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Kathleen - Welcome to the weekly meeting for early childhood and primary grade educators! All are welcome. Is anyone here for the first time? Tonight's topic is Sight Words. What are sight words? Why and how do we teach them?
Kathleen - Do you differentiate between the Dolch type sight words and sight words from the child's own experience? For example, classmates' names are sight words.
Nancy K/OH - Yes, I do. Each year the class differs in the sight words we learn like names
Julie - My reading series has sight words to talk about in every lesson. You can create a word wall from them
Kathleen - Let's identify grade levels as much as possible. Kindergarten here
Mary/PA - Sight words are the high frequency words that children should know as soon as they see them as opposed to words that they have to decode. Children need them to help add fluency to their reading and to use them as anchors when using context and meaning to figure out the other words. Learning sight words helps the brain develop the pathways needed to learn how to learn words.
Nancy K/OH - I use as my starting pointing the 25 words listed in the book Making Words by Pat Cunningham
Maggie - how do you teach these words..and do you include them in weekly spelling for grade ones??
Julie - Mary that was very well said
Kathleen - I'm opposed to drilling on sight words out of context in kindergarten. It's easy to expose children to some basic sight word vocabulary in class-made books, on daily charts with poems and songs.
Mary/PA - The first sight words that my kids learn are the names of their classmates.
Julie - You can also put labels on classroom things like the flag door chalkboard...
Kathleen - Classmates' names are powerful teaching tools.
lynne - in 12 years of teaching kdg, this year is the year I have used the most writing....maybe went overboard a bit. But, I have several kids who can read several words just from journal writing, model writing, etc.
rene - I start off the year with their names and some environmental words such as exit and boys, girls (on the restroom)
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen I agree, I do not drill my K's on sight words. I use a word wall, they see the sight words in the weekly poems, big books, class books we make and little reproducilbe books they take home
Julie - Nancy I have used the Making Words book too
Maggie - my daughter has weekly spelling words (Grade one)..this weeks are fruit, cube, excuse, etc.. is this normal for grade one??
Kathleen - I asked Bobbi Fisher (author of Joyful Learing, etc.) for her opinion about sight word drill at home with flashcards: "About sending home the same list of sight words to all k kids regardless of their level of readiness, asking parents to drill with flashcards," NO. Is in the same category as sending home spelling lists, or doing letter of the week, only worse. 1. Waste of time for kids who know them 2. For those who don't know them, huge stress for children and parents, with enormous psychological and thus learning repercussions. 3. Conveys the message that reading is about reading words, not about meaning.
lynne - eek, Maggie.....I am only kdg but that seems "different" for grade one!
Debbie - Me too Mary. It builds their confidence if they can recognize each classmates name
Kathleen - Maggie, are those words taken from the context of something the kids are studying? They look as though they are selected to teach the long /u/ sound/spelling
Mary/PA - Knowing a few words helps the child know the difference between a word and a letter. Many kids don't develop this on their own and this must be taught. The first word that most kids learn is their name.
Julie - Maggie I teach 1st grade and my words are not that hard. They are more words that we use daily this weeks include do and does....
Nancy K/OH - Maggie, I teach k, but my feeling for first grade spelling is the words should have some patterns to them or be related some how not just any words
CD - Kindergarten here. Has anyone read Guided Reading by Fontas and Pinnell
lynne - some words my kinders can read, my, I, me, and, to, play, the.....what do you guys think? This appropriate?
CD - I mean Fountas and Pinnell!
Nancy K/OH - CD, Yes, I have read Guided Reading, spend a year of graduate school develing into all the elements of balanced literacy
Julie - I have a 1st grade speller by Scott Foresmann
Kathleen - lynne, are the words useful for the kids? used in context?
Mary/PA - Lynne, yes, I think that those words are very appropriate
Nancy K/OH - Lynne, My k's are the same
peachten - lynne Mine are reading those words too
lynne - yes, they have just picked them up from writing in their journals.....now when they are writing them, they write them correctly and are so proud when they can read them in books we are reading in class!
Mary/PA - When they see them in text, it helps them get the flow of the book language going
Debbie - Mine too.. I am now adding word families such as at, it, etc
Kathleen - lynne, sounds like a complete success then!
lynne - thank you friends, I appreciate the support!
rene - I add words to the wordwall now as kids are using them in their journals
peachten - Do any play games with sight words?
Susan - I'm here for the first time. I teach gr2 and gr 3. Many of my students are not on grade level and have difficulty with sight words
Mary/PA - Yes, they are also very useful in writing. Kids will write more when they don't have to "figure out" every word they want to write.
Julie - I did at the beginning of the year
lynne - Ugh, I had a parent who did not understand why I allowed his daughter to continue writing "kant" for "cant" in her journal. I had to explain that technically, for kdg. that was OK......I did not want to discourage the child's writing and if I was making her re-write things to spell them "correctly", the whole point of journal writing would be lost!
CD - Fountas and Pinnell have some awesome books about reading and writing, and the use of "fast words". Some of you may want to check it out.
Julie - lynne it seems hard for them to understand that invented spelling is the first step to good writing
Nancy K/OH - CD what are "fast words" I do not remember that from the book or the class
Kathleen - A terrific collection of activities to teach and reiforce sight words, compiled by Sharon Hall from the Teachers.Net first grade mailring: http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/485.html . Join the mailrings at http://teachers.net/mailrings
Maggie - i like the ideas in the 4-blocks literacy book for word walls and sight words ( just so many introduced each week)
Debbie - I play sight word bingo with my kids.... They love it!!!
rene - I have been using the Kid Writing book by Wright group since Jan.
Kathleen - lynne, you could write the conventional spelling of can't on the inside of her journal cover, or put it on the wall for reference, saying "I see you use this word a lot. Here's the grown up way to spell it."
Kathleen - Sally Olsen posted a very helpful description of Word Wall design, use, activities in the Teachers.Net Lessons Bank at http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/1138.html
CD - Nancy K/OH, Maybe they use sight words, we use the term fast words!
Mary/PA - The Word Wall is a powerful tool for the kids to have available to them for using and learning sightwords for both reading and writing
Susan - any suggestions on how to get 2nd nd 3rd graders to improve the spelling of sight words they can read?
lynne - super idea Kathleen! I have just been writing on their pages in "grownup writing" but Ifeel as if I am invading their private space....another reason to maybe call these "draft books" next year......I like your idea, thanks!
Julie - my reading text has activities for sight words.
Kathleen - Sight Word Soup activity posted by Candy Carlile, EdD in the Teachers.Net Lessons Bank at http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/56.html
rene - how many sight words should k students know
Julie - I play sight word memory
Nancy K/OH - I have also found activities for sight words on the sight called Mrs. Alphabet. I am sorry I do not recall the web address it is on my pc at school.
Kathleen - rene asks a good question. Is it easy to answer how many sight words a kindergartner should know? I don't think so, the kids are at differing levels, and the environments are different
peachten - like concentration Julie?
Julie - Nancy that sounds like a fun site
Kathleen - THIS LOOKS GOOD: Online articles, activities, more (including printables) for working with sight words: http://library.thinkquest.org/50027/SightWords/index.html
Nancy K/OH - Julie it is a great sight. Have gotten many great ideas
Julie - peachten yes like concentration
Maggie - thanks for the information folks.. I am a teacher in Ontario, Canada and grade one...things are changing here with our Provincial government and teachers are trying to figure out how to teach quicker and get more info in..the bar has been raised..so to speak and our Provinvial average is now a B..anything less falls below and is difficult for parents these days
Nancy K/OH - Just remembered I had something I copied from Mrs. Alphabet in my bookbag the sight is http://mrsalphabet.com/wordoftheweek.html
Kathleen - You can focus upon sight words during Daily Message/Daily News
peachten - Does anyone use pocket charts for the sight words?
Kathleen - Children can locate and circle the designated words within the message when you share the pen
Julie - I love Daily News My kids can spell so many words now
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen, Your right. I am amazed how the students can decode many of the words of the daily message or simply recognize the sight words.
peachten - I use daily news also and the children love it
Kathleen - peachten, I have sentences on word cards which the children can arrange in pocket charts during Center Time. Of course the sentences contain sight words. They are generally sentences from familiar songs, poems, or news.
Debbie - They can also recognize sight words when you introduce a new book
Julie - peachten I use a pocket chart for sight words also a word wall
Kathleen - Do all of you k teachers have the Building Blocks book, Month By Month Reading and Writing by Pat Cunningham and Dottie Hall of 4-blocks fame?
peachten - Thanks Kathleen, I hope to use the pocket charts more often next year.
Mary/PA - I had each child select a word to learn and we did that word the way we did names at the beginning of the year. The word the child selected was put on the word by the child's name and photo. We kept them that way for a long time, but now we trade words on each monday. Each child is the keeper of the word for a week. For example, jacob is the 'can' expert this week.
Debbie - My class painted sight words using Q-tips
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen, Yes I love M by M. Doing the predictable pattern charts really helps with sight words.
peachten - Julie,, do you have them match the words?
rene - I love the Building Blocks book
Nancy K/OH - Mary love your idea for the keeper of the word.
Kathleen - With all these fun activities, I don't know why anyone would use flashcards to teach sight words.
Kathleen - Mary, is that similar to S. Ashton Warner's Key Words?
peachten - That is a great idea, Mary.
Nancy K/OH - I have the students take glitter, beans, salt etc... to spell sight words at the writing table. They love writing with things other than pencils
peachten - Sounds like fun Nancy
Kathleen - Nancy, are they creating the words, or gluing beans, etc. on words printed on the paper?
Mary/PA - Many children can't see words when they are imbedded in text. They need to be able to see them in isolation as well. After they know how a word looks, then they are better able to see it in the text. Kids need both continuous text and words in isolation. My work with my Reading Recovery kids as taught me this.
Mary/PA - Kathleen, it is a bit of a twist on S. A Warner's key words
Kathleen - Mary, does circling the words with marker, or separating them from sentence strips to use in pocket charts do that?
Kathleen - Whenever I type out poems and songs for the kids, I always use large font and 2 spaces between words to help them see the separate words. (not especially related to sight words)
Mary/PA - If you put a child's name in a story, they wouldn't be able to find it if they didn't know what their name looked like - the same is true for other words. Kids need both.
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen, at first the students are gluing glitter, sand etc... on words printed on construction paper. But, at this time of year they are making the words on their own.,
Mary/PA - Kathleen, circling and cutting works for a child who understands what a word is. Until that understanding is reached, it's all a guessing game to them.
Kathleen - Nancy, I like that idea, will try it. A more kinesthetic method that could reach kids who otherwise have difficulty
Kathleen - Mary, I mean the teacher cuts the words apart, and the kids see the words isolated. I guess we have to do it in as many ways as possible to reach all the learning styles and stages.
peachten - Fingerpaint can be used to practice sight words.
Debbie - or shaving cream
Nancy/NC - And Shaving cream or pudding
Julie - Debbie thats what I was going to say
Nancy K/OH - Peachten, fingerpaint is great. Any time you can make it messy kids love it.
peachten - Yes, and a whole lot of fun for the children
Debbie - Shaving cream also cleans the tables!
peachten - I like using double duty activities
Nancy/NC - We also look for sight words in magazines and newspapers
Kathleen - At this time of year I have the daily sentences (you know, the boring ones, Today is Tuesday. We will go to the Library.) cut apart from copy paper and sorted into little boxes. The kids arrive and glue the words in order to build the sentences. The model is posted for their reference if needed. For some kids, I'll separate the letters and they have to form the words. Others just fill in one or two words in a sentence I've printed out, all depending upon their levels.
Mary/PA - Nancy, the gluing things on the words is a good way to draw the child's attention to the shape of the word and the letters in the word. Kids don't automatically know what they are too look at when they see print. Some kids will be looking at the spaces or just parts of the letters or words. When you do activities like you've shared with us, the child learns what he should be looking at
peachten - I can't wait to try that Kathleen.
Nancy/NC - K teachers - what percentage of your children leave k reading?
Mary/PA - Do you use the terms "word" and "letter" with them and have them use the terms as well?
Kathleen - Mary, once we see kids developing a sight word vocabulary, we know they know what to look for in print, right? The concern would be for the child just beginning?
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen, do you mean you have the daily sentence cut apart for each child to put together when s/he arrives or do you do one sentence as a class.
Mary/PA - Nancy, about 80%
Kathleen - Nancy, I cut apart as many sentences as there are children doing the activity. So there are 22 little pieces of paper with the word Today on them, etc.
Nancy K/OH - Mary use I use the word "word" and "letter" it can be confusing for a long time for some kids
peachten - In my classroom this year about 50%
Julie - I make flash cards of the sight words for my kids to pracice with helpers or at home
Nancy K/OH - Kathleen, thanks sounds great. I am going to give it a try. Great activity for when the kids arrive.
Nancy/NC - Anyone use guided reading?
Nancy K/OH - Nancy/NC Yes I do.
Mary/PA - Kathleen, yes, many children do develop a sight word vocab. without you doing anything different, but those that aren't are the ones for whom the isolation activities are needed
peachten - I send home a list in our newsletter each week.
Amy - Are any of you k- teachers having to take the standardized tests?
Kathleen - Nancy/NC what would be your definition of reading? All of my kids can read something.
Kathleen - No standardized testing here (yet:-/)
peachten - Yes, aaarrrrrrgggg Amy
Nancy/NC - I love guided reading - it really focuses on literacy development
Amy - I am a k-teacher in Arkansas. SAT 9 with my class next week! Guided reading is wonderful.
Kathleen - I'm working with a child in my class who is reading at about gr 2 level, and one who still doesn't recognize his own name in print.
Mary/PA - But we shouldn't wait too long for this to happen. Don't let the child flounder too long. Sometimes the direct way is the best way.
Amy - peachten, how have you prepared them?
Nancy K/OH - Amy, I have to give my students a Letter ID test, text level reading assessment, sentence dication and a retell test. Let's hope they don't add standardized testing
Nancy/NC - We did standardized testing MANY years ago in our state.
peachten - We give the ITBS to our Kindergarten students
Amy - Nancy/K/OH we gave those assessments also. They actually tell us soething!
Amy - What is the ITBS
Nancy/NC - It is a shame to use standardized tests - it really misses the whole point of K - socialization skills
Kathleen - Iowa Test of Basic Skills
peachten - I didn't do anything different. I totally disagree with standardized testing.
Mary/PA - One thing that I struggled with when I started studing Marie Clay's work is our notion of "readiness". Marie says that every child is as ready as he'll ever be when he enters our classrooms. Waiting for him to grow into reading is not what we should do.
Amy - Nancy/NC I agree. The testing is stressfull for us and the kids
Nancy/NC - Mary - I don't agree. It is a developmental thing
peachten - We did practice bubbling and that was on the chalkboard.
Mary/PA - Well I used to believe that it was a developmental thing, but I now know differently.
Kathleen - Well, every child is ready for some stage of exposure, support and instruction. It's definition of terms that is often the reason for misunderstanding.
Debbie - I agree with you Mary
Nancy/NC - Mary - how do you know differently?
Kathleen - PO, to post a message to the screen, type in the long box near the bottom, then click on Update or use your enter key. Leave the "send to:room" box set just that way, "send to:room"
Nancy K/OH - I agree, every child has something they can learn as teach we have to meet them where they are at and start there.
Mary/PA - Some children don't know how or what they need to attend to in reading and writing. Our job is to teach them what it is that they need to be paying attention to.
Debbie - What are the results used for peachten?
Mary/PA - And what to do with what they see and hear.
peachten - They will begin grouping of some sort. The lowest students will be remediated in some way
Nancy/NC - Mary - how long have you taught?
peachten - This will be the first time for grouping in a long time.
Nancy K/OH - That is so sad peachten, grouping any students, but especially K because of just one test.
Amy - Debbie, we take the SAT9 at the beginning and middle of the year to show growth, supposedly
Mary/PA - Nancy, through experience. Doing the things that Marie Clay says we should do. I've seen kids learn how to read and write who in my earlier days I would have said they just weren't ready
Kathleen - This session is sponsored by Apples 'n' Acorns School Supply Co. where you can find the Month by Month Reading and Writing books, as well as many other helpful books and materials. Go to http://applesandacorns.com or e-mail Lori at appnacorns@aol.com
Nancy K/OH - Mary, you are probably giving them the envirnoment and developmentally appropriate activities that you didn't do before.
peachten - It will be for grouping in first grade. For Kindergarten, we will have small classes (11 to 14 students) based upon their entrance score.
Kathleen - Certainly we need to provide multi-level instruction in all of our classrooms to reach the kids at their indiv. stages
Nancy/NC - Peachtren - 11-14 students - great! We have 30 students with 9 "K" classes
Mary/PA - Only those children who have a genuine learning disability - some kind of language processing problem, will have difficulties learning to read. But in any case, time spent waiting for a child to mature is time lost
peachten - WOW we will have 10 classes four of which will have the small number of children.
Kathleen - 22 in kindergarten, heterogeneously grouped
Amy - How are the k-students grouped peachten? Are all of the lower students placed together?
Nancy K/OH - I have 16 K's this year down from 24 last year
Mary/PA - Nancy, this is my 31st year teaching. One year in secind grade, 23 in first and the rest in Kindergarten and Reading Recovery
peachten - Do you have a para-pro Nancy?
Debbie - I have 24 K's.
Amy - Is there only one teacher with 30 k's Nancy?
Nancy K/OH - No , para
peachten - Basically that will happen Amy based on the entrance test.
PO - I teach Kdg.
Kathleen - 22 kindergartners, half day, fulltime para
Nancy/NC - Mary - you have some interesting ideas! I have taught 16 years. No - all teachers have 30 and an assistant.
Amy - Peachten, which class do you get, high or low?
peachten - I have 20 with a Para-pro, but it may change next year
peachten - I don't know yet Amy. I hope I get 20 and a papa-pro :)
Kathleen - Be sure to check out the EC/Primary section of the Archives for transcipts on many topics related to early literacy, and other subjects. http://teachers.net/archive (also linked from the left frame of this Meeting Room)
Mary/PA - Sometimes I think that I've learned more in these last seven years that I did in the previous 24
Nancy/NC - Any nationally certified people here?
Kathleen - Not NBPTS certified, no.
Kathleen - Next week, April 11, 2000: Developmental Spelling with Grace Vyduna-Haskins http://user.mc.net/~gsh. What do we really mean by developmental spelling instruction? Discussion will center on how children learn to spell naturally, ways we can help them develop through carefully sequenced instruction,spelling as a process rather than a product, and what we can expect as results of that instruction.
Amy - I am going for the certification next year. Working on things now.
Mary/PA - How long has national certification been around?
Amy - Only a few years, right?
Kathleen - Nancy, most states don't provide the incentives NC provides to pursue NBPTS certification
Nancy/NC - I am in the process - mailed the box today. It really changes your perspective on literacy
Amy - I agree!
Kathleen - NBPTS EC Generalists candidates meet here every Saturday at 4 pmE
Nancy/NC - Kathleen - are you from NC?
Kathleen - I'm guessing it's been around for about 6-7 years
Amy - Thank you Kathleen, good to know!
Kathleen - Nancy, no I'm from Connecticut
Nancy/NC - Our state will probably stop the incentives next year - with a new govenor
Kathleen - The NBPTS EC_Gen meeting transcripts are in the archive too
Mary/PA - Sad to say that it wouldn't be worth the effort for someone my age, right?
Debbie - Our state is starting extra incentives next year, I think
Kathleen - WEll, I must leave. Thank you to all who contributed to make this a very productive and interesting session. Check out the links posted during the meeting, you'll find lots of help there. Good night all!
Nancy/NC - Mary - YES IT WOULD! My partner is 52!
Mary/PA - Nancy, but she's looking at a pay bonus, right?
Nancy/NC - Yes - 12 % Does your state offer an incentive?
Mary/PA - In my state, I'd just be out $2000 and a bunch of time with nothing but another certificate to show for it
Nancy/NC - That is a shame.
Mary/PA - Yes it is, I'm glad that at least a few states are doing the right thing
Mary/PA - Well, I must go, it's been nice see ya next time
