Interactive Sight Word FLASHCARDS. . . and more fun sight word stuff!

I am always looking for great ideas on how to teach sight words most effectively. I hope you find some ideas here you can implement in your own classroom!

Have a tall file cabinet? Make it a really easy spelling center by using your word wall cards throughout the week for kids to build using magnetic letters! On Fridays, we move the words to our word wall and on Mondays, we place the new words on the cabinet. I love easy. Want FREE word wall cards? Click the picture for a complimentary set that includes Fry words 1-100.

A few years ago, I realized the flashcards I was using didn't help my kids learn their sight words much. They were just regular flashcards, with one sight word on each card. With someone helping the children practice them, they were good, but I just couldn't work with 23 children at once, so I needed something they could work on independently. So, I created sight word flashcards with. . . picture sentences! 

And I also made large cards for whole-group use: word wall, words of the week bulletin board, games, etc.

The pictures help in several ways:

       •Students can focus on the target sight word, rather than struggle to decode the other words in the sentence.

       •They could use the cards independently because of the picture supports (so you get more time to work with small groups).
•They are learning the words in context, rather than in isolation. Ever have a child that can read a list of practiced sight words, but doesn't recognize them in context? This helps to improve recognition in texts.

Here are some ways I use these cards in my class.

•On Mondays, when I introduce our weekly sight words, I use the large sentence cards. I show the word side, then I show the sentence side for an example of the word in context. I then place the cards in my spelling pocket chart, where they will remain on display throughout the week.

•Throughout the week, we practice reading the words and sentences. Sometimes I quiz kids on the word side, and if they need help, I show the sentence side to help them. This way, everyone is successful when called on!

•Games- We use the cards for relay race (have kids sit in a few rows and only the first person in each row can call out the word when I show it. First person to read correctly gets to go to the back of their line (when the original 1st person leads again, that team wins).

EASY center! Simply laminate a piece of paper for students to place the card on and use letters to build, a dry-erase marker to write, finger-trace the large word, and use play-doh to stamp! All the fun of stamping with no mess. The best part is all you have to do each week is switch out the cards with your new words of the week and you have your spelling center ready to go. Nothing to print, nothing to correct.  I LOVE EASY! 

In addition to having the big cards for practice, each card is attached to a mix-and-fix sentence for students to practice building them! This covers skills like capitalization, punctuation, and 1:1 correspondence.

My sight word packs also include sheets you can use for at-a-glance assessment and to give parents to help reinforce the words their child needs practice with.

Here’s how I started keeping track this year. Each student has an envelope. When they master a set of 25 words, they get a color-coded sticker: pink, green, blue, yellow, and a certificate in their envelope! They are so excited to get their word rings and start practicing!

Here are the certificates they earn, which come in color and B&W. 

This is all included in the sight word mega-bundle: large 2-sided word cards with mix-and-fix sentences, sentence flashcards,  and cloze sheets (with and without picture supports) for Fry words 1-200, plus certificates and assessment sheets. Color and B&W options.

Want to try it free? Here is a freebie sample. Try this  with your kiddos to see how they like it! :)

 Here are a few more sight word freebies.

This year, we have our assistants for only 2 periods daily, so I asked parents if they would be willing to help out a bit with some of our classroom prep. They were so happy to help out! So I made these bags to send home with kids on a rotating basis- this really helps with getting the sight word rings ready! I also have bags for cutting out cards, sharpening pencils, and more.  I modified a poem I found on Pinterest to use it as a thank you treat :)!

For a free copy of the poem, click the picture below.