Sight Words booklets packed with ideas

Updating archives ~ Get your FREE Sight Words sampler Ebook and purchase a complete 30-page Sight Words Ebook

Teaching sight words is a very important and helpful tool to make reading easier for young students from pre-K to Grade 3.

Sight words = often also called high frequency sight words, are commonly used words that young children are encouraged to memorize as a whole by sight, so that they can automatically recognize these words in print without having to use any strategies to decode. (Definition – Wikipedia)

Sight words often cover almost half the reading material on a page.  By memorizing sight words, a child can quickly recognise and recall these words and does not need to decode or break up or sound out every letter of each word, thus simplifying his reading process.
What sight word lists to teach?

There are 3 main sight word lists ~

1. Dolch Sight Words
2. Fry’s 1000 Sight Words list using more modern words.
3. Most frequently used words First 100-200 most commonly used words charts  or First 100 high frequency word lists

Whatever lists you choose to teach your child, you should introduce one or two words  each day, gradually adding new words while repeating and practicing the taught words until your child has learnt the entire list. Very quickly your child will build a wonderful, rich store of instantly recognized words which he can quickly read, thus building his reading ability.

How to teach sight words?

A general rule = Always say the whole word, then spell it out and then say it again, underlining the whole word with the first 2 fingers from left to right. 

There are several additional valuable techniques to teach sight words. You can view these lessons on http://www.sightwords.com/sight-words/lessons/

1. See and Say
2. Spell and read
3. Arm Tap
4. Air Writing 
5. Table Writing
6. Quick correction 

Download your FREE sampler  ~ Sight Words Sampler including the Dolche lists with words in sentences and the Dice & Spinner templates

Sight word games to play

The best way to practice is to have fun! Once the words have been taught, the child must practice those words daily.  Many of these games involve physical exercise which, in turn, strengthens core and fine motor muscles and reinforces directions and spatial awareness.  My complete 30-page Sight Words EBook has all the games, ideas, activities, templates and posters for you to have fun teaching and learning sight words with your children.

As in all teaching, you should customize your child’s lists to suit their levels of maturity and ability.  When they are ready, they will quickly learn new words and enjoy the learning process.

Click over to my Packages page to order the full 30-page Sight Words Ebook which includes ~

• How to teach sight words lessons with detailed examples.
• 18 Creative Spelling games (one or two players & physical activities
• 24 Spelling ideas with unique activities &fun ideas
• Dolch sight word lists with flashcards & words in sentences
• Fry’s 100 Sight Words
• 100 Frequently used sight word lists
• Spinner and dice templates for games and activities
• Board game and Bingo template
• Links to websites and YouTube videos

Please support me by ordering this wonderful booklet on my Packages Page.

References ~ You will find lots of other lists, flashcards, games and downloads on the web ~

• Sight word lessons – www.sightwords.com/
• Dolch flash cards – www.sightwords.com
• Dolch word lists for all the grades –www.sightwords.com
• All Dolch words alphabetical order pdf download –www.sightwords.com/
• Dolch lists – www.kidzone.ws/dolch/grade1.htm
• Fry’s First 100 Frequency words – www.kidzone.ws
• Sight word games – www.sightwords.com/
• More new sight word games – www.sightwords.com/
• Online sight words games –www.education.com/
• Interactive Printable Flash Cards – www.apples4theteacher.com
• 100 Most common words –.wikipedia.org

 Blessings, Nadene

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Beatitudes Copywork Pages

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount contain His “Blessed are …” blessings called The Beatitudes, one of the most loved portions of the Gospel.

Jesus describes a character trait or action that is often not associated with blessedness. He then describes the reward or blessing of such people who follow God’s ways.

I have created these Beatitude Copywork pages which include a detailed discussion of Charlotte Mason’s Copywork approach, the full Beatitude Scripture followed by a copywork page for each verse with a personal response or interpretive writing prompts.

Charlotte Mason’s  Copywork lessons are power-packed and very naturally offer short lessons where the child can practice beautiful handwriting, develop correct grammar and improve spelling, increase vocabulary, and seamlessly teach good writing style.

More importantly, these Scripture Copywork lessons provide an opportunity for your child to learn, understand, memorize and make the Scriptures a meaningful personal part of their lives. (Read this post describing Copywork stages in detail.)

Back in 2010 I created a Beatitudes slide strip page to help memorize the scriptures.

The child inserts the 2 strips and slides them to match.

 

For greater mastery,  when the child knows the verses well, she can leave one strip out and memorize the missing part of each verse.

A great way to help memorize the scriptures.

 

For fun, I made a Matching Beatitudes Card Game.  Here 2 or more people can play “memory” with the Beatitudes cards.

 

Here are your  Free Beatitude pages ~

• Beatitudes Copywork Print
• Beatitudes Copywork Cursive
• Beatitude Memory Verse Game & Slide Strips

Pop over to my Copywork Pages for all my other free downloads.

Blessings, Nadene

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Famous Music Quotes Copywork Pages

Introducing new free Famous Music Quotes for Copywork ~

I have created a collection of 50 Famous Music Quotes copywork pages, in separate print and cursive downloads.   This bundle contains one Famous Music Quotation copywork sheet a week for a whole year!  

These copywork pages also include a personal response or interpretive writing prompts, offering you a power-packed application if you follow Charlotte Mason’s 3 copywork stages ~

I.  Copywork (Grades 1-2) is simply copying a passage ~

• copy carefully & slowly,  practice beautiful handwriting in context, reinforces the habits of observation, best effort, and attention

II.  Transcription. (Grades 2-3) copying from memory ~ 

• looks at/ studies the word in the passage, then writes it from memory, and double checking his spelling right away

III. Dictation (Grades 4–12) an advanced skill of writing out the prepared passage as the parent or teacher dictates it to him ~

• The child studies the passage ahead of time, taking note of the spelling, punctuation and capitalization. Parents dictate the passage phrase by phrase.

Here are your free Famous Music Copywork pages ~

• Famous Music Quotes Print Copywork
• Famous Music Quotes Cursive Copywork
  

Pop over to my Copywork Pages for all my other free downloads.

Blessings, Nadene

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Nature Copywork Pages

Don’t your just love a bargain?  When an advert declares,

“And that’s not all … there’s more!  Included in this special offer we also give you …..  But, wait!  There is more …. you will also receive this amazing bonus of ….”

Well that’s how I felt when I discovered Charlotte Mason‘s Copywork.  Although her approach seems deceptively simple, it is power-packed with skills and range of difficulty that will teach, reinforce, strengthen and develop your child’s handwriting, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and writing style, all the way from Grade 1 to  high school graduation!

Charlotte Mason approached copywork in 3 stages ~

Copywork

Transcription

Dictation

Gently moving from one stage to the next as the child is ready, the child will very naturally learn beautiful handwriting, develop grammar and improve spelling, increase vocabulary, and seamlessly imitate good writing style.

Copywork (Grades 1-2) is simply copying a passage ~ 

• Once a child has learnt to write each letter using my laminated handwriting charts, beginners begin to copy each sentence, done slowly and gently, with an emphasis on quality not quantity.
• Careful copywork gives a child the opportunity to practice beautiful handwriting in context.
• Copywork reinforces the habits of observation, best effort, and attention.
• Lessons are kept short (5–10 minutes) and the goal is beautiful work.

Copywork leads to Transcription. (Grades 2-3) copying from memory ~

• Once the student has mastered the mechanics of handwriting, he can start concentrating on the spelling of the passages he is copying. 
• At this stage he looks at/ studies the word in the passage, then writes it from memory, and double checking his spelling right away.
• Rather than copying letter for letter, he begins to write whole words from memory, working his way through the passage.

Dictation (Grades 4–12) is an advanced skill of writing out the prepared passage as the parent or teacher dictates it to him ~  

• The child studies the passage ahead of time making sure he knows how to spell every word in it, taking note of the punctuation and capitalization.
• Parents dictate the passage phrase by phrase.
• Dictation cultivates the habit of looking at how words are spelled, reinforces correct punctuation and capitalization; sharpens listening comprehension; increases vocabulary through context; reinforces correct sentence structure; reinforces the habits of observation and attention. 

I have created a series of copywork pages, and updated my popular Nature Quotes with both print and cursive options.   The print version has new,  considerably shorter and easier quotes. These pages also include creative writing or interpretive writing prompts, offering you a power-packed application if you follow Ms Mason’s 3 methods.

Here are your free copywork pages ~

•  Nature Quotes Copywork Cursive
• Nature Quotes Copywork Print

Pop over to my Copywork Pages for all my other free downloads.

I love Charlotte Mason’s simple, yet highly effective approach!

Blessings, Nadene

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Spelling Habit Training

I usually teach spelling with lists; Ruth Beechick‘s high frequency word lists, thematic spelling, and/or a Schonell Spelling list (see my Book List).  But whether you follow a spelling book, program or list, your children need to learn their spelling using all these steps in order to reinforce their spelling mastery.

Younger children learn best using as many senses as possible, so encourage listening, seeing, and doing.  Say the word, then spell each letter aloud (auditory memory) while looking at the word and then visualizing the word with eyes closed (visual memory).  Write out the word, or use scrabble tiles (kinesthetic memory).  These activities form a combination that really helps learning.

Make it fun!  I often exaggerate silent letters or pronounce the word as it is spelt.  Play games with letter tiles.  We love to work with Bananagram tiles!

Always teach spelling in context.  The child must understand the word’s meaning.  Test spelling with the word in a sentence.  My middle schooler loves to create her own silly sentences with as many words in a sentence that still makes some sense.

Use a whiteboard and quickly erase any mistakes while learning or doing pre-tests.  Avoid any visual memory of any incorrect spelling.

Ask your child to write out mistakes for corrections.  Usually 3 to 5 times is enough to reinforce the correct spelling.  Do corrections as soon after the test as possible,

Finally, encourage an older child to make their own vocabulary lists of words they learn from their reading.  I love the scene in the movie “The Book Thief” where the basement walls become the child’s word list.

Here’s your free teaching spelling poster download ~ Learning Spelling

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Blessings,

Add Variety

Variety adds “spice” to life …

and different approaches are good tools to enhanced learning!

This is especially true when a child struggles, stresses or stagnates in learning skills.

Spelling and maths tables, bonds and drills are common problem subjects in many children’s schooling, and despite diligent effort, they may still struggle to master new and difficult skills.

When this happens, look for some new tools or methods and to try to involve as many senses as possible.

Movement is often a great method to apply in Maths.  We use these for tables and bonds or reviews:

• skip with a rope calling out the skip counting or times tables  
• jump on a mini trampoline
• jump up a flight of stairs, one step at a time, if the answer is correct, back if incorrect
• clap hands as partners to tables
  

  This is a great idea to add to ‘blank’ trampolines – excellent for directionality and spatial awareness

• bounce and catch a beach ball – on floor/ against a wall/ with mom or sibling
• hop on one leg

With spelling, try a variety of objects:

• Bananagrams
• Scrabble tiles
• magnetic letters on the fridge
• white board
• trace in flour/ rice/ small lentils on a tray
• trace letters on a sealed Ziploc bag filled with colored pudding (and enjoy eating it afterwards)
• play-dough letters
• foam letters – print out spelling
• physically forming the letter shape with their body and a rope or stick.

Review or re-wind previous lessons with a different approach.

Use arrows, directions and obstacle courses, play “Twister” to amplify Geography skills.

When your child starts school after a long break, try  a physical, musical workout and make it energetic fun.

Music, songs and rap are excellent for spelling or learning off by heart.  Add some cool moves which amplify meaning to add to the impact of the learning experience. My kids still remember their Geography Songs CD!

Do school in a different room or place or in a  new environment. Sit under the table, stand on the table, go outside, or lie on the floor.  Try to learn in a darkened room and encourage the child to print “mental visual images” in their minds.

Despite variety being fun, it activates different centers in the brain and facilitates neural links and connections.

When a child really continues to struggle, I  encourage you to take you child to an occupational or remedial therapist.  Apart from correctly assessing where the problem may lie, they have a massive repertoire of games, activities and approaches which you can use at home.  They have mastered the art of using games to teach and reinforce skills.

Lastly, although iPad and Smartphone apps and computer games promote interactive learning, research has shown that screens and flashing imagery does not necessarily enhance learning as much as real life, physical, sensory experiences do.

Teach new skills in new ways to add to the impact of the lesson. Find your child’s learning style and work that into your teaching style.

Laugh and have fun.

What novel ways have you used to teach or reinforce lessons?  Please share with other readers in the comments.

Blessings,

Bananagram Spelling

BANANAGRAMS

is a fantastic word game!

Similar to Scrabble, but played without a board, players make as many words as they can with their letter tiles.

Recently I used it to reinforce my 9-year old’s spelling lessons.

It is easy to build words in spelling families – just add letters, swap letters, make new words, find root words … the possibilities are endless!

Quick, fun, tactile, kinesthetic and visual – every learning sense is used to play and learn spelling.

We enjoy a variety of other spelling activities:

• write words on a white tile/ whiteboard
• Spelling City – fantastic free site with auditory and visual lessons, games and tests
• spell aloud while jumping on a mini trampoline or skipping rope

What fun activities do you use to teach spelling?  Share with us in the comments.

Blessings,