Sight words are important to reading success. It’s certainly not the only focus in our reading instruction, but students who receive effective sight word instruction improve as readers and have more confidence and they read! So, let’s talk about one way to engage students in sight word instruction.
I’ve shared in the past some of my favorite hands on ways to have students practice their sight words. Today I’m going to share a another excellent tool for sight word instruction: Personalized Sight Word Readers! I developed my Personalized Sight Word Readers for a few reasons and purposes. First, I truly believe every student deserves to see themselves in the stories that they read. Have you ever had a student spot their name in a reading passage or story? Even their brother or sister’s name? Instant excitement! I wanted to capture that excitement and use it in to grab the attention of students, so my Personalized Sight Word Readers were born!
What are Sight Words?
Before I get into it, I wanted to make sure we know exactly what we’re talking about when I say sight words. Sight words, also called high frequency words, are just that. They are words that are incredibly common in the English language. These are words that students will constantly run into while reading, so mastery of sight words is incredibly important to reading success. Contrary to popular belief, a large number sight words can be sounded out! In fact, at least some part of most sight words follow traditional spelling patterns. In fact, any word that a person can read on sight is technically a sight word. However, when most people refer to sight words, what they are actually talking about is a list of very common words frequently used in reading and writing. They’re also words that students will often be using in their writing because they are so common, so it’s important for students to learn how to write them as well. So how can we help our students master sight words in an engaging and meaningful way? Let me share one option with you today!
So Much More Than Just a Reader
I wanted to design a resource that would be more than “just” a reader. I wanted something that was more than a one and done reading activity. These readers are designed to engaging your students, practice multiple skills, and can be read over and over! So, let’s take a tour!
First, the cover of each reader has a blank face. Students draw themselves in the picture because the story is about them!
Inside, the students will read the story and often interact with the inside as well. They might draw themselves again in the story, count, make a choice, or answer some questions. They will engage with the sight word in a fun way! Illustrations also help students with potential unknown words. Additionally, each page has the focus sight word hidden in the illustration, so students can use a magnifying glass, find the hidden sight word, and highlight it!
On the back, students will fill, trace, and write the sight word. Once complete, students have practiced recognizing, reading, and writing the sight word! Because, remember, these are words your students will need to be able to read AND write.
You can also place the readers on a binder ring so students can keep them in school or at home to read later.
These simple but engaging books are a great tool to add to your sight word instruction toolkit! They’re great for all students, but are especially effective with students who are struggling to learn their sight words. This bundle includes readers for 251 common sight words!
Click here to view the preview and download a free reader to try.
Click the picture below to check out the resource.
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