Curriculum Corner- High Frequency Words by Leigh Volkers

One fundamental element of early reading success is a students ability to read high-frequency words in text. Its estimated that the 100 most frequently seen words in the English language make up 50% of all printed text. The occurrence of the 100 most frequently seen words is even more prominent in the simple books that we give to our beginning readers, 75% or more of the words on each page are considered high-frequency words. For this reason, its crucial that emergent readers learn to recognize these words with automaticity. Over the course of the school year, your child will be exposed to 40 - 50 high-frequency words through the Language Arts Program. These are words that your child will encounter frequently in the print (books, songs and poems) that he/she is exposed to. In our classroom, when we are studying a new high-frequency word, the children practice writing the word in the air, on the carpet and finally in print on practice papers. Your child should be able both read and spell each of these words after we have practiced it for a week. In order to provide a structure for children to continue to practice these words throughout the school year, I assign each child a high frequency word study partner. These partner groups become an important tool for continued practice through the second half of the school year. Within the partner group, children take their roles as both teacher and student seriously and understand that they are dependent on each other for success. Each partner group is given a pack of high frequency word flashcards and take turns quizzing each other on both reading and spelling the words. I have found that this format works well for providing children with targeted practice on the high frequency words, while also providing an opportunity for each child to learn to be a supportive, effective partner. Below is a list of the high-frequency words that your child should have mastered by the end of the school year. You can help your child to further practice these words by creating flashcards for the words and quizzing him/her on the spelling of each word. For other fun ways to help your child practice these words at home see the additional pages of ideas included on the Report Card Rubric.

I play what has can at could give out

like are little look we an all make say

a you said with the then have now saw

see for here my am or away new that

go this was me is there by no when

to do she up in where come her your

it and he where down would from our yes