Skip to content The end game for teachers of literacy is to produce a good reader. Reading fluency is key in this goal, ultimately reading for meaning without getting distracted by the mechanics of it. When kids must stop and decode every word, they are bound to become frustrated and confused.
Sight Words for grade 1 from Essential Skills is a great addition to any primary classroom. One of the most important steps toward reading fluency is recognizing common words automatically. Sight words tend to be difficult to sound out. Because of this, often the best way for students to learn to effortlessly read these words is by rehearsal and memorization. Common sight words comprise about 75% of our language use, so it is vastly important for students to acquire this skill. Essential Skills Sight Words program for K-2 includes over 200 of the most common words used in the English language and helps kids practice them with appealing activities and games.
Success is so important to building confidence in everyone, especially young readers! Children can become frustrated very easily, and frustrated children will often withdraw or act out. When a child is prepared for the next stage of learning, they are much more likely to approach it with a sense of adventure and confidence. By using online programs that teach basic sight words for grade 1, you are giving your students an enjoyable way to gain the experience needed to help build their confidence. When used in conjunction with classroom lessons, Essential Skills Sight Words program will accelerate the growth of sight word vocabulary. The activities include clearly pronounced sound, bright colors, and fun animations to make kids want to practice. They also offer immediate rewards to remind them that they are doing great.
Once your students are familiar with some sight words, the world of reading begins to open up for them. If they already recognize half of the words on the page, they will be encouraged to continue trying and decode when they need to. The next time they read the same book, their level of comprehension will have risen, as will their confidence. A good online sight words program will introduce words sequentially and advance students when they are ready. This allows for more individualized programming, and one on one time with kids to ensure their level of reading comprehension.
When students are not busy decoding words, they will have more focus to use on learning meaning from context. Even mature, fluent readers need to use context to gain full understanding, and this is a skill that can be nurtured at a very early stage of literacy development. Pictures with written passages are also very helpful with young readers. Sight words are often difficult to understand using just context, but Sight Words for grade 1 from Essential Skills emphasizes these words in sentences that helps children build understanding.