High-Interest Activities for High Frequency Words

Dear Educator,

Another school year is drawing to a close. I hope the summer gives you a chance to spend some "adult time" and recharge your batteries. Here at Primary Concepts, the summer is a time to firm up our list of new 2008 products, and start thinking about our next catalog. We have some innovative new materials on the drawing board that I think you are going to enjoy. Stay tuned!

When I started checking into high-frequency words for this newsletter, I was impressed by the number of interesting articles and resources out there. Check out the extra-long "Links" section-I think you'll find something you can use when school starts up again. Meanwhile, enjoy your summer!

Best wishes,

Rosalind Iiams, Editor
editor@primaryconcepts.com

"Amazing, isn't it? We have over a half-million words to communicate with, but half of everything we write and read depends on only 0.02 percent--on only those 100 most frequent words."
- Frank B. May, Reading as Communication

There are a number of high-frequency word lists to choose from. The Dolch list contains 220 words; the Fry list, 300. Other lists contain even more words. Experts agree, however, that the 100 most common words account for half of what we read--and the 25 most common words make up about a third. (Fry, Kress, and Fountoukidis, 2004). There is good news and bad news about sight words: memorizing a relative handful of words can make reading much more efficient and fluent; but many of these "sight words" are irregular and can be hard to define. Decoding can be slow and frustrating. But how do we ensure enough repetition that children will memorize sight words?

Deciding what words to teach. Use the Dolch list or the Fry list for your list of high frequency words. Teach the highest frequency words first, in groups of 6 to 8 at a time (check out the Jan Brett posters for a colorful way to introduce high frequency words in groups of 20).

Tips and techniques. Reading every day is the quickest route to success, especially using sight word readers or decodable readers that students can read easily. Set up a word wall and provide students with personal word books so they can record (or circle) the words they encounter. Writing the words, and building them with letter tiles, will also help cement students' knowledge. Use games to engage children in learning: play Concentration with a double set of flashcards, or have students make sentences or phrases with tiles or cards. Play a bingo game with high frequency words. And Hangman isn't just a way to pass the time while the teacher is talking! It can actually be a great high frequency words activity. For more fun activities, check out the links below.

Download and copy this Level One and this Level Two Tales and Tiles Sight Word Reader for your students. Print the pages single-sided or double-sided, cut in half, put the pages in order, and staple.

[Source: Primary Concepts Sight Word Readers: Level One and Level Two.]

June specials, online only!
Sight Word Readers Complete Set (5260) Regularly $115.00; Special $99.00	Sight Words Center (1857) Regularly $99.00; Special $89.00

Do you have an especially effective High Frequency Words activity? Let us know, so we can pass it along to our readers. Send your activity (electronic photos are great too) to editor@primaryconcepts.com. We'll share selected activities in our next newsletter.

With all the recent focus on reading, it seems like writing can't get any respect. But we all know how important it is. Writing even improves reading comprehension! Next month, we'll share strategies and resources for encouraging young writers.

"To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold."

– Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982)