Headfirst - a blog for primary teachers by a first grade teacher: 2019

Sight words are an important part of learning to read. Practicing word wall words or high-frequency words, as they are sometimes called, should be a part of your daily classroom routine. Here are some fun ways to practice reading and spelling these words.

These Editable Play-doh Mats are a kinesthetic way to practice spelling sight words.

These Editable Candyland Cards make learning sight words so much FUN! Type in your words and print the cards to play just like real Candyland.

These Editable Hidden Word Mats are seasonal. There are mats for each month of the year. Use the same recording sheet for all the mats. Here is set 2.

Sight Word Phrases are a way to practice reading sight words in context. Kids check it off if they can read it correctly. Here is set 2.

Bingo Daubers are a fun tool for kids to use. Enter your own words on these Editable Bingo Dauber Word Sheets. Kids find the words and stamp them with the same color dot marker. There are sheets for all seasons and many popular holidays.

Roll Say Take is an easy game that can be programmed with any skill you need. Enter your own words. Seasonal options for each month are included!

I hope these give you some fresh ideas on how to practice reading and writing sight words.

Making words is not a new concept but still very effective. It helps students see patterns in words. An old practice that is very applicable to the Science of Reading! Different sounds including short vowels, sneaky e, blends, consonant digraphs, vowel digraphs, bossy r, and diphthongs are all things kids need practice on. I really like these magnets and mini-whiteboards from Really Good Stuff. This is CVC for short a.

When I don't need students to have all the letters of the alphabet, paper letters are nice.

This is a phonics word building resource. Make Words to learn the sounds that letters make individually and in digraphs, trigraphs, and with sneaky e. CVC, CVCC, CCVC, CVVC patterns. Over 40 lists of words with student and pocket chart size letter cards so students can make words and see how words can be changed into other words when they have the same sounds. You can purchase this resource in my store at this link >> Phonics Word Building

Word ladders also can also teach students about patterns in words. They can see how you can manipulate the letters to change a word into another word. I put them in page protectors so I can use them over and over and have them handy at all times. These are oa words.

These picture sorts have the words on the back. Sort by sound or by letters. They fit nicely in the desktop pocket charts. These are long e sounds. Rhyming cards are also included.

Students pick a card and color the corresponding sound. Each resource has a different clip art theme that isn't seasonal so you can use them anytime.

My students never get tired of these. It is great for some vocabulary development, too. They are easy to clean in these page protectors. They can be cut into cards also. It is shown in bossy r.

Another low prep word work activity is word puzzles. This one is consonant digraphs.

All of the above can be found in my Phonics Word Work. Click below to see each pack in my store!

This is the bundle and you can also purchase each sound type separately:

This is a simple word work activity. Use the making words lists from the resources above to make these word sticks or download the FREEBIE below! The left is for real words and the right is for nonsense words. Green sticks are consonants or blends for onsets of words. Red sticks are vowels and consonants for times.

I start out with CVC words and then do CVCC (blends) and CVCC (digraphs). Later I move on to CVCE long vowel words. Teach students about patterns in words and how you can manipulate the letters to change a word into another word. Cheap, easy, engaging, and fun!

Students LOVE this seasonal word work resource. You can use it to practice sight words, spelling words, or words with certain sounds. You can even put math problems in the editable fields.

I have two sets. See them in the preview videos here:

Purchase them Here: Editable Hidden Sight Words Set 1

Editable Hidden Sight Words Set 2

This is another favorite of my students. You can edit the document to put in your own words. Students can use play-doh to make the words and then trace and write them.

Find it in my store here: Play-doh Editable Word Mats

Ringo is rhyming bingo. CVC and long vowel versions available. Students cover the word on their mat that rhymes with the word on the call card. Here the students are playing the long vowel version.