What's in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. - William Shakespeare

There are many names we give to the most frequently seen words in print.  Some call them High Frequency Words, Sight Words, Instant Words, Fry Words, Dolch Words, Common Words, etc.  It doesn't really matter what you call them, it is very important to teach them - reteach them - practice them - learn them - memorize them.

These are the words that we need to recognize immediately and be able to spell automatically because we see and use them most often.  The 300 most frequent words make up about 65% of the words in print - Edward B. Fry - 1000 Instant Words.  Check it out for yourself.  Find a piece of writing - even this blog post - and count all the high frequency words you find.  I know you'll find more than half are those common words on Fry's list.  So the importance is clear and it is embedded in every ELA curriculum.  The trick is how to teach them so students REALLY learn them.

Many feel that the High Frequency/Instant Words are irregular and there is no other way to teach them other than by rote memorization.  It's hard to infuse fascination and high engagement to teaching them.  Unfortunately, that was my method and thinking throughout the years I taught 2nd grade.  I viewed it as boring - and I'm sure my students felt that way, too.  They were just words included on the weekly spelling test - another set to be memorized for Friday's test.  Since then, I've learned that most of the "sight" words ARE regular and you can teach them along with the rules of decoding and encoding (reading and spelling).  Learning that most words fit a pattern or rule helped the spelling of it make sense.  Connecting the sense and organization reinforce the word and embed it more quickly and permanently.  

Here's a quick example.  If I asked you to memorize a string of numbers - say seven.  You could do it for the short term.  But the numbers would be quickly forgotten.  However, if I attach meaning to those 7 numbers - say, the phone number for your best friend, you would certainly remember them for a very long time.  Think about the things that you remember - clearly.  There is meaning and emotion and great value attached to that memory.  That is why you remember the details.

Now, I'm not suggesting that Instant Words connect with intense feelings (unless it is frustration at struggling to learn them!).  However, if you help students make sense of the way the words are put together and they understand the pattern, they will remember them much better.  

So no matter the label you place on them - Fry Words, High Frequency, Instant - it doesn't really matter.  They can all smell sweet and learning them can be easier with the rules.  

Follow our blog to learn more about the rules of spelling and engaging ways to make teaching reading and spelling more effective and meaningful.

The benefits of reading are HUGE - that's not a secret.  Getting kids to read - especially in the summer can be a challenge.  While there is nothing more special than to curl up with your child and read story after story with them, this is not always possible.  So, how can you help your child reap the benefits even when they can't, or don't, read to themselves?

Especially before children can read for themselves, and even afterwards - listening to books through the computer or favorite device can help bridge the gap, provide an enticing incentive, and make it easier for everyone.  As this fact from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy points out, children expand their vocabulary greatly through children's books.  They also gain schema (background knowledge), inspiration, creativity, and make connections in their thinking that wouldn't happen otherwise.

Here are some electronic book resources to try:

Tumble Books - your public library or school district may have a subscription to this web based resource.  Great children's books are online and read by a professional reader.  Here is the link to my communities public library.  There are many book choices so your child is sure to find many they will enjoy.

Storyline Online - this is another online resource that you can access.  Actors from the Screen Actor's Guild read popular children's stories.  Since they are professional actors, they make the stories really come alive!

YouTube - you can find anything on YouTube!  I've already added the search for "children's books read aloud" to the link.  Preview the options as the quality will vary.

Here are only a few of the options available to you.  Remember, REAL books are great but don't limit yourself, or your kids.  There are many ways to read and accessing literature through computers, iPads, Kindles, and other devices provide you with another hook to promote summer reading, vocabulary development and learning!

Many are familiar with the silent e at the end of a word and its role in magically making a vowel say its long sound.  But, did you know there are other roles for silent e?

Often it is thought that words without long vowel sounds are irregular and don't follow any rule.  Chances are, you weren't taught the rule that applies in those situations!  Here are some examples:
     

These are two syllable words and have a final stable syllable - a syllable with a consonant and le.  The silent e is used because every syllable has a vowel - in this case, a silent one!  You might  be thinking that the silent e in bugle makes the vowel long.  Actually, the vowel is long because it is an open vowel in the first syllable.  Because the vowel does not have a consonant to follow it in the syllable, and it's accented, it is long.  The word, stumble, has a short vowel in the first syllable because a consonant follows it in the syllable and keeps the vowel short.  Sound confusing?  Give yourself a moment to think about it and find some words to test out the rule.  Comment if you find one that might be an exception!

Have you been told that high frequency or sight words are all the words that don't follow the rules of spelling?  I've heard that too and have since learned that it simply is not true.  Many of these words are regular for spelling - however, they occur so frequently in reading that it is best to learn them by sight.  It helps that they are short and because we see them all the time, we want our brain to process the information quickly and accurately.

Here is a pdf file you can download, print on cardstock, and cut apart for practice.  These are the first 300 high frequency words, the ones you see most often in print, to use in word isolation practice.  Use them like flashcards and tackle them 10 or 20 at a time.  Present the cards one at a time and alternately stack them in two piles so they are "shuffled" for the next time.  Repeated practice is important to ensure the words are permanently imprinted for immediate recall.  With mastery, move on to the next 10 to 20.  Study the new cards and then add them to the previous stack for continued review.  When mastery is achieved, cards can be retired to add new cards.

Just for fun, and to reinforce the high frequency factor of these words, choose a few and do a word search in a favorite book, article, or reading passage.  Tally or tab the words so you can count them and  keep track.  How many did you find?

I think I’ve been a Word Nerd most of my life.  I’ve always been fascinated with words and reading.  I learned to read with Dick, Jane, Sally and Spot.  The words were simple, repeated often, and had colorful pictures to help tell the story.  A really good story, though, required the reader to add a lot of embellishment and imagination.  “Go, Spot, go!” didn’t offer much – but I was so excited to be reading!

I was a good reader, but not very fast.  My older brother seemed to devour a book faster than I could get through the first page.  I savored the words and found myself rereading sentences or whole paragraphs sometimes to make sure I was getting it all.  My younger brother on the other hand didn’t care for books at all.  I never realized how much he struggled.  Now, I realize that he is dyslexic – and so is my dad.  I knew that school was not easy for them and I think that was part of my inspiration to become a teacher.  They are so smart, creative, and such amazing problem solvers that I decided they just weren’t taught in the right way.

As I became a teacher I was disappointed with the teacher preparation I received for reading.  My professor told me that only 40% of our English language is regular.  Once students were taught the alphabet and the long and short sounds of vowels – kids would just get it.   She said there was no point in teaching phonics and so our assignments focused on guided reading groups and comprehension projects.   As I became a second grade teacher, I had students – like my dad and brother – that didn’t get it.  They struggled and telling them to “sound it out” didn’t seem to help.

On my campus was an amazing teacher, Mrs. Laney.  She was a dyslexia therapist.  Students that had difficulty reading were often referred to her.  She conducted assessments and took the results for review and if a team of other therapists agreed, they were added to a small group for Mrs. Laney to work her magic.  And, it was magical.  Soon the students were gaining confidence and were actually READING!  They were making amazing progress and I wanted to know the secret.  What was she teaching that was so different than how I was teaching and why did it work?  That began my journey to become a dyslexia therapist, too.

Through my training to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist (dyslexia therapist), I’ve learned  that it’s not 40% or our language that is regular, it’s more like 85% and teaching the rules of our language – the way letters represent sounds and how they fit together to make words – just makes sense!  I’m so blessed to have learned the secrets that should be taught to everyone!  I know it works for students with dyslexia but it can help other students, too – even those that seem to “get it” right away.   Along with the other Word Nerds – we’re on mission to spread the news.  There is a connection between spelling and reading, the rules make sense, and knowing them can make anyone a better reader and speller.  So join us, become a word nerd, and discover these little know secrets to help you, your students, and anyone you know that struggles, become confident and competent readers and spellers.