What is the sight word method?

It is also called the whole word method and functions on the basis that a word has a shape or a configuration, which can be used to recognise it or read it.

Steps:

• See the word• Say it• Point out the salient features• Highlight the look of the word• Use it• Define it• Write it Continued…..

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Principles:

• The objective is to achieve reading fluency –no fluent reader reads

letter by letter.

• Words have a shape. Use the child’s photographic memory to

register the shape.

• Choose words that are meaningful to the children.

• They must be words that a child uses in his / her speech or

encounters in his / her environment.

• The size or the length of the word does not matter as long as the

child can ‘identify’ with it.

• Start with nouns and simultaneously moving on to verbs and

adjectives.Continued…..

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• Plenty of repetition is needed.

• Write all sight words using the same colour marker (or children may

identify the word by colour rather than shape)

• Preferably write all sight words using only the print or Marion.

• Richardson script (majority of reading is done in small lower case

letters)

• Do not ever spell the word letter by letter (then it is not whole word)

• Build a text with some of the sight words.

• The whole word method gives fluency and speed.

• Children get confidence and feel that reading is easy.

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