It is interesting to note that sight words, which number to around 220, constitute as much as 50 – 70% of general text that one would find in schoolbooks, magazines and newspapers. As a result, learning them at a very early stage is extremely important for verbal competence, considering the importance held by good communication levels. The first grade sight words are words, which do not have a straightforward spelling that is why they have to be learnt carefully. Special impetus needs to be given to these words, as they have to be memorized by drawing meaning from perspective rather than by sound.
These small units of language can play an extremely important role in the language skills that some people have and some seem not to have. One can learn these words using flashcards and games. It is not possible to learn these words by looking at the pictures that is what makes teaching them quite difficult. The kindergarten list comprises of words like am, all, are, be, did, get, he, into, must and have. These words are used very often in spoken as well as written language and hence must be learnt at a very early stage.
The common kindergarten sight words need to be learnt to give kids the confidence and make them read without fear. Thus, kindergarten is the right stage to start for the kids to develop the itch for reading. These word lists can be obtained through booklets as well with multiple translations and pocket charts. Unscrambling exercises, puzzles and sentence builders are some of the exercises that kids need to be taught, although it could be a time consuming process to start with. The Dolch lists can also be learnt through puzzle variations, especially those generated through random words.
