Reading Levels & High Frequency Word Practice

1st Grade Reading Levels: 

There is so much reading growth in first grade! Students enter the year with a range of pre-literacy and literacy skills. I work hard to meet them where they enter as readers and hopefully encourage them to love reading too! I'll send home your child's current Fountas & Pinnell reading level within the first month of school so you can see how to best support them at home. If your child is not yet at grade-level, please also read the high frequency section below to learn how you can support them with high frequency word practice at home.

Please make sure your child is reading and/or being read to for 15-20 minutes 4-7 days per week. This is the best way to help them improve their reading skills. Because we are a techsmart school, you also have access to a variety of books using Myon and phonics practice using Lexia. Both can be accessed from your child's pps account. Logins will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. Please e-mail our media specialist, Rosie Lingo, if you have trouble accessing these programs: rlingo@pps.net.

Here is a link to a chart that correlates reading levels that different book publishers use to help you when you are buying or borrowing books at your child's reading level:

https://www.readinga-z.com/updates/raz_correlation_chart.pdf

1st grade end of the year goal is reading level  __I/J_.

Kinder

First

Second

Third

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

High Frequency Words: 

First graders learn a variety of reading strategies. One strategy that can help emerging readers is studying high frequency sight words. I will send some students home with specific word lists for them to practice. If I don't send a specific list home with your child, I recommend practicing Dolch sight words as they make up 80% of words used in children's books. Many of these words can't be sounded out. When your student knows these words "by heart," their reading ability and enjoyment of reading can increase immensely. Please refer to the information and websites I have linked below to see how to support your student in practicing these words in fun ways!

Rather than trying to introduce all the sight words at once, it's best to meet your child where they are. Focus on incorporating new sight words by adding 5 new words at a time and then incorporate the new words as they continue to review words they've already mastered. 

Ways to practice sight words at home:

-Write words on index cards, put them around the house, have students read the words as they walk by

-Paper Plate Toss: Write sight words on paper plates. Use like Frisbees to throw after reading the word. 

• Concentration: Make a duplicate set of word cards and play “Concentration” 

• Go Fish: With a duplicate set of word cards play “Go Fish”

 • Tic –Tac-Toe: Write words in the tic-tac-toe spaces. Take turns selecting a space to read. If read correctly, an X or O is placed on the space until someone wins. 

• Word-O: This is played just like BINGO. Fill in a card with the words that you are working on. Call out the words and mark the spaces. The first one with a card covered calls out the word "WORDO"!

 • Word Hunt: Look for target words in books or in the newspaper. If using the newspaper your child can highlight or circle the word ring words that he/she finds

 • SNAP: You put the sight words you want them to practice on flash cards and put the flash cards into a jar (maybe like an oatmeal jar). Also, you write the word SNAP! on a a few flash cards and put them in the jar also. The kids can play in partners or in groups of 3 or 4. They take turns pulling a card out of the jar. If they can say the word on the card automatically with no struggle, they get to keep the card. If they struggle, they have to put it back. If they pull out one of the cards that says SNAP! They have to put back all of the cards they've drawn.

 • Play coin toss – Put words on the floor - children take turns to toss a coin onto a word and say that word. • Play who am I? For example, I rhyme with bed, I have 3 letters, and I end in “d”.

 • Children go outside and practice writing their words with chalk on the concrete. 

• Flashlight words - turn off lights. Tape words on the wall or ceiling. Use the flashlight to shine on the word then read. 

• Children make their own word wall/dictionary using photocopied small sight words and scrapbooks labeled with a letter of the alphabet on each page... can be added to throughout the year. • Make words using play dough. 

• Beat the clock - how many times can a word be written in 1 minute etc 

• Play stepping stones - place words on the floor and children walk over them saying the word as they go to get to the other side of the stream. Make words using letter tiles -scrabble pieces

 • Make words using stencils.

 • Make words using alphabet stamps. 

• Make words using magnetic letters 

• Delicious Words -Write your words in whipped cream, peanut butter, or anything you can eat

 • Good Clean Words -Write your words in shaving cream on a counter or some other surface that can be cleaned safely

http://www.mrsperkins.com/

http://www.sightwords.com/sight-words/dolch/

http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/schools/gss/gradelevels/K/Shared%20Documents/ways%20to%20practice%20sight%20words%20at%20home.pdf

The Dolch Sight Words list is the most commonly used set of sight words. Educator Dr. Edward William Dolch developed the list in the 1930s-40s by studying the most frequently occurring words in children’s books of that era. The list contains 220 “service words” plus 95 high-frequency nouns. These words comprise 80% of the words you would find in a typical children’s book and 50% of the words found in writing for adults. Once a child knows this list of words, it makes reading much easier, because the child can then focus his or her attention on the remaining words.

The Dolch words are commonly divided into groups by grade level, ranging from pre-kindergarten to third grade, with a separate list of nouns. There are a total of 315 Dolch Sight Words.

Complete Dolch Word List Divided by Level

Pre-primer	Primer		Grade One	Grade Two		Grade Three
a and away big blue can come down find for funny go help here I in is it jump little look make me my not one play red run said see the three to two up we where yellow you	all am are at ate be black brown but came did do eat four get good have he into like must new no now on our out please pretty ran ride saw say she so soon that there they this too	under want was well went what white who will with yes	after again an any ask as by could every fly from give going had has her him his how just know let live may of old once open over put round some stop take thank them then think walk were when	always around because been before best both buy call cold does don’t fast first five found gave goes green its made many off or pull read right sing sit sleep tell their these those upon us use very wash which	why wish work would write your	about better bring carry clean cut done draw drink eight fall far full got grow hold hot hurt if keep kind laugh light long much myself never only own pick seven shall* show six small start ten today together try warm