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.