Teaching sight words: A study of two methods for sight word
retention in Kindergartners
By
Anna Jean Johnson
A Master’s Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Science in Education – Reading
__________________________________
Major Advisor’s Signature
_________________________________
Date
University of Wisconsin – River Falls
2013
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Abstract
A rapid recall of a large sight word bank is essential to fluent reading and comprehension. Despite
well crafted teacher instruction, many students still struggle to memorize these words and recall
them quickly. In these cases, a new or varied approach is necessary. This action research study
presents two methods for helping students with sight word identification and memorization. The
first method uses the SnapWords® sight word cards program to present sight words to students
visually, orally, and kinesthetically. The results of this method did not show a significant increase
in word recognition as a result of the SnapWords® cards. As a result, the researcher simplified
the presentation method by teaching the words orally and kinesthetically using American Sign
Language. The results of the second study suggest that learning sight words through the
kinesthetic movement of sign language improves sight word retention in kindergartners.
Introduction
A balanced literacy curriculum includes the teaching of sight words to students starting in
Kindergarten. The hope is that our students will develop a memorized work bank that allows
them to move past decoding and into fluent reading. While teaching these words to students, it is
important to consider best practices as well as learning styles and each student’s abilities. The
purpose of this action research paper is to determine what methods of teaching sight words result
in the highest levels of retention in young students. Before diving in to the research, there are
important terms to clarify and theories to consider.
Sight words: What and Why?
The term “sight word” is somewhat ambiguous. Truly, a sight word is any word that is
read often enough that the brain has memorized it (Ehri, 2005; Rivera, Koorland, and Fueyo,
2002). To many elementary teachers, including myself, sight words are those words that have
irregular spellings that children cannot decode or words than come up so often that knowing them
is essential to a child’s ability to progress in their reading. In 1936, E.W. Dolch published an
article called “A Basic Sight Vocabulary” in which he presented a list of 220 words that “may
well be called ‘basic’ because it includes the ‘tool’ words that are used in all writing, no matter
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
2
what the subject (Dolch, 1936a, p.457).” He used a list created by the Child Study Committee of
the International Kindergarten Union, the Gates’ List, and the Wheeler-Howell list as a starting
point (Dolch, 1936a). From these lists, he removed all of the nouns because they were too content
specific, and he felt that often children have limited sight word banks because too much
instructional time focused on these nouns, and not the “tool” words that branched across
disciplines (Dolch, 1936a). These sight words listed by Dolch shall be referred to in this study as
high frequency words because they make up roughly 50-60% of the words found in text books
(Beers, 2003; Dolch, 1936b). Often when a child struggles to read, it is found that they have a
poor high frequency word vocabulary (Dolch, 1936b). Therefore, it is important that our students
are able to recognize and read these words automatically (Dolch, 1936b). When students know
words by sight and can read them automatically, more of their attention can be focused on
comprehending the text (Ehri, 2005). If a student has a limited high frequency word bank, more
time and attention is devoted to decoding, which impacts fluency and can affect comprehension
(Ehri, 2005). Therefore, it is not just knowledge of these words that students need, but a rapid
recall of them as well (Kirby, Georgiou, Martinussen, and Parrila, 2010).
Forming a Question:
Using the “Dolch Basic Sight Word Vocabulary List” as a starting point, the kindergarten
team that I work with narrowed the list down to 45 words to be taught to our students during the
school year. My students are expected to know these 45 high frequency sight words by the time
they leave my classroom. By the middle of the 2012-2013 school year, about half my students
struggled to identify many of our sight words automatically, and a few of them struggled to
identify some of the words at all. I realized the methods I was currently using to teach sight words
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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to my students were not working for everyone, and I needed to find other ways to present the
same material. To this point, I had been using writing, reading, and reciting activities to help my
students memorize these words, but clearly that was not working for many of my learners. I
decided to look for alternative teaching methods that would help my students learn these words.
Learning Styles Theory
Learning styles refers to the idea that different people learn different information in
different ways (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, and Bjork, 2008). The three most common methods
for instruction are kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. A kinesthetic lesson would involve the learner
in a hands-on or movement activity to help solidify a concept. An auditory lesson would involve a
great deal of verbal explanation from a teacher, and a visual lesson includes text and images for
the learner to view. As I reflected on my teaching methods, I realized that there was often not a
kinesthetic or visual aspect to my sight word instruction, and the auditory instruction needed a
different format. While the learning styles theory is well known, the research to support it is very
limited. One study done with a student with a learning disability found that the child was able to
better remember sight words when he had created his own pictorial representation of the word to
practice with when learning the word (Rivera, Koorland, and Fueyo, 2002). Unfortunately, I was
unable to find research to support the auditory component of my research plan, but I have found
in my own experience that songs, chants, and rhymes stick with children and help them recall
memorized information.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Possible Concerns for Learning Styles Approach
As I did my research for this project, I found a few studies that suggested some possible
areas of concern about my new approach to teaching sight words. First of all, a research review
by Pashler et al. (2008) found that many of the studies done on learning styles do not support the
theory that different people learn different information in different ways (Pashler et al., 2008).
While many people have a preference as to how material is presented, it is not necessarily the
way in which they learn the best (Pashler et al., 2008). The review stated that for the above
learning theory to be true, a few things would have to happen. First, a visual learner would have
to do better on any lesson or concept taught visually than they did when a lesson or concept was
taught orally or kinesthetically. Second, a kinesthetic or auditory learner would have to perform
worse than the visual learner when assessed on the concept taught visually. However, the limited
research that has been done does not show this to be true (Pashler et al., 2008). The authors
suggested that it might be better to consider how material is best presented, and that all learners
would benefit from that (Pashler et al., 2008).
Another area of concern for finding methods to teach sight words is cognitive load
theory. This theory states that the brain’s working memory is limited and only two or three
things can be dealt with at the same time (Akbiyik and Akbiyik, 2010). Related to this idea is the
redundancy principle, which indicates that when the same information is presented in various
forms, it can hurt learning, because it taxes the brain’s cognitive load (Samur, 2012). However,
the studies based on these theories have mixed results. In Samur’s study, multimodalities
presented at the same time seemed to improve student retention of the concepts (Samur, 2012).
In Akbiyik’s study, however, students seemed to retain information at the same level, regardless
of how many ways it was presented (Akbiyik and Akbiyik, 2010).
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Two possible methods: SnapWords® or Sign Language
Once I decided that I wanted to implement new sight word instruction that involved a
kinesthetic, visual, and auditory piece so that I could meet all of my students’ educational needs, I
found a resource called SnapWords® (see Appendix A). This is a set of sight word cards that has
a visual representation of what the words means or how it is used, a gesture that does the same,
and a repetitive sentence to say when teaching the word to help solidify the concept for students.
Sign language is another modality in which to present information to students. A great deal of
research has shown that the use of signs improves the communicative skills of children with
Autism or Down Syndrome (Capirci, Cattani, Rossini, & Volterra, 1998), and several studies
using sign language with hearing children have had positive results. Researchers at the Italian
National Research Council found that students who participated in a sign language program (in
addition to typical elementary school instruction) showed enhanced nonverbal cognitive
development at the end of their first and second year in the program (Capirci, Cattani, Rossini, &
Volterra, 1998). Marilyn Daniels explained the benefits of using sign language in this way,
“When teachers sign what they are also expressing verbally, the student is presented with
optimum cues. The signs represent the message visually and kinesthetically. Sign is
received in a visuospatial manner by the right hemisphere of the brain and subsequently
processed by the left hemisphere. The eyes are the receptors for sign, as the ears are the
receptors for oral languages. The experience concurrently delivers the communication in
visual, aural, and physical modes. The combination of signals creates the probability of a
multiple imprint on the learner’s memory. In tandem, sign language and English offer a
much richer language base for young learners (Daniels, 1994, p.296).”
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
6
Daniels, in her paper “The Effect of Sign Language on Hearing Children’s Language
Development”, refers to a study done by Wilson and Hoyer in which seven to nine year old
students were presented a vocabulary word and the sign for the word. When the teacher
pronounced the word, the children were asked to sign and say the word (Daniels, 1994). The
result was a higher retention rate of vocabulary words that were taught and reviewed with sign
language than with traditional instruction.
Barbara Cooper, a kindergarten teacher, uses sign language with her students when
teaching sight words (Cooper, 2002). She presents the word to her students visually, and then
teaches them to spell it with the manual alphabet (Cooper, 2002). Her evaluation was this,
”It has been my observation that the core advantage of using signing as a major
supplement to a reading program is that children acquire words more quickly and retain
them longer. Children are more motivated to learn new words and their concomitant
signs. They have additional decoding mechanisms available to them that can help them
retrieve words that they have stored in memory (Cooper, 2002, p.4).”
In addition to the cognitive benefits, all three research studies observed increased student
enjoyment and engagement in learning when sign language was used (Capirci, Cattani, Rossini,
& Volterra, 1998; Cooper, 2002; Daniels, 1994).
Areas of Continued Research
Much of the research I was able to find on teaching sight words related to students with
learning disabilities. I really think that there needs to be more research relating to general
education students. Another area that I need to research more is cognitive development. I am
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
7
excited to see what results my action research will have, but I am also concerned that my
students’ lack of retention has more to do with their current developmental stage than my
teaching methods. I would also like to further research sign language, and how I can incorporate
that into my day, because I think it would be of great benefit to all students, not just my
kinesthetic learners.
Conclusion of Literature Review
After completing my literature review, I am cautiously optimistic about my action
research. There was a lot of information to suggest that incorporating gestures and visuals into my
instruction would truly benefit my students. On the other hand, there was research to suggest I
might hinder their learning by overloading them with various formats. I hope to see an increase in
sight word retention in my students, and an indication of which method seems to be helping the
most. This will help me pare down my instruction to just what is beneficial.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Action Research
What instructional methods will improve Kindergartners’ sight word retention?
The following research involves two different studies focused around helping
kindergartners retain sight words. I first conducted a pilot study with my kindergarten class using
the SnapWords® sight word cards. Based on the results of this study, I continued my research
with a second study that used sign language and the manual alphabet as a method for teaching and
reviewing sight words. The two trial methods were taught concurrently with the sight word
instruction methods already being used in my classroom. These methods included explicit
introduction to new sight words, leveled readers that featured the new sight words, worksheets,
and various review games done in small and large groups, including, but not limited to, sight
word bingo or memory.
Pilot Study
Participants:
The participants of this pilot study were from my own kindergarten classroom at
Sunnyside Elementary in Red Wing, MN during the spring of the 2012-2013 school year. There
were 9 boys and 14 girls in my class, ages 5 and 6. They were students of diverse ethnic and
socioeconomic backgrounds. There were 18 regular education students, 4 students on the Autism
spectrum, and 1 student labeled as developmentally delayed.
Setting:
My study took place in my classroom at Sunnyside Elementary School in Red Wing,
MN. My room has 4 tables with 5-6 at each table. There is a rug on the floor in front of a
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Smartboard that my students sit on or around for various educational activities. Most of my
teaching is done here. The walls are covered with visuals relating to content area concepts and
children’s artwork. There are two large windows on one wall, and the hallway outside our room
has almost no traffic.
Materials:
•
SnapWords® picture cards (Appendix A)
•
Assessment recording sheet (Appendix B)
Procedures:
First, I performed a pretest on each student to determine how many of the Sunnyside
Kindergarten sight words they already knew without a visual. I also used the SnapWords® cards
to see how many of the Sunnyside Kindergarten sight words they knew with the help of a visual. I
recorded the time it took them to name these sight words. From this, I determined what
percentage of words that have been taught they memorized. Next, I taught the rest of this year’s
sight words using the SnapWords® curriculum to the whole class. Each week the new sight
words were introduced using the picture cards. We would discuss the word and the picture, and
then practice the sentence and gesture cue that was printed on the back of each card. Every day,
the words were reviewed using the same cards and a similar routine. After several weeks, I
performed a post test on each student to determine how many of the Sunnyside Kindergarten
curriculum’s sight words they know after being instructed with the SnapWords® curriculum.
From this, I determined what percentage of words have been memorized. I again looked at the
time it took them to list these words to see if their naming speed improved.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Findings/Results
I recorded various data points during the pre and post assessments so that I could look at
the study from all angles. I found that for all students, the use of the picture side of the
SnapWords® cards resulted in a reduction in naming speed. Each student’s word per minute
speed decreased significantly when they were shown the side with the word and picture, instead
of just the word. This may be because it was an unfamiliar image or because the image made the
task of visual discrimination more difficult. (See Table 1)
Table 1
Identification Time
4:19
3:50
3:21
Time to
idenitfy 45
words without
visual
TIme
2:52
2:24
1:55
1:26
0:57
0:28
0:00
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Time to
Identify 45
words with
visual
Student
By the end of my study, a total of 10 sight words had been introduced and rehearsed
using the SnapWords® cards. In order to best determine their effectiveness, I compared the sight
word recognition results to the 10 sight words taught prior to the introduction of cards. I found
that the average number of sight words recognized by my students before I starting using the
cards was 8.8 words. When I tested my students on the words I taught them using the
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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SnapWords® cards, I found that their word recognition, without the help of the picture visual,
was 7.7 words on average. The recognition of the words taught with the SnapWords® cards did
improve slightly (8.6 words instead of 7.7 words) but was still lower than when I used my
previous teaching methods. Based on these results, using the SnapWords® materials was not an
effective way to increase my students’ sight word retention.
Table 2
Sight Word Identification
Average Number of Correctly
Identified Sight Words
9
8.8
8.6
8.4
8.2
8
7.8
7.6
7.4
7.2
7
Sight words taught without
Sight words taught with
Sight words taught with
SnapWords® cards
SnapWords® cards (recognized SnapWords® cards (recognized
without visual)
with visual)
Methods of Instruction
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Second Study
Participants
The participants of this study are from my own kindergarten classroom at Sunnyside
Elementary during the fall of the 2013-2014 school year. There are 12 boys and 9 girls. They are
students of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Setting:
My study took place in my classroom at Sunnyside Elementary School in Red Wing,
MN. My room has 4 tables with 5-6 at each table. There is a rug on the floor in front of a
Smartboard that my students sit on or around for various educational activities. Most of my
teaching is done here. The walls are covered with visuals relating to content area concepts and
children’s artwork. There are two large windows on one wall, and the hallway outside our room
has almost no traffic.
Materials:

Assessment recording sheet (Appendix C)

Internet sites and videos featuring sign language and manual alphabet

Manual alphabet computer font

Computer and Smartboard
Procedures:
I began the 2013-2014 school year by teaching my students the manual alphabet using the
“ABC Song/ASL alphabet song” using a YouTube video. This video shows each letter beside a
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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picture of a hand making the sign for that letter. I used this video as a way to introduce sign
language and teach the manual alphabet, so that my students were familiar with the signs for
letters before I started teaching them to hand spell the sight words. The signs were not mastered,
but many students could follow along with the video and do the signs as they were shown on the
screen. Some could also make the sign for the first letter in their names, or other common words.
I continued exposing them to sign language by using a color word song, also on a You Tube
video, as a way to show them that not only can letters be signed, but words as well.
By the 4th week of school, my students were somewhat familiar with the manual alphabet
and color word signs, and sight words were now introduced in our reading curriculum. Each
week, I introduced the children to a sight word. I would show them the word in printed form on
my smart board. As I talked about what the word meant and how to use it in a sentence, I would
also teach them the ASL sign for that word. Then I would talk about the letters that made up the
sight word, and we would hand spell the word together, using a screen with the word spelled out
in a manual alphabet font as a guide. For six weeks, I introduced a new word every Monday.
Tuesday through Friday, we would review each word we had learned so far by hand spelling it,
signing in, and using it in a sentence. The sign and hand spelling would also be reviewed during
guided reading groups once or twice a week.
Findings/Results
For this study, after teaching six sight words, I did a post assessment with each child to
see if they could visually identify these words. The retention of these six sight words for the
2013-2014 kindergarten class was then compared to the 2012-2013 class to determine whether or
not the sign language method for introducing and reviewing sight words was beneficial. As seen
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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in Table 3, the percentages of students who could correctly identify the word I was the same for
both years. For the words see, can, the, and is, the sign language group had higher percentages of
retention than the control group. For the word like, the control group happened to have higher
retention. Based on the overall results of the sign language group when compared to the control
group, using sign language as a way to teach and reinforce sight words was an effective way to
Percentage of Students who Correctly Identified
the Sight Word
increase my student’s sight word retention.
Table 3
Comparison of Sight Word Recognition in Control
and Study Group
100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
100%
100%
100%
95%
100%
95%
90%
90%
85%
75%
85%
80%
Control Group
(2012-2013 class)
Study Group
(2013-2014 class)
I
see
can
the
Sight Word
is
like
Conclusions, Limitations, and Applications
Conclusions
From the first study, I have concluded that the SnapWord® cards may not be a beneficial
way of introducing sight words to my students. I have a few theories on why this may be the case.
First of all, I think starting this method part way through the year instead of right away disrupted
my routine and confuse my students. Young children need structure and consistency, and I think
changing the educational method may have impacted their sight word retention.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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After using the cards, I found that some of the picture cues were helpful and some of
them were not. Many of the pictures were confusing and would require a great deal of explanation
in order for the children to understand why they were used. Other picture cards were very clear
and made sense. This inconsistency again makes them hard to implement because the point it to
make learning sight words easier, not more complicated.
I also found that many of the gestures recommended on the cards were very similar and
repetitive. This made it difficult to use them as a cueing system because students would get the
movement confused and recall the wrong word.
From this second study, I have concluded that using ASL and the manual alphabet to
teach and reinforce sight words is beneficial to my students, and helps them retain sight words. I
have a few theories on why this may be the case. First, while teaching sight words in my
classroom this year, I noticed an increased level of enjoyment and engagement from my students
than I had in my previous three years of teaching sight words. Every Monday, when the new
word was introduced, I observed excitement in my students to see what they new word and sign
were going to be. I found more students participated in the sight word review activities when I
asked them to sign and say or spell and say the word for me. Second, I think that the hand
spelling of each word helped the students to focus on the letters that made up each word, and the
sign helped them to see the word as a whole. I think this will help students to better identify the
word in other reading contexts.
Limitations
There are a few limitations to the first study that I feel may have also impacted the data I
collected. First, I was not able to use the cards in my daily teaching as much as I would have
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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liked. The handbook that comes with the curriculum includes games and activities to be done
with the sight word cards, and because I had other lessons I needed to teach, I was not able to do
these games and activities. I instead had to rely solely on quick review of the new sight words
with the picture cards and gestures as often as I could manage during a given week. As stated
before, I think if I had had more time to prepare and familiarize myself with the materials, I could
have put them to better, more effective use.
I also noticed when I was collecting my data some inconsistency between the words that
my students recognized with and without the picture cue during assessment. I was not able to
assess both categories on the same day, and that may explain the discrepancy in my results. I also
think that if I was to research the effectiveness again next year, I would not include the data from
my students who are learning sight words without difficulty, as their skill level seems to indicate
that they would learn the sight words regardless of how they were taught.
There are two limitations to the second study that I feel may have impacted the validity of
data I collected. First, the students in the control group and study group are different children. It
is possible that the academic capabilities of one class were greater than the other, and so the
results would be different because of student ability, rather than the sign language method of
instruction. Ideally, I would have used the same class and taught some words with sign language
and some words without to see if this method of instruction was beneficial.
Second, when I observed the students during the sign language instruction of sight words,
I noticed that some of them struggled with the fine motor control needed to make the signs and
hand spell the words. Despite this, many of those students were still able to correctly identify the
sight words. I cannot determine from this whether sign language instruction was beneficial for
them. It is possible that the attempt at sign language increase engagement and therefore retention.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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That would indicate that it is not sign language accuracy that benefits students but rather the
increased engagement in the learning activity.
Applications
Although the results of my action research do not support the continued use of the
SnapWords® materials, I would like to find a way to use them in my classroom. Above, I stated
some possible reasons for why this trial was not successful, and some of the issues I may be able
to work around on a second try. For example, starting with the picture cards right away in the fall
will fix the issue of consistency. Now that I am more familiar with the materials, I can also make
changes to the gestures that are too similar in order to avoid overlap and confusion. I can also
weed out the picture cards that would be more confusing than clarifying for my students, and find
a different way to teach those words. I do see the pictures as possibly being less confusing for
English Language Learners. While the picture might be distracting to students who already
understand the meaning of the word, it could be helpful for those who are not only trying to
memorize the word, but what it means as well. If I have a class with ELL students in the future, I
intend to try the picture method with them.
I am very excited to see that the results of my research study support the continued use of
sign language in my classroom. I would like to see what other areas of my instruction I could
expand it into. I think that it could be a beneficial classroom and behavior management tool. If I
taught the children the signs for words like sit, quiet, wait, yes, and no, I could deal with
disruptive behavior without stopping my instruction. If I taught the children common signs for
animals, we could use them to retell nursery rhymes, folk tales, and fairy tales. I think this would
increase not only comprehension but engagement as well.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Final thoughts on both studies
I think that there are a lot of visual and aural demands already being placed on our
students in a conventional learning environment, and we often forget their need to incorporate
their bodies into their learning. I loved the opportunity to try out new materials and methods in
my classroom. So much of what we do every day is mandated, and we end up doing it whether we
find it beneficial or not. It was nice to research some materials, and actually try them out in my
classroom. In the end, I am not sure the SnapWords® materials are the best resource, but sign
language proved to be engaging and effective for teaching sight words. I am excited to continue
using it as I teach sight words, and to find other ways to incorporate it in my classroom. As stated
above, I hope to be able to try the SnapWords® method again with a group of ELL students.
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References
American Sign Language Dictionary (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.handspeak.com/word/
Akbiyik, C., & Akbiyik, G. A. (2010). Different Multimedia Presentation Types and
Students’ Interpretation Achievement. World Academy of Science, Engineering and
Technology, 66, 332-335.
Beers, K. (2003). When Kids Can't Read: What Teacher's Can Do. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Capirci, O., Cattani, A., Rossini, P., & Volterra, V. (1998). Teaching sign language to
hearing children as a possible factor in cognitive enhancement. Journal of Deaf Studies
and Deaf Education, 3(2), 135-142.
Cooper, B. (2002). The use of sign language to teach reading to kindergartners. The
Reading Teacher, 56(2), 116-119.
Daniels, M. (1994). The effect of sign language on hearing children's language
development. Communication Education, 43(4), 291-298.
Dolch, E. W. (1936a). A basic sight vocabulary. The Elementary School Journal, 36(6),
456-460. (a)
Dolch, E. W. (1936b). The First Step in Remedial Reading. The Elementary School
Journal, 37(4), 268-272. (b)
Ehri, L. C. (2005). Learning to read words: Theory, findings, and issues. Scientific
Studies of reading, 9(2), 167-188.
Kirby, J. R., Georgiou, G. K., Martinussen, R., & Parrila, R. (2010). Naming speed and
reading: From prediction to instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(3), 341-362.
My Smart Hands (2008, July 18). ABC Song/ASL Alphabet-American Version.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMQHd1UBkeI
My Smart Hands (2010, September 24). Alphabet Letter Sounds (Phonics) Song.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnvHrSF69kI&list=TLK9zblWIHmNn5kmSAmOsfkU6ii8xGA1t
My Smart Hands (2012, September 28). Colors Song-Learn your ASL colors. Retrieved
from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5jdJ2CsFuM
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Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles concepts and
evidence. Psychological science in the public interest, 9(3), 105-119.
Rivera, M. O., Koorland, M. A., & Fueyo, V. (2002). Pupil-Made Pictorial Prompts and
Fading for Teaching Sight Words to a Student with Learning Disabilities. Education and
Treatment of Children, 25(2), 197-207.
Samur, Y. (2012). Redundancy effect on retention of vocabulary words using
multimedia presentation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(6), E166-E170.
Signing Savvy Sign Language Dictionary (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.signingsavvy.com/
Wilson, R. M., & Hoyer, J. P. (1985). The use of signing as a reinforcement of sight
vocabulary in the primary grades. New directions in reading research and practice: 1985
yearbook of the state of Maryland international reading association, 43-51.
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
Appendix A: Sample of a SnapWords® card
21
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
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Appendix B: Pilot Study assessment sheet
Student Initials ____
Sight Word
(Pretest)
I
see
can
the
is
like
my
a
to
go
look
at
said
and
you
he
she
it
here
me
for
this
we
an
are
not
by
have
play
in
his
her
on
that
had
or
they
be
all
do
but
how
was
your
of
Pretest _______Time_________
Recognized
without visual
Recognized
with visual
Postest_______ Time _____
Sight Word
(Posttest)
I
see
can
the
is
like
my
a
to
go
look
at
said
and
you
he
she
it
here
me
for
this
we
an
are
not
by
have
play
in
his
her
on
that
had
or
they
be
all
do
but
how
was
your
of
Recognized
without visual
Recognized
with visual
TEACHING SIGHT WORDS
23
Appendix C: Second Study assessment sheet
Student Initials: ______
Sight Word
I
see
can
the
is
like
Student Initials: ______
Sight Word
I
see
can
the
is
like
Student Initials: ______
Sight Word
I
see
can
the
is
like
Student Initials: ______
Sight Word
I
see
can
the
is
like
Identified
Signed
Hand Spelled
Identified
Signed
Hand Spelled
Identified
Signed
Hand Spelled
Identified
Signed
Hand Spelled