Are you a teacher looking for how to teach sight words to special education students in your classroom? Sight words are a vital part of literacy instruction, especially in a special education classroom!
I have a serious love for sight word instruction and what it has done for my students. I am an AVID phonics and phonemic awareness proponent, but there is something about equipping students with words they need to know with automaticity, that gets me super excited. I have seen students grow like CRAZY when given effective sight word instruction and practice paired with explicit phonics and phonemic awareness. And when it all clicks together? CHEF’s KISS to a reader growing more confident and competent!
I have compiled my super simple strategy for how to teach sight words in my special education classroom (with virtual options too) below!
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students Step By Step:
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 1: Assess your students sight word knowledge
I use my sight word assessments (virtual and online) to keep track of my sight word data and growth
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 2: Identify a list of words
I like chunks of 10 words at a time, but you can use a whole list if you want and prepare sight word practice centers. Start with giving each child a ring or zip lock bag of their next “just right” sight words.
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 3: Make a plan to EXPLICITLY teach these words!
I use my guided reading time to teach sight words. I use the Jan Richardson sight word instruction method that I will detail below.
Teach New Sight Word:
- Introduce the word
- What’s missing? (Take letters out and have students fill in)
- Mix and Fix (mix up the letters and have students build)
- Write the word (With no model, have students write the word from memory
I like to use magnetic letters to teach sight words when I’m in person, and if I’m in a pinch, I’ll use a whiteboard and marker. I’m currently teaching virtually, so I use these Online Sight Word Practice slides to teach my sight words!
**Note: I also just recently learned of some new sight word instruction techniques from the Science of Reading that involves Orthographic Mapping. I’m going to do some more research on that to see if I think that will have a better impact on my students.
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 4: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Now time for tons of sight word practice with your kiddos! For me, this looks like easy to use centers that stay the same for most of the year, while the words change as the students progress! I will also add in games as warm ups during guided reading, such as sight word slap or projecting a sight word review powerpoint.
My favorite activities:
- Sight Word Slap
- Writing sight words in sand
- Make sight words with Play-Do
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 5: Communicate with Parents and Practice Sight Words at HOME!
Okay guys…just because this is the last step doesn’t mean you can skip it. In my experience, when you INVOLVE (notice I didn’t just say tell or email) parents in sight word acquisition, it is a GAME CHANGER.
I have a free sight word communication tracker that I use religiously in my classroom. I keep plenty of copies on hand in my class, and complete an updated version every time I assess my students’ sight word growth. Giving parents this information is key for student and parent buy in and student success!
I also have a free sight word bingo activity that can be used in the classroom, but is really an asset for practice sight words at home. I send this sight word bingo sheet home as weekly homework along with the target sight words, and it is so much more engaging than a worksheet or flashcards alone!
How to Teach Sight Words to Special Education Students — Step 6: Rinse and Repeat!
Assess your kiddos as often as you see fit (I like every two weeks for my students) and keep your data organized with my Sight Word Assessments and Data Trackers! Continue to send communication home with parents and watch your students grow!
Don’t forget to CELEBRATE your students’ growth because this is hard work! My favorite way is to use shipping labels to share sight word growth as a sticker. My kids LOVE to get them and celebrate each other!
