Reading Sight Words
Aims
This activity is designed to:
- teach your child to say sight words as they read them
- encourage your child to pay attention and join in a learning activity for short periods of time
When to start
This activity is suitable for children who have previously selected the words to be read.
Children who have successfully completed the Selecting Sight Words activity 3 to 5 times with the word cards to be read should be ready to start the Reading Sight Words activity.
Selecting words
Choose a set of words that your child can successfully select.
Modelling and prompting
At first, model the activity. Demonstrate the steps in the activity, encouraging your child to watch and listen.
When your child starts the activity, prompt them as needed to help them complete the task successfully.
Steadily reduce your prompts as your child becomes more confident.
Instructions
| 1 | Show your child a word card | |
[Cards]: Select the word cards you wish to work with. Place one of the cards in front of your child. ::: |
[Apps]: From the Main Menu screen, select Activities > Reading Sight Words. Select the word cards you wish to work with. Tap the start button. ::: |
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| 2 | Attract your child's attention Say "let's read words". Give your child time to look at the word. |
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| 3 | Ask your child to say the word Point to the word and say "what is this?" If needed, prompt by saying the word - for example, "[car]". If your child correctly reads the word, say "yes - [car] - this is [car]". If you are modelling or prompting, repeat the word - say "this is [car] - [car]" |
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| 4 | Repeat the word three times. Pause briefly between each repetition so your child can take in the information. |
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| 5 | Show your child the next card. | |
[Cards]: Select the next card in the set and place it in front of your child. ::: |
[Apps]: Select the next card in the set by tapping or clicking the right arrow at the bottom of the screen. ::: |
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| Consider having a box for your child to post the completed cards in or letting them tap the right arrow in the app to engage them in the activity. | ||
| 6 | Repeat steps 3-5 for each remaining card in the set. Work through all of the cards in the set. |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+Apps settings
The apps include the following settings that control how the activity is presented:
- Play spoken word when card tapped - when enabled, the spoken word will be played when the card is tapped.
- Enable applause - enables/disables playing applause at the end of the activity.
Recording progress
You can record your child's progress using the Reading Sight Words record.
Record the dates you first start practising reading each word, and the dates your child first imitates the word and reads the word independently (Figure 3).
Figure 3 | Example Reading Sight Words record
