What are sight words?

Sight words are words that a child should be able to recognize without sounding them out. They are the most common words in the English language, and mastering them can help children read more quickly and easily. The best way to teach sight words is by using a program that has been developed with research-based strategies.

Dolch words are a list of 200 sight words used to teach English language learners. The Dolch word list includes the most commonly used words in English, which is why it's been a staple for so many years.

The Dolch word list was first published in the 1930s by Edward William Dolch, an American professor who was also an educational psychologist and reading specialist.

Dolch words are organized into three sets of 50: Dolch Pre-Primer Level, Dolch Primer Level, and Dolch First Grade Level. This list is composed of the most frequently used words in school-level text. Preparation with the Dolch word list can help learners become more comfortable with reading and comprehending text. 

The list is divided into five sets of 40 words: words with one syllable, words with two syllables, words with three syllables, words with four or more syllables, and frequently used function words.

Recap

The sight word list consists of the most commonly used words in English language text. Sight words are "sight" because they are easily recognizable by looking, facilitating fluencey in the language learner. 

There are many ways to teach sight words, but for maximum benefit, it’s important to use a program that has been developed with research-based strategies and has been approved by teachers who work with young children.

Learning sight words is one of the most important literacy skills taught in schools. There are some great sites that can help with this. One way to create a lesson plan is to use a site called Sight Words Kids, using flashcards, along with many available Youtube videos in learning sight words.  

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