Sight Words 15 Fun & Easy Reproducible Games That Build Fundamental Reading Skills
by Liane B. Onish
New York � Toronto � London � Auckland � Sydney Mexico City � New Delhi � Hong Kong � Buenos Aires
Hi, Mom!
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages in this book for classroom use only. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Cover design by Norma Ortiz Interior design by Gerard Fuchs Cover illustration by Anne Kennedy Interior illustration by Rusty Fletcher and Maxie Chambliss ISBN: 0-439-46596-6 0-439-46596-6 Copyright © 2004 by Liane B. Onish. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
Contents About This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sight Sight Word Word Matc Matchup hup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Opposi Opposites tes Conce Concentr ntrati ation on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Do-Say Do-Say Charades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cover-Up Cover-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Color Puzzles Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sight Word Go Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Number Puzzles Puzzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 High-Frequency Word Word Races . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 3 in a Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Ask, Guess & Answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Odd Word Word Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Puzzling Puzzling Words Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Rhyme Concentr Concentration ation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 From From Here Here to There There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sign Sign Up for Bingo Bingo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 High-Freque High-Frequency ncy and Sight Word Word Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
About This Book Games make learning fun! This book features 15 exciting, easy-to-make and easy-to-play card games that reinforce sight words, or high-frequency words. As children begin to read, they need to recognize these “little” words automatically. Quick recognition of sight words builds reading fluency. This book provides a variety of fun games to give children practice in recognizing and reading sight words. The words chosen for the games come from the American Heritage Word Frequency Book: 150 Most Frequently Used Words in Printed School English and the Dolch Word List (see page 48). Many of the games in this book can be adapted for use with other sight words. You’ll also find variations for more challenging play, for a total of 31 games. We hope you will find these games an entertaining way to help children “own” their growing vocabularies.
How to Use This Book On the following pages, you’ll find reproducible game cards. Introduce the games one at a time. Model how to play with pairs, small groups, or the whole class. Consider making copies to send home to encourage family involvement.
How to Make the Cards Photocopy the card pages onto heavy paper so that the text will not show through the other side. Laminate if possible. Then cut apart the cards.
How to Store the Cards Keep the cards for each game in a large, resealable plastic bag. Label the bag with the name of the game, the skill it reinforces, and the number of players. For older children, or for your own reference, photocopy the directions and keep them inside the bag.
Who Goes First? Try these different ways to decide who goes first. • The player whose first or last initial is closest to A (or Z) goes first. • Mix up the word cards for the game. Deal one card to each player. The player with the card closest to A (or Z) in alphabetical order goes first. • Have players roll a die or spin a spinner from another game. The player with the highest or lowest number goes first. For variety, have the player with the lowest number go first.
4
Activities for Any Time Use these activities to reinforce the skills developed in the games.
Flash Cards Materials: index cards On index cards, make sets of the 150 high-frequency words or the 220 Dolch sight words, listed on page 48. Keep the cards in a large basket. Select a handful at random to use as flash cards.
My Words Materials: 2 bags or boxes for each child, index cards Give each child two large bags or boxes and a pile of flash cards. Label one “ Words I Know” and the other “ Words to Know.” Point out to children how small words, such as the I and to on the bags or boxes, affect meaning. Children try to read each word and then place it in the appropriate bag or box. The goal is to move all the cards in the Words to Know bag or box into the Words I Know collection.
d o
a t
i n
Wo rds to K no w
Wo rds I K no w
b e
g o
i f as
h e i s
5
G r ea t f or ou td oor s or ope n s pa ce s
Sight Word Matchup
Skill: Reading one- and two-letter sight words Players: Whole class Object: To find the player with the matching sight word
Materials:
• 26 word cards: a, I, am, an, as, at, be, by, do, go, he, if, in, is, it, me, my, no, of, on, or, so, to, up, us, we (pages 6–8)
Time It
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart enough word cards so that there are two cards for each word and each pair of players.
2.
Mix up the cards. Distribute them randomly, one card to each player. Tell children not to look at their cards until you say “Go.”
3.
When you say “Go,” players look at their cards and find a classmate with the same word. Once children pair up, have them spell out and then read their word together and sit down.
Time how long it takes the class to match all the words. Play several times, recording the time for each game. Challenge players to beat their previous time.
Other Words Play the game with threeletter sight words or a random selection, or let children select the words to use.
a 6
I
i f
d o
a t
a m
i n
g o
b e
a n
i s
h e
b y
a s
7 e g a p
u p
o r
u s
s o
w e
t o
n o
i t
o f
m e
o n
m y
8 e g a p
Opposites Concentration Sorting Hats Races
Skill: Recognizing and reading antonyms Players: Two or more
Materials:
• 24 word cards (pages 10–11): on, off always, never yes, no after, before new, old start, stop take, give come, go work, play over, under big, small in, out
Object: To collect the most pairs of opposites
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the 24 word cards and the wild card.
2.
Mix up the cards and place them facedown in a 5 by 5 array.
3.
Play as you would play Concentration. The first player turns over two cards and reads the words. If the words make a pair of opposites, the player keeps the pair and tur ns over two more cards. If the two new cards do not make a pair of opposites, the player turns them facedown and the next player takes a turn.
4.
When a player turns over the wild card, he or she can use the card to make a pair of opposites. When the game is over, one card will remain and the player who holds the wild card takes it.
• Blank wild card (below)
More Opposites Add these opposites to make a larger game: him, her, here, there, is, was, our, their, for, from, up, down.
Go Wild Add two or more wild cards to the game.
c w a i r l d d 9
o l d
a f t e r
n e v e r
o n
s t a r t
b e f o r e
y e s
o f f
n o
a l w a y s
s t o p
n e w
0 1 e g a p
1 1 e g a p
s m a l l
o v e r
g o
t a k e
i n
u n d e r
w o r k
g i v e
b i g
p l a y
c o m e
o u t
Do-Say Charades
Skill: Reading verbs Players: Small groups or whole class Object: To name the action and read the word
Materials:
• 22 word cards: buy, call, carry, clean, cut, draw, drink, eat, find, fly, help, hold, jump, open, play, sleep, stop, thank, walk, wash, work, write (pages 12–14)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the word cards. Mix up the cards and place them facedown in a pile.
2.
Model how to play with the word card sleep . Read the card without showing it to the group. Then tell players that you will act out the word on the card for them to guess. The first player to correctly guess what you are doing takes the card, shows it to the group, and then keeps the card.
3.
The player who correctly guesses the verb takes a new card from the pile and acts out that verb.
buy 12
call
carry
clean
cut
draw
drink
eat
find
fly
help
hold
3 1 e g a p
jump
open
play
sleep
stop
thank
walk
wash 4 1 e g a p
work
write
Cover-Up
Skill: Matching word shapes to words Players: Individuals or pairs Object: To cover all words correctly
Materials:
• Word frames (page 16)
How to Play
• Sheet with 6 words: about, today, bring, carry, words, right (page 17)
1.
Photocopy the shapes on page 16 (one set per child or pair). Carefully cut along the dotted lines around each shape.
2.
Photocopy page 17 for each player or pair. Do not cut out the individual words.
3.
Children find the word that fits the shape and place the shape on the word. When finished, all words will be covered by the shapes.
Frame More Materials: Index cards, marker, scissors Make additional shapes by writing a word (lightly in pencil) on an index card. Use a marker to carefully draw a frame around it. Erase the words. Cut out the shape. Then write the word on a blank index card. Give children several shapes and cards to match.
15
6 1 e g a p
7 1 e g a p
Color Puzzles
Sk il l: Spelling color words Players: Individuals or pairs Object: To use individual letters to spell color words
Materials:
• 21 letter cards: w, h, i, t, e, r, d, y, l, l, o, b, u, a, c, k, n, g, e, p, p (pages 18–19) • Crayons: white, red, blue, black, brown, green, orange, purple, pink
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the individual letter cards (one set per individual or pair).
2.
Place the white, red, blue, black, brown, green, orange, purple, and pink crayons in a bag or box. For younger children, use crayons with the color names on the labels. For older children, use crayons without labels.
3.
Spread out the letter cards. Players take a crayon out of the bag and then find the letters that spell the color name.
4.
Give each player a sheet of writing paper. Have players use the crayon to write the color word.
• Bag or box • Writing paper
Time for Color How many colors can children spell using the letter cards in five minutes? In ten minutes?
p 18
9 1 e g a p
w e l u n
h r l a g
i d o c e
t y b k p
Sight Word Go Fish
Skill: Matching sight words Players: Two to four Object: To get rid of one’s cards by finding word pairs
Materials:
• 2 sets of 26 word cards: away, again, been, best, done, day, each, even, first, from, gave, going, have, how, just, know, laugh, light, make, much, only, once, place, pretty, would, which (pages 21–23)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart two sets of word cards. Use the blank cards on page 23 if you want to add words to the game.
2.
Mix up the cards and deal eight to each player. Spread out the remaining cards facedown in the center of the table. This is the “fish pond.”
3.
Players look at their cards, remove word pairs, and place each pair of words facedown in front of them on the table.
4.
Play as you would play Go Fish. The first player asks the player to his or her left for a specific word that would make a pair with a card he or she already has. If the asked player has the card, he or she gives it to first player. (If not, he or she says “Go fish,” and the first player takes a card from the fish pond. That ends his or her turn.) The first player then asks any other player for another card until the asked player does not have the requested card.
5.
The player who said “Go fish” asks the player to his or her left for a card.
6.
Continue playing until one player has found pairs for all his or her cards. If two players finish at the same time, the player with the most pairs wins.
Little Fish For younger children, use only 10–12 words and make three or four sets of the selected words.
Class Words Make your own set of Go Fish cards by writing target words on index cards.
20
away
again
been
best
done
day
each
even
first
from
1 2 e g a p
gave
going
have
how
just
know
laugh
light 2 2 e g a p
make
much
only
once
place
pretty
would
3 2 e g a p
which
Number Puzzles
Skill: Recognizing numerals and number words Players: Individuals or pairs Object: To assemble puzzle pieces to form numerals
Materials:
• 10 number puzzles: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten (pages 24–25) • Heavy paper (10 sheets) • 10 envelopes
How to Play 1.
Cut apart, enlarge, and photocopy the numerals on this page and page 25 onto heavy paper.
2.
Cut each numeral into four to eight irregular puzzle pieces.
3.
Put the pieces for each puzzle in a separate envelope. Label the envelope with the number word.
4.
Give individuals or pairs a number puzzle to assemble.
Mixed-Up Numbers For more challenging play, mix up the pieces of several number puzzles for players to sort out and put together.
24
5 2 e g a p
High-Frequency Word Races
Skill: Alphabetizing Players: Individuals, pairs, or teams Object: To arrange sight words in alphabetical order
Materials:
• 26 word cards: are, back, cold, did, each, funny, get, has, its, just, kind, like, myself, now, other, part, quiet, read, said, through, use, very, wish, x-ray, you, zoo (pages 27–28) • Timer
How to Play Individuals: 1.
Photocopy and cut apart a set of word cards for each child. Mix up each set.
2.
Set the timer for one minute.
3.
The child arranges the cards in alphabetical order.
4.
At the end of one minute, the child counts the number of cards in correct alphabetical order. Challenge him or her to try again and beat the previous time.
Z to A Order the words in reverse alphabetical order.
Random Races
Pairs: 1.
Mix up a set of cards and give half the stack to each player.
2.
Players work together to put the cards in alphabetical order.
Teams: 1.
Mix up one set of cards for each team, each on a differentcolored paper. Place the cards in a pile facedown in front of each team.
2.
Teams line up a short distance from their playing field (a long table or chalkboard tray). Each team needs its own field.
3.
The first player on each team takes the top card and runs to the playing field. He or she places the card roughly where it should go in alphabetical order. For example, the word card are should be placed on the far left of the playing field, the word card zoo on the far right. Then the player runs to the back of the line and the next player goes.
4.
Each team player adds one card to the playing field. The first team to accurately place all the word cards in alphabetical order wins.
Randomly choose 10–12 word cards for players to order alphabetically.
26
7 2 e g a p
are
back
cold
did
each
funny
get
has
its
just
kind
like
myself
now
other
part
quiet
read
said
through
use
very
wish
x-ray 8 2 e g a p
you
zoo
3 in a Row
Skill: Spelling three-letter sight words Players: Small groups or whole class Object: To get three letters in a row that spell a word
Materials:
•3-in-a-Row game board (page 30) • 20 letter cards: a, l, n, d, y, r, e, b, u, t, c, i, f, o, g, h, s, m, w, p (pages 29–30)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy pages 29–30 for each player. Have children cut apart the letters and keep their game boards.
2.
Have players place the cards facedown in a pile.
3.
Players take their top card and place it on any space on their game boards. Children continue until they have spelled a three-letter word going across, down, or diagonally. They then call out “Three in a row!”
4.
Make a list of the winning words on chart paper as they are called out.
The 20 letter cards will spell these 33 sight words and high-frequency words: and can had his may our put use who
any day has how old new she you why
are for her its one not the was
but get him man out now two
NOTE: Any three-letter word can count as a win, not only the listed high-frequency and sight words. Other words include ant , mop , fog, nap , try , sun, and tub .
a l n d y 29
3 in a Row
r e b u t c i f o g h s m w p
0 3 e g a p
Ask, Guess & Answer
Sk il l: Reading question words Players: Whole class Object: To use sight words to make up questions
Materials:
• 7 question words: who, what, where, when, why, how, which (page 32) • 13 picture cards: giraffe, elephant, parrot, bear, butterflies, octopus, clown, motorcycle, rocket, balls, painter, police, magician (pages 32–33)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the word and picture cards.
2.
Lay out the word cards faceup. Mix up the picture cards and place them facedown in a pile. Seat children in a circle around all the cards.
3.
One child selects a card from the pile and identifies the picture. Then he or she makes up a question using the picture and a question word of his or her choice (“What does a bear eat ?” “How does a rocket work ?” and so on). Record the question on chart paper. Have the group guess or estimate the answer. Write their ideas on the chart.
4.
Play continues until all question words have been used.
5.
Review all the questions and guesses. As a group, use classroom or library resources to check some of the answers.
• Chart paper and marker
More Pictures Add pictures from magazines or the Internet on topics the class is studying.
31
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
Which?
g i r a f f e 2 3 e g a p
e l e p h a n t
p a r r o t
b e a r
b u t t e r f l i e s
o c t o p u s
c l o w n
m o t o r c y c l e
r o c k e t
b a l l s
p a i n t e r
p o l i c e
m a g i c i a n
3 3 e g a p
Odd Word Out
Skill: Matching words Players: Three or more
Materials:
• 21 word cards: word, any, better, came, don’t, every, fast, good, help, into, keep, live, must, number, own, people, run, same, things, upon, your (pages 34–36)
Odd Other Word Out
Object: To get rid of all of one’s cards without getting stuck with the word card
How to Play 1.
Photocopy two sets of the cards on pages 35 and 36 and cut apart. Make one copy of the word card below. Mix up the cards and deal one to each player.
2.
Players remove pairs of matching words from their hands and place them facedown in front of them.
3.
Play as you would play Old Maid. Players fan out the cards in their hands. The beginning player holds up his or her cards for the player to his or her left. That player selects a card from the fan and adds it to his or her hand.
4.
If the new card makes a pair, the player removes that pair from his or her hand, then offers his or her hand to the next player.
5.
Play until one player is left with the word card.
Duplicate the card. To vary the odd word that ends the game, remove a different single word card each time children play.
word 34
any
better
came
don’t
every
fast
good
help
into
keep
5 3 e g a p
live
must
number
own
people
run
same
things 6 3 e g a p
upon
your
Sorting Hats Puzzling Words Races
Skill: Manipulating letters to spell high-frequency words Players: Individuals or pairs
Materials:
• 1 envelope for each word • Letter cards for these words: another, because, different, please, together (pages 37–38)
Object: To spell the most small words using the letters in a long high-frequency word
How to Play 1.
Prepare envelopes in advance. Place all the letter cards for the words another , because , different , please , and together in separate envelopes. Write the words on the outside of their envelopes. Spare letter squares are included below.
2.
Distribute envelopes and writing materials.
These (and other) small words can be spelled from the letters in the long words:
3.
Players place the cards in the correct order to spell the puzzle word. Then players write the word at the top of a sheet of paper.
another: a, an, no, not, her, he, note, hat, rat, ran, hot, rot, ear, earth because: be, cause, use, us, cab, base, bus, ease, see, bee different: if, ten, den, rent, dent, fife, tire, reef, differ, reed, deer please: a, as, pea, lease, sea, sleep, ape, apes, seal, peal, peel together: to, get, her, the, he, go, got, hot, tote, here, there
4.
Players use the same letter cards to spell other words, and record each word they spell. Players score points for each word (one point per letter).
• Pencils and paper
a n 37
o t b e s e f e t p s e e t
h c d r l t h
e a i e e o e
r u f n a g r
8 3 e g a p
Rhyme Concentration
Skill: Recognizing and reading rhyming words Players: Pairs or small groups Object: To collect the most pairs of rhymes
Materials:
• 24 word cards: light, right, all, fall, found, round, she, he, go, no, could, would, not, hot, bring, sing, or, for, is, his, an, can, get, let (pages 40–41) • Blank wild card (below)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the word cards on pages 40 and 41 and the wild card below.
2.
Mix up the cards and place them facedown in a 5 by 5 array.
3.
Play as you would play Concentration. The first player turns over two cards and reads the words. If the words rhyme, the player keeps the pair and turns over two more cards. If the two cards do not rhyme, the player turns them over again and the next player takes a turn.
4.
When a player turns over the wild card, he or she can use it to make a rhyming pair.
More or Less Add other rhyming word card pairs to make the game more challenging. Use fewer pairs when playing with younger children.
Go Wild! Photocopy additional wild cards for more variety.
5.
When the game is over, the player with the wild card can take the one remaining card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
c w a i r l d d 39
n o w o u l d c o u l d
s h e
f a l l
l i g h t
h e
f o u n d
r i g h t
g o
r o u n d
a l l
0 4 e g a p
1 4 e g a p
c a n
i s
g e t
h i s
l e t
a n
s i n g
n o t
o r
h o t
f o r
b r i n g
From Here to There
Skill: Reading homophones Players: Whole class Object: To line up using high-frequency homophones
Materials:
• 22 word cards: ate, eight, buy, by, for, four, know, no, one, won, hour, our, hear, here, right, write, to, too, two, their, there, they’re (pages 42–44)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and cut apart the word cards. Distribute one word card to each player. If necessary, have some children pair up (because there are only 22 cards).
2.
Call on children to read the word on their card and think about how they would use it in a sentence.
3.
Randomly call out a word (see Materials box) and use it in a sentence. The player with that word card can get in line after saying the word, spelling it, and using it in another sentence. Then the player(s) with a homophone for that word reads it, spells it, uses it in a sentence, and gets in line.
4.
Collect the word cards after all children are in line.
Large Groups Make additional homophone word cards, such as: I, eye, blue, blew, f lour, flower, fare, fair, see, sea, some, sum, son, sun, tail, tale, wear, where
ate 42
eight
buy
by
for
four
know
no
one
won
hour
our
3 4 e g a p
hear
here
right
write
to
too
two
their 4 4 e g a p
there
they’re
Sign Up for Bingo
Skill: Writing and reading environmental print Players: Individuals, pairs, small groups, or whole class Object: To get four words in a row—down, across, or diagonally
Materials:
• Sign Up for Bingo game board (page 46) • 20 word cards: bus, closed, don’t, enter, exit, hospital, library, one, open, parking, police, pull, push, sale, school, stop, street, walk, way, zone (page 47)
How to Play 1.
Photocopy and distribute the Sign Up for Bingo game boards and a set of word cards to each child. Distribute these, plus one set of word cards for the Caller.
2.
Players cut apart the words and place them in random squares on their game boards. Each player’s board will look different.
3.
Mix up the Caller’s cards and place them facedown in a pile.
4.
Play as you would play Bingo. The Caller reads the word on the top card and uses it in a sentence. Players look for that word on their game boards and place a marker on it. Continue until one player has four words in a row and calls “Bingo!” Challenge the winner to use the winning words in a sentence or story.
• Scissors • 16 small markers for each player (pieces of paper, paper clips, or buttons)
45
Name ____________________________________________ Date __________________________
SIGN UP FOR BINGO
6 4 e g a p
bus
closed
don’t
enter
exit
hospital
library
one
open
parking
police
pull
push
sale
school
stop
street
walk
way
zone
7 4 e g a p
