"Goodbye" Words are a "Snap!"

Sights words are words that children learn by sight. Children don't sound the words out - they just memorize how they look instantly. Some of our teachers call these "snap" words - words that children know in a snap! They can recognize the word and write the word without peeking!

Sight words are reinforced in Skills Block. In Mrs. Timmons/Conte's class they have a daily routine for these Goodbye Words. Sight words are listed on a chart - usually chosen from the class' writing of common words they are using in Writers' Workshop and beginning to learn (for instance, many children write my as mi). Each day the class reads through the words. As the teacher points to each word, the class says the word together and then the teacher does a few individual checks. If "most" of the class knows the word (teacher judgment), the teacher places a check by the word. If some of the class still needs practice with the word, the teacher puts an X beside the word. When the class has three consecutive checks, the teacher strikes through the word on the chart as the class says goodbye to the word. That word is then placed on the word wall and students are held accountable for the word in reading and writing. It becomes a "snap" word. The words are Velcroed to the word wall which is child high so if a child is still having difficulty with the word he can come snap it off the word wall, take it to his desk, copy the word, and then snap it back to the word wall. As each word is learned, a new sight word is added.

Word Wall

Each class has their own routine around how the class learns sight words but it is a part of each class' daily Skills Block. Actually, it's a snap!