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Students learn to recognize high-frequency words that appear often in stories but are hard to sound out.
What if you could read a secret code that appears in almost every book in the world? Some words are like 'camera words'—you just have to snap a picture of them with your eyes to know them instantly!
Most words can be sounded out using phonics, but sight words are different. These are words that appear very often in stories but don't always follow the normal rules of sounds. We call them 'Heart Words' because we have to learn them by heart! Today, we are focusing on our first words. These words are the building blocks of almost every sentence you will ever read. When you see them, you shouldn't have to stop and think; you should know them as fast as a second camera flash!
Let's look at our first group of five words. Read them out loud: 1. the (The cat is big.) 2. of (A bag of chips.) 3. and (Mom and Dad.) 4. a (A red apple.) 5. to (Go to school.)
Quick Check
Which word do we use to join two things together, like 'milk ___ cookies'?
Answer
and
Now that you know the first five, let's add five more 'Power Words' to your collection. These words help us talk about people and things. The words are: in, is, you, that, and it.
When you see the word you, you are talking to a friend! When you see the word is, you are describing how something looks or feels right now. These words plus the first words give you a total of keys to unlock any story book.
Try to spot the sight words in these phrases: 1. It is hot. 2. In the box. 3. You are fast. 4. That is mine.
Quick Check
If you are pointing at a toy across the room, which word would you use: 'in' or 'that'?
Answer
that
Now for the best part! When we put these words together, we can make whole sentences. You don't need to sound out the letters because your brain already knows the 'picture' of the word. This is called fluency. The more you practice, the faster you will read. Soon, you will be reading whole pages without stopping!
Can you read this whole sentence using your new sight word powers? 1. You see that it is a dog and the dog is in the house.
Note: In this sentence, 9 out of 12 words are the sight words we just learned!
Which of these is a sight word we learned today?
Complete the sentence: 'A bag ___ candy.'
True or False: You should try to sound out sight words letter-by-letter every time you see them.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look at a cereal box or a favorite book and see if you can find the words 'the', 'and', or 'is'.
Practice Activity
Write each of the 10 words on a small piece of paper. Have a grown-up hide them around the room, and when you find one, shout the word out loud!