| Home schooling parents can easily teach children | | | | outside for a walk, grocery shopping, visiting |
| grade level sight words at home. It's all in the | | | | friends, or to run an errand of any sort. As you |
| game. That is, just make it a game! | | | | are walking around comment on various objects, |
| Back in 1936, a fellow named E.W. Dolch | | | | animals or people. |
| developed the Basic Sight Word Vocabulary List. | | | | Mother: Look son, do you see that old house? It |
| This list of Sight Words has been updated several | | | | is very old, isn't it? |
| times over the years to include new words. The | | | | Child: Yes, mother. I wonder what it looks like |
| Dolch words are unlike regular words in that they | | | | inside. |
| many cannot be taught phonetically or sounded | | | | Mother: We just used one of our words on the |
| out as they do not follow our decoding rules. That | | | | list, "old". Can you find it for me and circle it? |
| is why they are called "Sight Words" or | | | | The child then looks for the word on the list and |
| "Frequency Words". Children must learn to | | | | circles it. BINGO! |
| recognize AND spell them by sight. | | | | Mother: YEAH!!! GOOD job!! Wow, you found that |
| Just perform a search on any search engine using | | | | word fast. |
| the keywords, "Dolch Sight Words". You will see | | | | Mother: Let's thank the kind man for helping us |
| that there is a Dolch list for levels Pre-primer | | | | with our shopping. Oops! I think we just used |
| through 3rd grade. Select the appropriate grade | | | | another one of our words! Can you find the word, |
| level that your child is in and print out only that list | | | | "thank" on our list and circle it please? |
| to start with. For example, below is the list for 1st | | | | As you can see, it is super easy to play games |
| graders.after again an any as ask by could every | | | | that encourage children to learn. When parents |
| fly from give givinghad has her him his how just | | | | get excited about learning and show enthusiasm, |
| know let live may ofold once open over put | | | | children also get excited about learning. Quality |
| round some stop take thank them then thinkwalk | | | | time parents spend teaching their children through |
| were when | | | | games and activities tend to remain in long term |
| Now, read the following scenario as an example | | | | memory for both parent and child. |
| of a game to play with children using the 1st | | | | Sight Words are very important for children to |
| grade Dolch Sight Word list. | | | | learn. Remember, they are not like most other |
| Show the list to the 1st grade child and ask, "Do | | | | words that can be decoded. |
| you know any of these words"? Take your time | | | | Why not make learning fun by incorporating |
| and just look through them for a minute. Give the | | | | games and activities that encourage children to |
| child plenty of time to look the word list over. 1st | | | | learn? Children are much more inclined to play a |
| grade children should be able to read some of the | | | | game than to specifically study one concept that |
| words after just looking at the list. Now for those | | | | they view as unimportant or dull. Of course, this |
| words children do not know, play a game. Write | | | | game can be used with any grade level on the |
| down the unknown words on another piece of | | | | Dolch Sight Word lists. |
| paper. Then, take the child with you and go | | | | |