Teaching Sight Words

To teach new words or word parts (prefixes, suffixes, morphology, ex. -struct), teachers may use the following steps for Trace, Copy, Cover, Closed, (TCCC) which can be combined with Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS). (Both TCCC and SOS are procedures from Orton-Gillingham)

o Teacher writes the target word or feature in large letters on a white board, using the word’s conventional spelling. (The teacher may choose to use pronunciation marks to show students how to say the word, but this guide should be erased prior to TCCC + SOS.) o Trace—Students trace over the letters with a marker on the big white board, saying the names of the letters, not the sounds the letters make. o Copy—Ss copy the word below the word on the white board o Cover—Ss then erase the word on the white board and write the word. (If this is done on the student’s paper. the drag from the pencil will add a kinesthetic level to their memory.) o Closed—Ss close their eyes and write the word. o During all 4 steps, Ss use Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS). They are to say the names of the letters out loud as they write the words.

2. After using the TCCC+SOS process to teach a new word, the word should then be written on a pink index card and added to the child’s or group’s word deck. Words should be written in black. Pronunciation marks should be in red.

Example: “said”: Date: Read: Write: SAIDS ě Said Said

To use the deck: Each word card should be shown to the student or group for no more than 3 seconds. After that, it is to be laid down and the next word shown. Only 1 word should be added to the deck per day, until the student or group has assembled a deck of 5 cards. Only 5 cards are to be used in the card deck at one time.

After the student or group has read the word correctly 3 times in a row, the card can be “retired.” In the upper left-hand corner of the card, on the back, the date the word was introduced is recorded, as well as the date by which it was read 3 times. The student must also be able to write the word in isolation. Retired cards should be revisited periodically, about every two weeks.

November 3, 2009 2

Other ideas for teaching sight words:

Wearing the word:

The teacher wears the word in a plastic name badge holder. During the lesson and/or during the day, the teacher will ask the student or group to read the word, chant it, or spell it.

“ Make and Break”:

Magnetic letters for the target word are scrambled on a magnetic board. Students are asked to figure out what word the letters make. The teacher can also ask the Ss to put the word in a sentence, verbally and in writing, depending on the needs of the Ss.

Sentence Puzzles:

Teacher writes a sentence on sentence strips. Next, the strips are cut up between the words and returned to the students. The Ss read the sentence with the T as she cuts the words apart. The Ss assemble the sentence. Finally, the teacher asks for specific words for the Ss to hand her, based on the target of the lesson. This is a Reading Recovery, Right Start and CLIP strategy.

November 3, 2009