Sight Word Practice

We added a new little friend to our class the day before Spring Break!  As I was quickly assessing what she knew, I realized she did not know her sight words the way the rest of our class did.  I have been going back into my early sight word activities and games that we played a lot in our classroom  when I was introducing the sight words.  These keychains are a HUGE hit with the kids! Even students I have had in years past come back and tell me they still have their keychain. I even made one for a past student who is  now in 2nd grade with all of her 2nd grade words so she could practice them. (That was a THICK bunch of words!)   One of my little boys has to wait to be picked up in the office for about ten minutes each day, and my principal told me that he reads over his sight words on his keychain the whole time he waits.  

I just laminate a list of the words on regular paper, one for each student.  Then, I cut them out and hole punch them.  I have used cardstock, but laminated regular paper is fine.  This is a "class set" that I keep by our writing table.  For the children, the first word on their keychain is their name.  After I give these to the children, I suggest that we hook them right onto their backpacks for safe keeping!  This way, the children know where they are so they don't lose them, and the children have built in sight word practice for the bus ride!  I also remind them to ask for help if they want to take the keychain off their bags so the words don't fly all over!  (Yes, it does still happen sometimes, but they learn what not to do for next time!)

I usually give these to the class when we learn the letter "Kk." We do key tracing. I hot-glue a key to a piece of cardboard and the kids put it under a piece of paper and crayon-rub over it.  I have many different shape keys and we use different colors.  This is lots of fun, especially making rainbow keys! 

We make a  Keys to Kindness book, where each child writes and illustrates a way he/she can be kind on a key shaped paper, which I laminate and make into a class book.  These are a couple sample pages.  

You could use these shapes for the book pages.  I think I had my key paper from YEARS ago that I used. 

I also have key shaped cut-outs with sight words on each key and a magnet on back that I have out at free choice time for the children to use as "Key Words"  when they play "school."  Yes, that is a favorite free choice activity... playing "school."   So sweet. 

I  had LOTS of keys ( from Math Their Way sorting tubs!), but I just ordered an inexpensive bunch from ebay to have more to use, since the children keep their keys with the keychains.  In years past, I have even gone to hardware stores and gotten some keys from them that they no longer used. 

I have a set of Days of the Week keys, too.  You can do any sets you like.  One year, I had one little boy who just could not remember how to spell his name.  I made him a special keychain with a letter on each card to spell his name, and he read and read them over and over- and he got it!  I think it is the REAL key that is the fascination for the children! They have all sorts of ideas as to what it may unlock- the "learning part" is just an added bonus!

I put together my favorite sight word videos on both my Beginning Reading Prezi

 and my   Learning is Fun Prezi.   These  makes it so easy to quickly fit in some sight word practice whenever we have a few minutes!  I LOVE using the Prezis in the classroom!

Thank you for visiting!  Happy Teaching!