Sight Words & High-Frequency Words

    
    Most adults who read proficiently have somewhere between 30,000 - 70,000 words they can recognize instantly without having to sound out, blend, or decode (Ness & Miles, 2025). As you can imagine, this makes the reading process quicker and more efficient. Words that can be read automatically are considered sight words (Anderson & Scanlon, 2020). Within the category of sight words are the words that occur most commonly in the English language - high-frequency words. Students need to learn high-frequency words as they make up between 50-70% of the words in any text they will read. It is even required within our state standards: K-RF-3-C. Read common high-frequency words by sight. (Learning standards, n.d.).

When words are automatically recognized, readers are not slowed down by the decoding process (Ness & Miles, 2025). This fluency enables them to focus on comprehending what they are reading. So, how do we get students to this step? According to Ness & Miles, the key is orthographic mapping. This occurs when people make a connection between the pronunciation, spelling, and meaning of a word. Making this connection helps our brains convert words to long-term memory. Orthographic mapping not only supports the reading of words but also supports the ability to spell them. Orthographic mapping can be used with any word, not just high-frequency words. Anderson & Scanlon (2020) say that students need explicit instruction in the routines that support orthographic mapping.

Ness & Miles (2025) suggest a four-step routine for helping students convert words to long-term memory:

1. See & Say

2. Segment & Spell

3. Study & Suss Out

4. Search & Stick

I highly recommend checking out their book to find out more about each of these steps. Although I just recently found out about their strategy, I am excited to incorporate it into my classroom this year. You can also hear more about it on The Melissa & Lori Love Literacy Podcast (2025). 

(Ness & Miles, 2025)

References

Anderson, K., & Scanlon, D. (2020). The development of sight vocabulary. Reading Teacher, 74(3), 346-352. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1953

Learning standards and instructional materials. (n.d.). Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Retrieved August 1, 2025, from  https://ospi.k12.wa.us/student-success/learning-standards-instructional-materials

[Melissa & Lori Love Literacy]. (2025, June 20). Making words stick with Molly Ness and Katie Pace Miles [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT86vuF55Z8

Ness, M., & Miles, K. P. (2025). Making words stick: A four-step instructional routine to power up orthographic mapping. Scholastic Professional.

Phonics

    In my previous post, Alphabet Knowledge, I discussed the importance of students knowing the names and sounds of letters. Alphabet knowledge is key for transitioning into phonics instruction (Pfeiffer & Pavelko, 2023). To understand phonics, you must understand two terms that go along with it:

Phoneme: the sounds that letters or combinations of letters make

Grapheme: the visual representation of those sounds (i.e., the written letters) (Rickenbrode & Walsh, 2013)

Phonics is the phoneme-grapheme connection. This is much more difficult in English because some letters have multiple sounds and some sounds have multiple spellings (Vadasy & Sanders, 2020).

    It is a significant achievement for many kindergarten students to learn the letters of the alphabet and their corresponding sounds. Now we are introducing digraphs, vowel blends, silent 'e', and other unique spelling patterns. How should we be teaching phonics?

• Phonics instruction needs to be explicit (Exley & Cundell, 2024)

• Practice should include a mixture of new skills with review (Lane et al., 2025)

• Show students how their mouth will look or move when making a sound (Mesmer & Kambach, 2022)

• Use a scope and sequence (Mesmer & Kambach, 2022)

    In my classroom, I have a tool that I like to pair with phonics instruction. It is called Secret Stories (The Secret Stories, n.d.). You hang the Secret Stories on your wall for students to easily access during reading and writing. Each poster contains a spelling pattern that you can teach your class about using its corresponding story. The kids love the stories and get so excited every time we learn a new one. I have seen gains in both reading and writing since bringing the Secret Stories to my classroom.

(The Secret Stories, n.d.)

References

Exley, B., & Cundell, K. (2024). Experiencing phonics: When student-centered learning and explicit instruction weave together. Practical Literacy: The Early & Primary Years, 29(3), 34-36.

Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an instructional program in foundational reading skills on early literacy development of students in kindergarten and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607

Mesmer, H. A., & Kambach, A. (2022). Beyond labels and agendas: Research teachers need to know about phonics and phonological awareness. Reading Teacher, 76(1), 62-72. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2102

Pfeiffer, D. L., & Pavelko, S. L. (2023). Evidence-based guidance for alphabet knowledge across service delivery models. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(6), 1157-1167. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00053

Rickenbrode, R., & Walsh, K. (2013). Lighting the way: The reading panel report ought to guide teacher preparation. American Educator, 37(2), 30-35.

(n.d.). The Secret Stories. Secret Stories. Retrieved August 2, 2025, from https://thesecretstories.com/

Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2020). Introducing grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs): Exploring rate and complexity in phonics instruction for kindergarteners with limited literacy skills. Grantee Submission. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10064-y

Alphabet Knowledge

    When students begin to read, they must be able to write letters and identify the names and sounds of letters (Stanley & Finch, 2025). This is referred to as alphabet knowledge. This ability is the most accurate predictor of future reading success. Research has shown that providing kindergarten students with instruction that teaches one letter per week is not an efficient use of instructional time. Some letters are easier than others for students to learn (e.g., letters in their names, letters at the beginning of the alphabet, etc.) and do not require a week's worth of instruction. Additionally, all students will learn at different rates and begin with varying levels of alphabet knowledge. The best way to teach alphabet knowledge is through small-group instruction using assessment data to determine groupings and instructional plans.

Research has highlighted the importance of teaching letter sounds and letter names simultaneously (Piasta & Hudson, 2022). Many studies on the subject have declared embedded picture mnemonics a successful strategy for teaching letter names and sounds (Ehri, 2022; Piasta & Hudson, 2022; Roberts & Sadler, 2019; Roberts et al., 2020). Embedded picture mnemonics use images in the shape of a letter to represent that letter and sound. A free resource for printable flashcards can be found on ONlit’s website (ONlit, 2025).

Front (ONlit, 2025)

Back (ONlit, 2025)

References

Ehri, L. C. (2022). What teachers need to know and do to teach letter-sounds, phonemic awareness, word reading, and phonics. Reading Teacher, 76(1), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2095

ONlit (2025, May 15). Embeded picture mnemonics. Retrieved August 1, 2025, from https://onlit.org/resource/embedded-picture-mnemonics-print-files/

Piasta, S. B., & Hudson, A. K. (2022). Key knowledge to support phonological awareness and phonics instruction. Reading Teacher, 76(2), 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2093

Roberts, T. A., & Sadler, C. D. (2019). Letter sound characters and imaginary narratives: Can they enhance motivation and letter sound learning?. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, 97-111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.002

Roberts, T. A., Vadasy, P. F., & Sanders, E. A. (2020). Preschool instruction in letter names and sounds: Does contextualized or decontextualized instruction matter? Reading Research Quarterly, 55(4), 573-600. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.284

Stanley, L., & Finch, M. (2025). Instructional strategies to enhance alphabet knowledge in kindergarten. Journal of Teacher Action Research, 4(2), 31-46.

Phonemic Awareness

The ability to separate, manipulate, and distinguish individual phonemes (individual sounds) within spoken words is referred to as phonemic awareness (Ehri, 2022). Although phonemic awareness is considered an essential foundational reading skill, it is not adequately addressed in many reading curricula (Lane et al., 2025). Phonemic awareness supports the acquisition of letter-sound knowledge, which in turn facilitates the ability to read words (Clayton et al., 2020). Phonemic awareness skills are directly tied to future reading ability (Piasta, 2022).

Not only should phonemic awareness instruction be explicit (Antonacci & O’Callaghan, 2011), but it also needs to be taught with fidelity to be effective. My tool for teaching this foundational reading skill is the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum (Heggerty, n.d.). Using a research-based curriculum will enable your students to learn the skills they need. Here is what it looks like in action:

• 10-minute daily whole-group lesson

• Assessments for progress monitoring and skill grouping

• Using assessment data to review and reteach necessary skills in small-group settings as needed

(Heggerty, n.d.)

References

Antonacci, P. A., & O'Callaghan, C. M. (2011). Promoting literacy development: 50 research-based strategies for K-8 learners (1st ed.). SAGE Publications.

Clayton, F. J., West, G., Sears, C., Hulme, C., & Lervåg, A. (2020). A Longitudinal Study of Early Reading Development: Letter-Sound Knowledge, Phoneme Awareness and RAN, but Not Letter-Sound Integration, Predict Variations in Reading Development. 

Scientific Studies of Reading, 24(2), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2019.1622546

Ehri, L. C. (2022). What teachers need to know and do to teach letter-sounds, phonemic awareness, word reading, and phonics. Reading Teacher, 76(1), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2095

Heggerty (n.d.). Kindergarten Curriculum. Phonemic Awareness Kindergarten Curriculum. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://heggerty.org/programs/phonemic-awareness/kindergarten/#section-1

Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an instructional program in foundational reading skills on early literacy development of students in kindergarten and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607

Piasta, S. B., & Hudson, A. K. (2022). Key knowledge to support phonological awareness and phonics instruction. Reading Teacher, 76(2), 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2093

Small Group Instruction

Why should teachers be using small group instruction? 

Small-group instruction has been researched and has proven to improve student success (Wyatt & Chapman-DeSousa, 2017). Small-group instruction enables teachers to foster relationships with students while supporting their development of social, communication, and critical thinking skills. It is also an ideal time to support the unique needs of learners through modifications and scaffolds. Although it is known to be effective, many teachers do not use this instructional strategy.

How can teachers make the transition? 

Making the transition from whole-group instruction to small-group instruction can be intimidating. What will the rest of the class be doing? What about the students who don't work well independently? There are so many aspects to consider. Here is my advice: take it one step at a time.

1. Begin your literacy centers by having everyone participate in the same activity. Walk around to monitor student progress and praise on-task behavior. 
2. Next, try four stations. Set a timer and have students rotate. Use a slide or visuals on the board to help them know where they are transitioning to. Try this for a few days, making any necessary modifications to your routine. 
3. Finally, try meeting with one of the groups during their rotations. 

It will not be perfect, and you will need to make changes as you go to make it work for you and your students. But - it will be worth it! 

What should be taught? 

For many years, the standard was dividing students into guided reading groups based on the results of informal reading inventories. Over time, research has shown that this simply isn’t enough (Walpole, 2024). While guided reading groups provided practice with reading comprehension, they did not support growth in the foundational skills necessary to grow as a reader. 

In line with the science of reading, teachers should instead use a diagnostic inventory to divide students into skill-based groups (Walpole, 2024). Students will work on skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, and comprehension. Frequent reassessment will allow students to demonstrate growth and move between skill groups as necessary. Using a developmental roadmap can help you determine the hierarchy or progression from one skill to the next. 

References: 

Walpole, S. (2024). Repositioning differentiation time as literacy acceleration time. Reading Teacher, 77(6), 975-981. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2302 

Wyatt, T., & Chapman-DeSousa, B. (2017). Teaching as interaction: Challenges in transitioning teachers' instruction to small groups. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(1), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0758-6

About Me

Hi! I am Kristi Mullen — a wife, mom of two amazing kids, and a kindergarten teacher in Washington state. I hold a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education and am currently pursuing my master's in literacy. I taught special education for four years before becoming a stay-at-home mom when my daughter was born. 

When my son started school, I eased back into the classroom by teaching part-time at a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool, which taught me a lot about play-based learning and student-directed planning. I took another year off from work to stay home when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our schools.

After schools reopened, I became a substitute at my children's school — a role that quickly turned into a long-term position and eventually led to my current full-time kindergarten classroom.

It didn't take long to realize how much reading instruction had changed since I was in college. I began researching strategies and signing up for professional development opportunities to improve my instruction. I know that the ability to build strong foundational reading skills can shape a student’s entire educational path — and I take that responsibility seriously. That passion is what inspired me to pursue a master's degree in literacy.

This blog is a space where I'll share practical, classroom-tested strategies that support early literacy development. I hope you enjoy reading along. Feel free to leave a comment if you've tried a strategy or have one to recommend!

-Kristi

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