Photo: Collette Moran
This website is intended to act as a resource for ABE tutors facilitating adults learning 'sight words'.
What are 'Sight Words'?
Dolch & Fry lists, often referred to as service words or instant words, are the words most commonly used in English. One element of reading fluently is that reader must be able to instantly recognise common words.
Instant recognition of sight words builds confidence and lends itself to advanced reading strategies like decoding and comprehension.
Edward W. Dolch determined that the list he created was necessary to learn to read fluently - this list is commonly referred to as the Dolch List.
Edward B. Fry amended the Dolch list resulting in 1000 most frequently used words that should be read without hesitation these are commonly referred to as Fry Words, he contends that ‘300 words make up almost 65% of all written material’ (Fry, 1996).
What are 'Sight Words'?
Dolch & Fry lists, often referred to as service words or instant words, are the words most commonly used in English. One element of reading fluently is that reader must be able to instantly recognise common words.
Instant recognition of sight words builds confidence and lends itself to advanced reading strategies like decoding and comprehension.
Edward W. Dolch determined that the list he created was necessary to learn to read fluently - this list is commonly referred to as the Dolch List.
Edward B. Fry amended the Dolch list resulting in 1000 most frequently used words that should be read without hesitation these are commonly referred to as Fry Words, he contends that ‘300 words make up almost 65% of all written material’ (Fry, 1996).
Sources:
Dolch, E (1948) Problems in Reading, Champaign III Garrard Press
Fry, E (1996) 1000 instant words : the most common words for teaching reading, writing and spelling Laguna Beach, CA: Laguna Beach Educational Books
Dolch, E (1948) Problems in Reading, Champaign III Garrard Press
Fry, E (1996) 1000 instant words : the most common words for teaching reading, writing and spelling Laguna Beach, CA: Laguna Beach Educational Books