Recognizing Words: Perfect for Kindergarten!!

I found an article called "Teacher to Teacher." While I would recommend the whole article and every chapter in it, I focused on one particular chapter. The chapter I focused on was Chapter 1 entitled, "Recognizing Words." This chapter appealed to me the most because I am very interested in teaching Kindergarten, and I have often wondered what the best methods are to teach sight words. As we have read, phonological awareness is one of the strongest indicators of a child's word-recognition ability. This is a hard process for five and six year olds, since they have to link what they are hearing or reading to the way they understand the spoken language. When a child puts together simple rhymes, understands that one-syllable words have two parts, and recognizes word patters, this will be a true measure of how well they can read.
It is important for instruction to start with words that a child identifies to. Then, implementing sight words that are used frequently within the text should be implemented. Teaching high-frequency words and high-interests words in a specific text, or words that children don't have the ability to decode yet in this order, will be more beneficial for a child to structure meaning and learn more successfully.
Here are some activities a teacher can do to teach word recognition:

WHERE THERE'S A WORD, THERE'S A VOWEL
In this activity, the teacher needs to cut out all the letters of the alphabet, except for the vowels. Ask the students to try to write as many words as they can using the letters. They will soon realize that they can't, and ask for vowels. They will understand that a word cannot be written without anyone of the vowels. The next day, write a sentence on the board, and cross out where the vowels should be. Ask the students to critically think about what vowel goes in each space. 


ACTION PHONICS
In this activity, a teacher for example writes the word "march" on one side of the card, and the letter m on the back side of the card. After having the children march around the room, show them the card. They will realize that the written word "march" means to march, and the letter "m" is the first letter of "march." Tell help them realize what the letter m sounds like, tell them to march whenever they see the letter m. 


SPICING UP VOCABULARY STUDY AND REVIEW
Memory experts recommend that it is important to attach a memorable aspect when trying to remember anything. If you are trying to teach your students vocabulary words that revolve around a specific story, have your notecards cut out into the specific shape that represents that word. For example, if you are trying to teach words that involve the ocean, cut out flash-cards out in a palm tree or fish shape. 


PRACTICING HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS WITH REBUS STORIES
Always take advantage of art projects when they can be incorporated. They highly motivate younger children. Here is the steps in this activity:
1) Create a rebus story using words from high-frequency words list, but don't draw the pictures.
2) Type the story, triple spacing between the lines so that ample space remains from the rebus pictures.
3)Have each child create the stories by drawing whatever they choose in the blank spaces.
4) Have each child read his/her story to a classmate
5) Compile a book of the children's rebus stories for the class library.