Snap words are those words that you can read immediately. They are also known as sight words or high frequency words. These words occur frequently in the books first graders are reading but often do not follow the spelling rules that they are familiar with at this point in time. For example, "they" is a sight word. It is decodable if you know that "ey" is a spelling variation for long a, however, this is not a rule that first graders are expected to know.
Sight words can be practiced in many different ways. Things like scavenger hunts or word games are a great way to increase the number of times a word is seen. One of my daughter's favorite ways to practice her sight words was tic tac toe. It is played exactly like traditional tic tac toe but before the game begins, sight words are written on each space. To claim a space you must be able to read the word. Here is a list of 50 sight words that is typically learned during first part of first grade. This is the list of words typically learned later in the year. Remember it is not unusual for children to acquire sight words in different orders and at different rates.
Some of the reading strategies that we have been practicing include:
- Check the picture
- Look at ALL the parts of the word
- Get a running start
- Do a double-check. Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it make sense?
When you are reading with your child, encourage him/her to use strategies when appropriate but also remind him/her that some words are snap words that should be known right away.
