How do I introduce a set of sight words?

Introduce a small group — five is a common starting point — and revisit each word a day later, three days later and a week later. Spacing the review like this is what makes the recognition stick. The number per week is a range, not a rule, and it is a teaching choice.

What should I do with a word that will not stick?

Slow the cycle for that one word rather than stopping the whole sequence. Put it where it is seen naturally, like a card on a fridge, and come back to it in a few days. It is not a sign of a problem.

Teaching sight words

Sight words are the short, common words that appear in most early reading. This guide is the reasoning behind the method the Sight Words Pack uses: a small set at a time, revisited on a spaced schedule.

What they are for

A reader who sounds out every word slowly cannot follow a sentence. Sight words are the ones taught to be recognised on sight — the, and, is, was — because they are common and because many of them cannot be sounded out anyway. Recognising them instantly is what gives a reader the speed to pay attention to the words that do need decoding.

Introducing a set of five

The Dolch pre-primer set is the usual starting point, and the method here is groups of five. Show the five words, read them aloud, and trace or write them. Five is a common starting number, but it is a range, not a rule — the number that works is the number that keeps the session pleasant. There is no correct count that applies to every reader.

The spaced review cycle

Recognition is built by spacing, not volume. Each group is revisited a day later, three days later and a week later. Rebuilding the recognition each time is what makes it durable, and it is why a short daily session beats a long rare one. The tracker in the Sight Words Pack keeps this schedule honest, one grid at a time.

What to do with a word that will not stick

Slow the cycle for that one word rather than stopping the sequence. Put it where it is seen naturally — a card on a fridge — and come back to it in a few days. A word that will not stick is not a sign of a problem; it is the normal way memory works, and spacing it again is the fix.

Sight words and phonics

Phonics sounds words out; sight words are recognised as a whole. They are complementary, not competing. Phonics gives the tools, and sight words build the speed. Neither is a claim about a child's ability, and this site never frames the number of words known as a measure of progress.

Common questions

How do I introduce a set of sight words?: Introduce a small group — five is a common starting point — and revisit each word a day later, three days later and a week later. Spacing the review like this is what makes the recognition stick. The number per week is a range, not a rule, and it is a teaching choice.
What should I do with a word that will not stick?: Slow the cycle for that one word rather than stopping the whole sequence. Put it where it is seen naturally, like a card on a fridge, and come back to it in a few days. It is not a sign of a problem.