KinderCharm: Crazy for SIGHT WORDS!

This Spring, we are crazy for sight words in my classroom! Sight words are such an important part of early reading development and progression...but I always find myself searching for fun, new ways to get these sight words to really "stick." Here are a few ideas to get your students excited about learning sight words!

SIGHT WORD EGG HUNT

This may be my favorite Easter activity to do each year...and I think the kids would agree! Who knew plastic Easter eggs could be such a wonderful teaching tool?

You need a variety of plastic Easter eggs. Using a permanent marker, write sight words that your students have learned/are learning across the top of the eggs...then fill the eggs with whatever you please! I usually hide well over 100 eggs, giving them lots of words to find and practice! While my kids are out of the classroom (at fine arts or lunch,) I hide the eggs in various spots around the classroom. Make sure you count the eggs you hide...or you may be finding Easter eggs for weeks to come! When my students come back in, I give them a limit on the number of eggs they can find (so everyone gets the same :) and then the hunt begins!

After all the eggs are collected, it's time to read and eat! They sit in groups at their tables, taking turns reading their sight words to each other. My rule is- you must read the word to your friends before you can open the egg and remove the candy! It's truly AMAZING how EXCITED they get to read a sight word!

WORD WORK STATIONS

Word Work Stations are the best new thing that I have implemented in my classroom this year. I have always loved word work...these stations make the kids love word work too! I have 5 word work stations and my students get to go to one station a day. These stations last for about 10 minutes at the end of my reading block and allow us to practice and master skills like letters, sounds, blends, digraphs, spelling patters, cvc words, blending, segmenting, sight words...I could go on for days! The great thing about these word work stations is that you can differentiate each activity to meet the needs of the students that are working at the station that day. Below are my word work bins...you can use bins, baskets, or anything else that you have handy! Groups know their rotations and they visit a different number bin each day of the week. Bins are portable and travel right to their tables.

Like I said, we have been crazy for sight words in my classroom this week, so my word work stations have focused on sight words. Here are my sight word stations that you can use in your very own classroom....they will provide you week after week of work stations!

1. Sight Word Man/ Sight Word Flower:

We all played hangman growing up...I've adapted this childhood game to make it kindergarten friendly! Instead of building a hangman, students can choose to build a man/woman or a flower. There are picture patterns to trace or empty boxes to draw in when your students become pros at this game. Students take turn picking a 2, 3 or 4 letter sight word. The other players guess letters and attempt to figure out the sight word their buddy is thinking of. These sight word man/flower cards are laminated...the kids use dry erase markers and magic erasers making these game boards reusable and lasting! Get the sight word man game boards here for free! SIGHT WORD MAN GAME BOARDS

2. Sight Word Tic Tac Toe:

I've taken a variety of sight words and placed them in Tic Tac Toe boards. The kids work in pairs or groups to complete this game. They must read the word to their buddy in order to put an X or an O over top. The goal- Tic Tac Toe..Three in a Row! Again, laminate or place in page protectors...and magic erasers are your best friend! Sight Word Tic Tac Toe

3. Sight Word Memory:

Another childhood game that students love transformed into...sight word memory! Print these sight word cards on card stock to create an engaging word work station. Students flip cards face down and then take tuns trying to make sight word matches. If you get a match, you get to keep the card! No match, try again! They player with the most cards at the end wins! Sight Word Memory

4. Sight Word Scramble:

This is a favorite of mine because it really promotes higher order thinking. Students must look closely at the flash card that has a scrambled sight word on it. Then they have to unscramble the sight word in their head and write it on a white board. This flash card version is great for independent practice. Sight Word Scramble Flash Cards. I also have a game board version of this game that students can use in pairs or teams...it requires even more higher order thinking because students have to come up with their own sight word, scramble it themselves, and have their partners try and guess their word. Sight Word Scramble Game Boards

5. Big Book Sight Word Hunt:

Big books are a big hit in my classroom during shared reading. One of my word work stations this week is having students read these familiar big books and search for sight words inside. They use popsicle stick pointers and highlighter tape which certainly keeps them engaged. I have them focus on finding our sight words of the week but I also keep flash cards at this station for them to pull from...to give them more ideas of words to hunt for.