LA 6.02Puzzle Words (Sight Words)
High-frequency words that cannot be sounded out (the, is, to, was, said) are learned by sight in small groups.
Presentation
- 1
Say, "Some words do not follow the sound rules. We call them puzzle words. We learn them by looking."
- 2
Show the first card, "the." Read it: "the." Show that sounding out /t/ /h/ /e/ does not work.
- 3
Period 1: "This word is the." Repeat for two or three other words.
- 4
Period 2: "Show me is." "Point to the." Mix the cards.
- 5
Period 3: point to a card and ask, "What word is this?"
- 6
Read a short phrase with the new word: "the cat."
- 7
Add the cards to the child's personal puzzle word basket.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Finding puzzle words in a simple book
- Memory game with two copies of each puzzle word
- Writing puzzle words from memory
- Using puzzle words when building sentences with the Moveable Alphabet
Control of error
The adult; in the memory game, identical cards control the matching.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Reads known puzzle words instantly without sounding out
- Reads puzzle words inside phrases and sentences
- Recognizes puzzle words in books
Guide note
Introduce only as many puzzle words as the child needs for current reading. The first ones are usually: the, a, is, to, I, of.