Practicing Sight Words- The Dolch List

The Dolch word list is made up of the most frequently used words. Most of these words cannot be sounded out. Knowing these words along with being able to sound out words will help your child become a more fluent reader. Many of these words are also found on the Journeys sight word lists. The lists are presented in frequency order, so the first words are the words found most often in English texts.

Students can practice reading the words one at a time and then practice reading them in sentences.

The sentences are labeled Pre Primer (list 1), Primer (list 2), 1st Grade (list 3), 2nd Grade (list 4) and 3rd Grade (List 5). The grade levels do not line up with school grade levels. Most students should be able to read most of the Dolch list by the end of first grade.

There is a sight word practice menu that gives suggestions for practicing these words.

You can use the Dolch Words to Read list to see which words your child already knows and then work on the others. There is a checklist that shows all five lists on one page.

Most students do best working on five words at a time. It’s also helpful to keep those words in the practice rotation to be sure they are mastered. Regular, short practice sessions are more effective than occasional longer sessions.

There is also a full set of sentences which use the Dolch high frequency words and other decodable words. Reading these sentences will help your child practice the high frequency words in context.

1. Have the child read a set of sentences. (Most pages have 8 sentences.) Write down any errors. (You can make a second copy of the sentences to record this on.)

2. Have the child practice any sentences where he/she missed words.

3. After some practice, have the child re-read the sentences. You should see an improvement.

Practice Ideas Sight Word Practice Menu

Use the following activities to practice your sight words. #1 – Bean Bag Toss #2 – Air Writing #3 – Color Code Use an old sheet and write Look at the sight word on a Write your sight words using your sight words in boxes. flashcard. Put your arm all only 2 different colors. Use Toss a bean bag onto the the straight out in front of one color for all of the vowels sheet and say the word it you and point with 2 fingers. and one for the consonants. lands on. Use big arm motions to write the word in the air. #4 – Scrabble or #5 – Shaving Cream #6 – Action Spelling Magnetic Letters Fun Do some sort of physical Use Scrabble or magnetic Spread shaving cream out on movement while spelling letters to spell your sight a piece of wax paper. Write your sight words. Examples: words. your sight words in shaving hopscotch, jumping jacks, leg cream. lifts, jump rope, v-sits, squats) (Add food coloring for fun!) #7 – Swat It #8 – Sidewalk Writing #9 – Tub Time Reading Write the sight words on Use sidewalk chalk and write Write the sight words on a an index card. Lay them the sight words on your piece of thin foam from a driveway. When a parent craft store. Put them on the out on the table. When says a word, spray it with a wall of the bathtub. Practice your parent says a word, squirt gun until the word reading them in the tub. swat it with a fly swatter! disappears. #10 – Sculpting Word #11 – Paint-filled #12 – Tub Time Writing Practice Baggies Use Crayola Bathtub Markers Use Play-Doh or modeling Fill resealable baggies with and write the words on the clay. Make the letters and paint (tape the top closed) bathtub wall. As you say build the sight words. and use Q-tips to draw the each letter, use a squirt gun letters on the bag. Read the to spray it and erase it. sight word when you’re finished. #13 – Sight Word #14 – Magic Word Reveal #15 – Muffin Tin Time Hopscotch Using a white crayon, write Write each sight word on a Use chalk to make a sight words on white paper. cupcake liner and place them hopscotch board. In each Paint over the paper with in the muffin tin. Colorful square write the sight words. watercolor paints. The word cupcake liners are fun to use! Toss a small rock onto you wrote will appear, as if Mom or dad can read a sight hopscotch board. by magic! word from the list. Drop a Read the word on the board small object into the muffin where the rock lands. tin to cover the sight word. You can also toss a ping pong ball into a cup and read the word where the ball lands. # 16 – I Spy #17 – Flashlight Words #18 – Go Fish Write your sight words on Turn off the lights. Tape sight Make 2 sets of sight word flashcards or post-it notes. words on the wall or ceiling. cards. With a duplicate set of Place them around a room. Use the flashlight to shine on word cards, play “Go Fish.” Have your parent say, “I spy” the word and then read it. and name a sight word. You go find it in the room. #19 – Stepping Stones #20 – Word Hunt #21 – Concentration Write the sight words on big Write the sight words on the Create 2 sets of word cards. circles. Place the circles on driveway. Have your parents Place them face down. Turn the floor. Walk on the call out a word and run to over 2 cards and try to make stepping stones and say the stand on the word. a match. Continue until all words as you step on them. words are matched up. #22 – SNAP #23 – Stair Chase #24 – Beat the Clock Put the sight words onto Place 2 sight words on each See how many sight words flashcards or small pieces of stair. Read one sight word on you can read in one minute. paper. Also write the word the way up and keep it if you Try to beat your score each SNAP on a few flash cards. can read it. Read the other time you play. Put them all in a jar. Take sight word on the way down. turns pulling cards out of the jar. If you can say the word automatically, you can keep the word. If you have trouble with the word, put it back in the jar. If you pull out a SNAP card, put all of your cards back in the jar. The first person to have 5 (or 10) cards wins! #25 – Eat Your Words #26 – Knock ‘Em Down #27 – Word-O Write your words in whipped Write your words on plastic Make a Bingo type card with cream, peanut butter, or cups. Line them up like 9 squares. Write the one sight yogurt. bowling pins. Roll a ball and word per square. Call out a knock the cups down. If you sight word and cover the can read a word, you can space with a small object if take the cup. Otherwise, the word is on the card. The stand it back up. Keep first person to cover all 9 playing until all words have squares calls out “WORDO!” been knocked down. and wins the game.