SightWords.com was founded to promote early child literacy by equipping teachers, parents, and caregivers with the best techniques and resources to help children learn to read. We want to make teaching a child to read easy, effective, and engaging. Here is what that means to us and what we should expect from each other:
Easy means that you should expect clear instructions on what you need to do. All lessons and activities should be accompanied by the teaching materials you need to make. For example, we will show you how to play Sight Words Bingo, and we will also provide you with a Bingo Card Generator to make the cards you need to play the game.
We will outline the big picture curriculum plan. We will also have detailed information for every single lesson, including extensions to suit different learning styles and difficulty levels. Teaching techniques will be richly supported with illustrations and videos where appropriate. Resources needed for each lesson should be available to download and print.
Easy doesn’t mean there is no work; we will expect you to put in the work. But we want to reduce the friction, so you are spending less time futzing about trying to cobble together a lesson plan and assemble resources, and can instead spend more time teaching.
Effective means that we need to give you methods and materials that actually work. Our methods should be supported by both research and classroom experience. When you encounter challenges, you should have access to information to help you diagnose the cause of the challenge and teaching strategies to overcome the challenge.
Effective isn’t a guarantee that it will always be smooth sailing. You will encounter storms on any long passage. But we want to want to give you a map and compass so that you know where you are, where you are going, and how to get back on track if you get blown off course.
Engaging means that you and your child should both enjoy the process. Learning to read is just one of the thousands of learning opportunities that your child will face. We need to set the stage for everyone to enjoy the experience and to foster a love of learning in your child. We also want to create a relationship where the child will actively approach you looking for guidance when they encounter challenges.
Engaging doesn’t mean that it will be non-stop giggles and laughter. We are confident that fun will be had, but engaging to us means something deeper. Engaging means that you and your child should be able to find yourself absorbed in the lessons and activities, and leave with the tired satisfaction that comes from a hard job well done.