often the terms sight words and high-frequency words are used interchangeably. Although many high-frequency words are also sight words, there is a difference. Sight words are words that do not fit standard phonetic patterns and must be memorized. High-frequency words are words that are most commonly found in written language. Although some fit standard phonetic patterns, some do not. |
Two of the most popular sources of sight words are the Dolch Sight Words list and the Fry Sight Words list. The words on both lists are very similar.
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What can I do to teach sight words?
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Downloadable activities:
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Read, read, and re-read! Reading is a skill like any other, and practice is key! Students should read books at their level to apply what they learn in their word work (spelling, Words Their Way, phonics, etc.). Story time is equally important: listening to stories exposes students to new vocabulary words, which supports comprehension, and allows the adult to model fluent oral reading with expression.
Sight word/high frequency word practice can be fun and hands-on. A simple internet search yields tons of ideas: sensory activities such as writing in shaving cream, sand, play-doh, etc., searching for words in different media like newspapers, magazines, and texts. Please find some downloadable resources to the left, compiled by 2nd grade teachers via an internet search / Pinterest / Teachers Pay Teachers, including activity banks from the K12 ELA OLS curriculum. |
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Fluency: Internalizing Decoding Skills
What is fluency?
Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression.
The 2nd grade fluency benchmark is 87+ words per minute (wpm) at the end of the year. Downloadable resources are provided to the left, if your student is on track (Reading At Home Fluency Grades 2-3), as well as if your student is still an emergent reader (Reading At Home Fluency Grades K-1). How can I tell if my student is struggling in fluency?
What can I do to help my student?
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What is decoding?
Decoding is the process of sounding out words and blending the sounds together. Students who struggle with decoding have trouble identifying the individual sounds that make up words.
We teach decoding skills explicitly in class connects, such as the strategies below characterized by beanie babies, but Learning Coaches should also teach these and reinforce them at home. Why is fluency important?
What can students do to help themselves?
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Comprehension: Understanding & Remembering What Is Read
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Students should practice and demonstrate their reading comprehension before, during, and after reading. They should be able to:
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Reading Matters!
We strongly recommend that you set aside 20 minutes a day to read an independent reading book. You can find great choices in Big Universe (access through your OLS), your local library, Michigan eLibrary, and free ebooks available through Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. As you can see, students who read 20 minutes a day will read almost two MILLION words per year! That's incredible!
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Writing
A child's writing development parallels their development as a reader. Writing is a terrific way for children to express their thoughts, creativity, and uniqueness. It is also a fundamental way in which children learn to organize ideas. And learning to write well helps children to be better readers.
When engaging in writing, young children often mirror what they see around them: adults and older children writing lists, letters, text messaging. They are observing the way writing is used in our everyday lives. Encourage your student to write daily: lists, story, make a book, write a letter, a card, etc. Have your student keep a journal! Write letters back and forth about your day, write about math or science or his/her favorite lesson...the possibilities are endless! |
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What about spelling?
Word Wall Words: Print and hang, or have your student cut them out and paste into their Word Wall Notebook as they are mastered.
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