I’m a proponent of learning phonics when it comes to learning how to read.  However, there are words that don’t follow the rules of phonics.  Instead of sounding the words out, these words have to be memorized.  Such words are called “sight words.”  Fortunate for us, Dr. Edward Dolch complied a list of 220 sight words, or “Dolch words,” in 1948, based on children’s books.  Dolch words make up about 50-75% of words in children’s books, which means your child will know at least 50% of the words in a given book once he’s mastered the Dolch words.  Exciting, isn’t it?

Even though my five-year-old is already reading and knows a lot of sight words, I’m using the Dolch words for his spelling lessons.

For those who are interested in teaching your children Dolch words, you can check out Mrs. Perkins’ Dolch Words.  This website contains different forms of the Dolch words, activities, worksheets, and games.  Happy learning and reading!