5 Differentiated Sight Word Activities You Can Try Today
Differentiated sight word instruction doesn’t have to be hard to manage! Below, I’m going to give you some simple differentiated sight word activities that make it easy to meet your kids exactly where they’re at. They’re so simple that you can get started using them today.
Start with an assessment to get the most out of your sight word activities.
Grab a stack of index cards. Write each of your targetted sight words on a card. Quiz your students one at a time on the cards and note which sight words they already know. (Hint: If you are lucky enough to have a parent volunteer or a paraprofessional, this is an excellent activity for them to do.)
Look over the list to plan your instruction.
- If everyone knows a word, there’s no need to spend any time teaching it. Skip it.
- If none of your students know a word, plan to teach it in whole-group direct instruction.
- Words that some kids know and some don’t are perfect targets for small-group instruction.
Reassess at least quarterly. Most kids will learn additional sight words as they learn new phonics skills and encounter words throughout their environment.
Now, let’s talk about some differentiated sight word activities that are easy to implement, effective, and fun!
1. Go old-school and break out the flashcards.
Flashcards are a great way to review and practice targetted words. Focus on just a few new words at a time. Point out the parts of the words your kids already can figure out using their phonics skills and the parts that don’t fit the rules. You can emphasize the unexpected parts by highlighting the tricky parts of these words. Then, practice their new words in brief but frequent sessions. This is a great warm-up activity to do at the beginning or end of small-group reading lessons.
2. Simplify your differentiation with editable practice pages.
I’m dating myself here, but when I first started teaching, I would pull out a stack of teacher books and flip through them marking pages to copy with sticky notes. None of the books contained all of the sight words my kiddos needed so I’d pull from multiple books.
Not only did it take more time to find all of the sight word pages I’d need for the week, but it also meant that the pages didn’t look at all alike. My lower readers got worksheets that looked babyish compared to the worksheets my higher kiddos got.
Editable worksheets solve that problem. It’s easy to create worksheets for any word you need and the worksheets look similar. Editable worksheets make differentiation so easy! Type, print, and go!
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“This is by far one of the best resources I have purchased on TPT! You can create the perfect sight word worksheets for your class within minutes. My students looked forward to completing these worksheets each week in class and for homework. Their favorite was the gumball machine!” -Stephanie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Keep your class engaged with roll and write activities.
Learning sight words takes repetition. Unfortunately, it can be hard to keep kids engaged during repetitive practice. That’s why I love roll & write activities. They make it easy to keep your students engaged and provide multiple opportunities to practice each word. Plus, different versions of the activity, like a roll and trace option and single-word versions, make it easy to accommodate the different abilities our students have.
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“So much fun!” – Amanda ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Make review time fun with bingo games.
Do you struggle to keep your kids engaged and on task when learning requires repetition? If so, you’re not alone. Games are another one of the best ways to make learning fun and to keep kids motivated. They allow for repetition and review without boredom!
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“Great product. I love that this can be used for ELA or math. Very versatile, can be used on one, small group or whole group.” – KMC ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Create differentiated coloring sheets for morning work, homework, or easy seatwork.
Coloring pages are an easy activity for morning work, centers, homework, or other times you need your students to work independently. Plus, coloring builds hand strength and fine motor skills. Editable sight word coloring pages make it easy to target the specific works your kids are working on.
Don’t forget to grab your free editable sight word coloring sheets!
Differentiated sight word instruction can be easy. Grab a FREE copy of the editable sight word coloring sheets, pick some differentiated sight word activities, and get started today! Your kids will love learning their sight words, and you’ll love seeing them progress.
