Teaching “Tricky” Sight Words
A Sight Word Lesson Template and its accompanying lesson plan can be downloaded at the end of this post.
A Note Regarding the Terms “sight words” versus “high frequency words” ~
Sight words can refer to those words that readers recognize instantly, such as their own name, a restaurant name like “McDonald’s”, or any other word their brain has mastered. Sight words can also refer to the high frequency words that students often encounter in texts they read. In this post, the term sight word refers to the high frequency words our students must master.
What is meant by “tricky” sight words?
The “tricky” sight words are those that contain some special phonics element, such as:
1 or more letters that don’t make their usual sound,
a silent letter,
a digraph,
a diphthong,
an r-controlled vowel, or
a vowel pair.
Whether you use the Fry Word lists or the Dolch Word lists, the ultimate goal is for students to read sight words accurately and automatically. Only then can our young readers’ brains focus on comprehending text rather than decoding high frequency words.
How to Teach “Tricky” Sight Words
Below, you’ll find an engaging and effective method for teaching any “tricky” sight word to your students. This teaching method works best in a small-group setting so that you can group students according to the sight words they need to work on. Having said that, the very first time you use this teaching strategy, I recommend teaching the whole class. Choose a word that most of your students would struggle either reading or spelling accurately and teach the word using this method. Then in the future, when you gather a small group of students for sight word instruction, you only need to remind them of the procedure rather than explaining each step in detail.
Learning Target: I can read and spell sight words.
Each student will need the following materials:
lesson template ~ in a plastic sleeve or laminated
sight word card
5 cubes per student or a “pop-it” fidget toy
dry erase markers, 5 different colours
magnetic letters or letter tiles
1-2 books that have the sight word in the text
Download your copy of the lesson plan and template here.
Are you teaching your students the first 100 Fry Words? If so, you might be interested in a comprehensive sight word resource that features individualized sight word sheets for the “tricky” first 100 Fry Words. Click this button to visit My Shop and preview the resource.
