Why teach sight words twice if they are already included in your phonics program? This product is based on Fry's Instant Words, but only includes the first 100 irregular words (like 'was' and 'they'). Phonics + Sight Words is the efficient way to give emerging readers a head start.

In this package you have:

1. Individual Student record for screening to identify known/unknown words
2. Small Word Tags that you can use on a key ring so the student flips from word to word, saving you time
3. Class Overview to collate results and identify common skill deficits to form ability groups
4. One page Progress Sheet of the 100 words for students to highlight the growing word bank they have mastered
5. Word Cards of the 100 cards for direct teaching
6. Flash Cards for direct teaching
7. Games for motivation, consolidation and revision:

• CLIMB and SLIDE Board Games
• DONKEY Card Games
• WORD DETECTIVE Board and Card Games
• RACE DAY Board Games
• I HAVE... WHO HAS... Activity - 4 Sets
• ZOO Board Games
• SPOONS Card Games
• CONNECT Board and Card Games
• GO FISH Card Games

Step 1 - Use the individual screener to identify skill deficits (one on one) using the tags (I have them on a key ring that the student flips while I record)

Step 2 - Collate the results on the Class Overview and identify ability groups

Step 3 - Use the Flash Cards for direct teaching

Step 4 - Select games that include the target skill set

There are only fourteen irregular sight words in FRY'S first 25 words which make up over 30% of all reading material. Students need sight words for fluency and fluency affects comprehension. A balanced literacy program needs to include a component of phonics+sight words to maximise success for every student. The first 25 irregular sight words area critical component of foundation level literacy.

I have over thirty years as an educator and the last ten or so as a specialist in literacy intervention. I have never had a student fail to learn to read when literacy skills were taught in an integrated way with literature as the driver.

You can use this product to teach sight words, using the Flash Cards or Word Cards and then consolidating with small group activities including games or you can use it like I do for intervention. First I need to know which words to target from the Individual Records. You can collate these results on to the Class Overview for targeted intervention. The time taken in screening and collating is an investment in your time as well as your students'. A skilled teaching assistant can do the screening and collating for you. The students I usually see are years behind their peers so I have developed the Irregular Sight Word list to avoid the overlap with phonic deficits which I teach simultaneously. The results are very effective and I have never had a student who did not make significant progress this way.

Matching the intervention to the student's capacity to learn is critical. Some students may only need one or two new words at a time with regular revision to maintain their knowledge but I generally use five at any one time. These flash cards are theirs and I mark the back of the card when they say the word instantly. When they have mastered the words five times I highlight that word on their individual progress sheet and replace that sight word with another so there is a constant number of sight words being memorised. Their individual A4 progress sheet is a handy way to revise their known words as they will all be highlighted. It is very motivating for them to see their progress on this sheet as it fills up. Occasionally I review a few of these words to ensure they are still known.

Playing games over and over is the way you increase motivation and ensure the words are retained in long term memory. CLIMB and SLIDE will appeal to your younger students while DONKEY is fun for all age groups. WORD DETECTIVE is a great way to consolidate with 5 sets for differentiation. The uniform size of all the cards means you can mix and match or combine to differentiate. Most of the games come in four sets: 1-25, 26-50, 51-75, and 76-100. I have added two more board games - THE ZOO GAME and RACE DAY, as well as the popular activity I HAVE/WHO HAS.

There are 238 irregular sight words in Fry's first 300 when you exclude foundation phonics (regular consonant sounds and short vowels). Even more words can be excluded if you incorporate long vowel sounds/vowel digraph families in a combined phonic/sight word program. Fry's first 300 words occur in over 60% of all reading materials. Sight words do not stand alone and, even with phonics, they will not improve reading without student motivation. Start with stimulating reading that supports the skill sets your students need and maintain that level of engagement with games.