Build Sight Reading Skills

Reading is an essential life skill that challenges many parents and students. Even individuals who know how to read aren't often interested in exercising that skill. For many, reading takes too much time and effort.

Sight-reading is very beneficial. It increases reading speed and allows the reader to focus on the meaning and not the phonics of the words. Skilled readers often recognize the shape of the word without analyzing the individual letters. Building this skill in yourself and your children will make reading much faster and easier!

To encourage my children to sight read, I labelled everything in the house. I used wide strips of paper and a bold permanent marker to clearly write the names of all the large items in the house. The couch, refrigerator, door, wall, windows, bathtub, computer--everything was labelled. Visitors thought I was crazy, but the strategy is effective! It allows children to see the word and the object at the same time.

Flashcards are another easy and successful sight reading method. Make flashcards of the most commonly used words (listed below) and words that you frequently use, such as names of family members. Use a stopwatch to see how long it takes your child to recognize all the words. Set time limits and have the children compete against the stopwatch.

Another way to practice sight reading is by reading Dr. Seuss books aloud. These books are made up primarily of the most commonly used words, and they are excellent practice. Parents can improve skills by reading to their children. =D

The 100 most commonly read words are:

1. the 
2. of
3. and
4. a
5. to
6. in
7. is
8. you
9. that
10. it
11. he
12. was
13. for
14. on
15. are
16. as
17. with
18. his
19. they
20. I
21. at
22. be
23. this
24. have
25. from
26. 
    
27. or
28. one
29. had 
30. by
31. word
32. but
33. not
34. what 
35. all
36. where we 
37. when 
38. your
39. can
40. said
41. there
42. use
43. an
44. each
45. which
46. she
47. do
48. how
49. their
50. if
51. will
52. up
53. other
54. about
55. out
56. many
57. then
58. them
59. these
60. so
61. some
62. her
63. would
64. make
65. like
66. him
67. into
68. time
69. has
70. look
71. two
72. more
73. write
74. go
75. see
76. number
77. no
78. way
79. could
80. people
81. my
82. than 
83. first
84. water
85. been
86. call
87. who
88. oil
89. its
90. now
91. find
92. long
93. down
94. day
95. did 
96. get
97. come
98. made
99. may
100. part

For a list of the 1000 most commonly used words, visit http://web1.d25.k12.id.us/home/curriculum/fuw.pdf