Winning Hopscotch: Sight Words

Explicit Instruction/Teacher Modeling

• Present a list of sight words on the interactive whiteboard.
• Explain to students that they will encounter these sight words when reading books, magazines, newspapers, or even looking at television.
• Explain to students that knowing these words will help them to become better readers.
• Show students one of the sight words. Tell the students in a clear voice what the sight word is.
• Ask students what the first letter in the word is and what sound the letter makes.
• Ask students engaging questions such as, What other letters are in the word? What sounds do they hear in the beginning of the word? What is the sound the first two letters make? What other letters are in the middle of the word? What letter is at the end of the word?
• Repeat this process with each sight word offered.

Guided Practice/Interactive Modeling

• Before this activity begins, create boxes for hopscotch game out of tape.
• Tape a letter inside of the box that will correspond to the sight words.
• Tell each student to roll a die.
• Tell students to count the number on the die.
• Explain to students that the number they count is the number of boxes they will jump in.
• Tell students to count as they jump in the box.
• Ask students to tell you the letter they landed on in the box.
• Ask students to tell you the sound that letter makes.
• Tell students to pick a sight word from the basket that begins with the corresponding letter.
• Tell students to tell you the word.
• Ask students to write the word in chalk at the end of the last hopscotch box, under the red winning tape.

Independent Working Time

• Have students repeat the activity with a peer.

• Enrichment: Advanced students can be given opportunities to extend their use of vocabulary words by thinking of the synonyms or antonyms of those words.
• Support Have struggling students receive peer support for learning letter and word recognition. Peers behind them can remind them of the letter they landed on and the sound the letter makes (through repetition).

• In advance, write students' name in the blank spaces of the teacher assessment sheet.
• During working time, walk around the hopscotch area and observe the students at the “winning area.”
• Cross out sight words students cannot recognize.

• Have each student choose one sight word from the basket.
• Ask student what letter the sight word begins with.
• Ask students what sound the letter makes.
• Ask students to tell you the word.
• Complete this activity with each student until all of the sight words have been mentioned.