Teaching Sight Words

admin January 28, 2013 No Comments

A few months back I posted the 10 Activities for Learning Letters and Sounds activity kit that I developed for a few first graders who hadn’t yet mastered letters and sounds.  The idea behind the kit was to provide fun, hands-on activities for either classroom voluteers or parents to work with their child at home.  Well, since that time, those little first graders have learned their letters and sounds and are now ready to focus on sight words.  So here’s the activity kit for learning the Dolch sight words.  Of course we’ll begin with list 1 (first 25), but I’ve made the activities through list 3. To assemble your very own kit, first print this 4-page pdf.  This file contains

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Four In A Row Winter Themed Freebie

admin January 12, 2013 No Comments

These cute little 4-In-A-Row templates have just been sitting in my computer files just waiting to be made into an activity.  Last month I used the templates to create activities for sight words, but I know many of our kinders are now working on decoding CVC words and I wanted to make an activity specifically for them.  Of course, there are first graders who could use extra practice with this skill, too. Click the following link to download this freebie! Winter 4 In A Row CVC Words My first grade friends are now working on decoding CCVC/CVCC words.  So I whipped up this 4-In-A-Row game board. Click the following link to download the 4-In-A-Row game board for blends Winter 4

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Halloween Themed Game Boards

admin October 17, 2012 No Comments

I am so lovin’ Kyle’s Halloween clip art, I can be making Halloween activities well into next year!  We are working like crazy trying to get them all done in the next two weeks before transitioning to Thanksgiving and then Christmas quickly following.  I can’t believe how the school year is flying by!  Kyle made 4 adorable sight word game board designs.  I have to say the spider is my favorite.   Here’s a little freebie for you to use in either your small group instruction or as an activity in your literacy centers. Click the following link to download the FREE game board for list 4 of the Dolch sight words  Halloween Sight Word Game Board List 4 You can find all 9 Halloween

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Halloween Themed 4-In-A-Row Game Boards

admin October 7, 2012 No Comments

I found these cute little eyeball felt stickers in the holiday section at JoAnn Fabrics.  Since there were only two eyeball colors I thought they’d make for fun game pieces for a Halloween themed 4-In-A-Row game.  I asked Kyle (fabulous artist) to make a matching 4-In-A-Row board and, as usual, she did an awesome job!  This activity is perfect for use during your small group instruction or as an activity for your literacy centers. Click the following link to download your FREE game board for list one Halloween 4 In A Row List One If you don’t have  JoAnn Fabrics store in your hometown, these cute erasers make for an equally adorable option.   I picked up this package at our local Dollar

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Boo! A Fun Halloween Game

admin October 3, 2012 No Comments

Practicing sight words is fun with games like Boo!  I love this game because it offers many opportunities for response and the kids LOVE playing it.  To assemble your game, simply print the pages single-sided to double-side on cardstock and cut out the cards.  Scatter the cards word side down on the table and have the students take turns choosing the cards.  When a student picks the “Boo!” card all of his or her cards are returned to the pile.  Play then continues until your small group intervention time is over.  The player with the most cards at the end wins the game.  Sound simple?  It is, but the kiddos love it! Click HERE to download your FREE Boo! sight word game

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Monsters and Aliens, Oh My!

admin September 23, 2012 No Comments

Well I made the Candy Corn Alphabet activity with a cute little box found at JoAnn Fabrics and the Halloween Rhyming game with plastic discs found at Michaels Craft Store; I just couldn’t leave out my other favorite craft store- the Hobby Lobby.  While on my shopping trip with my daughter in the “big city” of Lansing, we stopped by the Hobby Lobby and found these cute little foam aliens.  I thought they’d be perfect for a Halloween-themed math center activity.   Okay– there is some assembly involved, but aren’t they so, so cute?  There are a total of 30 aliens! The directions for assembly are on the pdf which you can download for free. This is what the package looks

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Tactile Sight Word Cards- No Sandpaper Needed!

admin August 28, 2012 No Comments

Ever since posting the DIY tactile letters, I wanted to create templates to make tactile words for the first three lists of the Dolch 220 sight words.  I’m such a believer in a multi-sensory approach to teaching that, despite the amount of time they’ll take to make, they’ll be so worth the effort!  Once made, they should last you for years. So, this is what you’ll need for your project:  1.  Adhesive Outdoor Tread.  I purchased this tread at my favorite home improvement store–the Home Depot in the paint section.  2.  9 sheets of 3 different colors of 12×12 cardstock (scrapbooking cardstock found in most large department stores).  3.  Clear contact paper if you do not have access to a laminator.

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Multi-Sensory Ideas for Teaching Sight Words

admin July 18, 2012 No Comments

In order to be fluent readers, students need to be able to recognize sight words quickly and accurately as these words make up between 50-70% of the words we encounter in text.  Students who struggle learning sight words greatly benefit from using a multi-sensory approach to teaching.  The term “multi-sensory” means using all the different senses at the same time.  Using this approach to teaching increases the likihood that the student will remember the word.  When teaching sight words this coming year, try using a variety of multi-sensory materials during your small group intervention or within your literacy centers.  Here are a few of my favorites: 1.  Craft Sand-  Students love writing their sight words in sand!  Admittedly, it could be

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Assessing and Progress Monitoring Sight Words

admin July 16, 2012 No Comments

One of the many benefits of my job is that I have the opportunity to travel to many different elementary buildings.  I know you may be sitting there thinking, “I’d hate that”, but it’s actually tons of fun.  Each building has it’s own unique personality so every day of the week brings a brand new experience.  When I first started my job traveling among the 13 elementary buildings in our ISD, it was plainly obvious that each building had it’s own measure of what they considered to be “normal”.  In fact, the idea of what was considered “normal” could (and often did) vary from teacher to teacher within the same building.  We were quite often faced with a situation where a teacher would bring a child

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Fun Finds at Walmart for Your Small Group Intervention

admin July 11, 2012 No Comments

Horray!  Back-to-school supplies are now in stores!  If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know how I love my Walmart.  So I was thrilled to see great bargins in the school aisle at my favorite store.  Here are a few of items I found that would be great to have in your small group intervention area: 1.  Locker mirrors.  Mirrors are a must in any small group intervention area!  When teaching letters and sounds, especially for those struggling readers, having them watch the placement of their lips, tongue and teeth while making the sounds is very helpful.  These decorative mirrors are only 88 cents!  They are the perfect size. 2.  Dry Erase Boards- Dry erase boards are another

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