SHARE A LESSON:  Teaching the Dolch Words
Technique for Vocabulary Development and Reading: mini flashcards of the Dolch Sight Words Projected Audience: Children or adults who are learning how to read
ESL Level: Literacy (Pre-Benchmark to CLB 2)
Objectives: 1. The learner will be able to read the Dolch sight words quickly and without hesitation.
	2. The learner will be able to use the Dolch sight words correctly in sentences.
Materials and Resources: mini packets of flashcards, one per student

A.  	Preparation:  
The teacher makes a set of flashcards for each students.  There are 5 sets of words, so in the end, each student will have 5 sets of mini flashcards.  This takes a bit of time, depending on the number of students in your class, but it’s well worth your effort.  

Method:  There are 5 lists of Dolch words (see attachment).  Run off each list on a different colour of paper, so that you can easily distinguish the sets from one another.  Cut the words out, using a paper cutter, one sheet at a time.  (If you cut more than one sheet at a time, the words will get all mixed up and you’ll have to separate them into the different sets.)  Gather the little slips of paper together, make sure they are all right side up, and put the name of the set on top as the first flashcard (e.g. Set 1, 40 words).  Then staple them together at the left-hand edge.   

B.  	Description of the Technique:  

1. Getting started: 
	a. Introduce the concept of sight words and the Dolch words.
Have the students look at one of their experience chart stories and circle some Dolch words. For example,  “Find and circle all the ‘ands’ in the story.” Repeat for a few other common words they know such as the, a, an, is, are, etc.  Have students count the number of times each word appears on the page.  (They will be shocked!)  Explain that these common words that are used often in English are called Dolch words, and if they can read them quickly and easily, they’ll be able to read most of the words on the page.  Explain what a “sight word” is—that as soon as they look at it, they should be able to read it, without sounding it out.  Do some demonstrations—have them cover their eyes, then open them and see how quickly they can recognize a word.   
	b. Give out the flashcards. 
Give each student the Set 1 mini flashcards and have him/her write his/her name on it. Talk about the title card, and how many words are in the set. Read through the words together.  Students must be able to read the words before being allowed to practise them independently. (Don’t let them learn mistakes!)
Talk about how to use the flashcards, when and where they should practise them.  Show them how fast you can flip through the cards and read the words.  Tell them they will be tested each day (or however often you can test them), and when they can read the whole set quickly with NO errors, they will be given the next set of words to work on.
       	Give students a notebook for Dolch Word practice, sentence writing and spelling tests.

2.  Daily Routines: Reading Practice and Testing
Set aside a time (15 - 20 minutes a day or a few times a week) when students can practise the words individually or in pairs, and be tested by the teacher. This can be a good activity for the first 15 minutes of the morning, when latecomers are straggling in.  As they arrive, they take out their flashcards and read them to the teacher or to each other.  
When a student is ready, s/he goes to the teacher to be tested. The teacher flips through the flashcards, so the words have to be read at the teacher’s pace without errors. The teacher should have an assessment sheet for each student (see attachment) to record the number of errors, what they are, and to write a comment about speed and fluency.  (Eg. Can read the words but too slow.) 
When learners get a word wrong, the teacher should help the students analyze the error using word attack skills, and try to find a way to help them remember it, e.g. by breaking the word into syllables, looking for little words inside the bigger word, circling repeated letters, suffixes, prefixes, etc.  Then students can copy the difficult words into their Dolch Word notebooks and practise them at home.
As learners improve in their reading, the teacher can increase the challenge during the test by asking them to use some words orally in sentences.
When they are able to read the words quickly and without hesitation, the teacher should give them the next set of words and mark it on their assessment sheet. 

Problems: What can be done if the learners lose their flashcards? It takes a long time to make a set of flashcards, so you may want to give them the papers and let them cut out the second set themselves.  
What can be done if learners forget their flashcards at home? The teacher should have a classroom set of flashcards to lend to students, so that they don’t waste their practice time.

3.  Weekly Routines: Extension
a. On Mondays, introduce 5 Dolch words.  Write them on the board one at a time, and analyze them with the class using word attack skills.  Use the words in sentences.  Have the students copy them into their notebooks and ask them to study the words every night because they will have a spelling test every day.  
b. On Monday, print the words all along the top of the whiteboard in the classroom and leave them there for the week.  To get them used to reading the words by sight, ask the class or individuals to read the words aloud several times a day—between subjects, before being dismissed for break or home time, whenever there is a spare minute. As they get more confident, call on students to read them individually.  
c. Sentence-writing: A few times a week, allot 10 minutes for the class to brainstorm sentences using the Dolch words.  Write the sentences down on chart paper or the blackboard, and analyze them—for example, find the subject, verb and object; word order; capital letters; punctuation. Have the students copy the sentences in their notebooks.
d. Give daily spelling tests of the words.  On Friday, count the test as an assessment and have the learner put it into his/her portfolio. If it appears that the class has not mastered a word, carry it over and repeat it the next week.
e. Extensions: 1. When you write language experience stories in class, call students up to find and circle Dolch words.
2. Once a week, make up a cloze worksheet of sentences using the words the class has studied.  Ask students to read and complete the sentences independently.
	
C.  	Assessment:
a. After the learner has mastered a set of the Dolch words, make a copy of their assessment sheet (see attachment) for the teacher’s records and have the learner put the original in their portfolios.
	b. Give spelling tests on Fridays.  Dictate simple sentences using the words.
c. Give a cloze worksheet of sentences using the words the class has studied as an assessment. Students read and complete the sentences independently.