#High frequency words how to

(I’m trying to teach my students words that appear frequently in text, so that they eventually become sight words for the students.) How do readers learn high frequency words?

I like this term because even though it’s a little wordier, it better represents what I’m truly trying to teach. I used to say “sight words,” but now I mostly use the term “high frequency words.”

Words that a reader knows instantly, by sight.

Can also be irregularly spelled / have surprising or tricky sounds (like the words “four” or “does”).

Can be regularly spelled (no surprises – like the words “can” or “like”).Words that appear frequently in texts (especially beginning books for children).

#High frequency words how to

I’ll also share tips for how to teach sight words / high frequency words so that they really STICK! (And so that it’s actually fun, too.) ? Photo Credits: Black-Photogaphy What are high frequency words?įirst of all, let’s clarify the terms “high frequency words” and “sight words.” Here’s my current understanding of the terms: In this blog post, I’ll share what I’ve learned since then. I thought that all sight words were spelled irregularly – and that memorization was the only way to learn them. Moreover, I didn’t even really understand what a “sight word” was. Weren’t they supposed to be moving around? Doing hands-on activities? And not only that – it felt like it didn’t reflect the way young children learn. I remember thinking, “Wait…you just put the word on a card and he’s going to learn it? Just plain old memorization?” When possible, we were supposed to connect the high frequency words (aka sight words) to the books that we were reading with the child. My first experience with teaching high frequency words was filled with confusion.Īt that time, I was working as a reading tutor while also getting my undergraduate degree to become a certified teacher.Īs part of the reading tutoring program, I was supposed to introduce a few high frequency words on flash cards to a Kindergarten student.