Sight Words

Last year, your child learned 25 high-frequency or "sight" words. These words make up about 33% of the words an adult American would encounter in printed texts. This year we will be studying 82 more sight words which together with those your child has learned make up about 50% of all words one would encounter when reading most English texts. This means that by the endo the year, your child should be able to effortlessly read at least one out of every two words he or she encounters which is of course very exciting.

We are going to be working with two to three new sight words per day and will have assessments at the end of each week. While this seems like a fairly rapid rate, it is based on the law of 10/20 which states that rapid pacing with frequent reviews leads to long term memories. We will have covered all of the 82 new words in the first 7 weeks of class and will then begin to review them again over the next 7 weeks. At the end of the year we will have reviewed these words 5 times. Studies have shown that this meathod is much more effective than studing only a few words each week with fewer reviews.

Especially in our first 7 week cycle, it would be beneficial for your child to work on sight words at home. I am posting a sight words study strategy in the side bar for you to reference throughout the year. Research has found this to be much more effective than simply using flashcards to memorize these words. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to talk to me. I am excitied about the progress your child will make this year and look forward to working with you!