Scan & Learn Sight Words with Independence

Let’s talk about Scan & Learn Sight Words with Independence. This past week in school I had a LIGHT BULB moment. Truly one of those moments when I stop dead in my track. I pieced together two things that I love to create a solution to a problem I have in my classroom. I know that if I have this problem in my classroom, then you most likely have this problem in your classroom.

My Problem with Sight Words:

I need some quick and easy, INDEPENDENT sight word practice for my little learners. They not only need repetitions, but they also need something quick and hands-on. This is key because you don’t want your learners working with sight words that they don’t know or are not working independently. I need something my students can access in seconds to make sure they are reading a sight word correctly. How about you? Is this what you need as well?

First Thing First with Scan & Learn Sight Words with Independence

I assessed my students on their sight words. Then, I pulled my data (using ESGI) to see the exact words my students are lacking the most. This table easily shows me that we need to work on sight words. We need: WHERE, HOW, WANT, SAW, WENT, SAY, OUR, HELP, and WHY the most.

Ironically, I know exactly why this happened. Most of these “missing” words were taught when we had snow days and during the week the flu hit us hard. And not every single student learners every work the first time you teach it.

Now we need to play catch up to get everyone on the same page with some of these TOUGH sight words. I put these exact words onto Post-it notes. The notes went into this Carson Dellosa Double Smart Pocket Chart. (I have owned this pocket chart for years and years.)

Then, I pull out my lowercase letter beads. I go through the bead bin to pull the beads to spell out each word, placing those beads in the back pocket chart along with a pipe cleaner. Students create the sight word on their pipe cleaner to make the word. Simple, developmentally appropriate, and FUN.

The truth is, I have used this exact setup for many years and I have seen great success with this hands-on activity. See the word and make the word. Practice the word. The added OT help is amazing.

Scan & Learn for Sight Word Independence

But the true struggle is how to make this station, center, or whatever you want to use it for, into something INDEPENDENT. I want my students to be able to come to this station and use it on their own for sight word success.

Next, enter my idea! Why not add my QR Scan & Learn Sight Word Book cards to these pockets?!  I grabbed my notebook full of trading card-sized sight words. I added these interactive sight word cards to the pocket chart and took down the note cards. Why? What happens when a student scans a code?

Let me SHOW YOU how these words.