The Sight Words box set is the second step in the simple and effective Brainstrong reading system. This set focuses on teaching your child the most common words found in children's books. Teaching a child Sight Words does a 2-fold job:
They learn to read words that often do not follow simple phonics-based sound patterns (like the words in our Letter Families Box Set)
They learn to read a lot of challenging words early, making them a better reader
The Sight Words box set consists of 4 levels. The levels start with teaching simple words and gradually introduce more complex words, and some proper nouns and geographical terms, as they move through the Box Set.
Step-by-Step Process
Now, let’s begin on how to work through the deck
Understanding the Card Layout
The Sight Words flashcards are divided into two sides: the easier side, or the learn first side, and the harder side, or the learn second side. The easier side has a dark blue outline while the harder side has an outline with a unique color, which is yellow in the example above.
Sorting the Cards
First, we’ll start with the easier side of the cards. Go through the deck with your child to see which words they already know. If they are able to read the word with no hesitation or pauses, you can consider this word mastered and put it into the “Learned” pile. If your child is reading a word and there’s any delay or they simply don’t know the word, the card should go into the “Learning” pile. Any cards that you haven’t reviewed should go into the “Will Learn” pile. Once you have reviewed the entire deck with your child, it should be divided into “Learned,” “Learning,” and “Will Learn.”
Practicing the "Learning" Deck
The “Learning” deck should be practiced a couple of times a week. Each time, you should review the words in the deck 2-4 times. To practice, show your child a card and if there is any hesitation, tell them what the word is. Since most sight words don’t follow simple phonics based rules for pronunciation, it is difficult for a child to correctly sound them out. The goal is for the child to know the words through memorization. Once your child has mastered all the words on the blue side of the cards, repeat the same process with the other side of the cards.
Moving to Mastery
By practicing about twice a week, a 1st or 2nd grader can get through the 4 levels of the Sight Words box set in five or six months. Once they complete the four levels in the series, they will be able to add 400 new, challenging words to their vocabulary!
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