LSA: Why Sight Words Matter — and How to Teach Them at Home

Not all common words are created equal. In Structured Literacy, we make a clear distinction between sight words (words a child can recognize instantly and effortlessly through orthographic mapping) and high-frequency words (the most commonly used words in English). Many high-frequency words—especially irregular ones like said, the, and was—need explicit instruction and practice to become true sight words. In this short video, I explain why sight word recognition is crucial to building fluent, confident readers—and what you can do at home using a simple, Science of Reading–aligned routine. 📌 Key Takeaways: 1. Why “memorize and drill” isn’t effective 2. What “mapping to memory” really means 3. How to turn tricky high-frequency words into sight words 👩🏾‍🏫 Parents, this one’s for you. ✅ Like, share, and subscribe to help build confident and competent readers! #SightWords #ScienceOfReading #ParentTips #DREAMSKC #LiteracyIsLiberation #LetsGetLit