Improving Sight Word Recognition

Jamie Stief

Problem Statement: • Several special education students

are not reading at grade level. Students are unable to answer basic comprehension questions because they struggled with decoding and were not focused on making meaning with the words.

• Students have not mastered the basic sight words. During reading activities, students consistently have difficulty with decoding and must sound out nearly all of the words including sight words.

• Will the implementation of computer based sight word activities improve sight word vocabulary?  

Baseline Data:• Two students will be the

focus in this action research plan. Both are in second grade and receive pull-out special education services for basic reading skills.

• Current reading level for both students is at a DRA level 6 (beginning first grade level).

• Both students also have command of 90% of the pre-primer sight word list.

Measurable GoalsProfessional Goals Learner Goals

1. Research technology based interventions for sight word recognition.

2. Implement iPad apps and computer-assisted activities focused on sight words.

1. Improve sight word recognition of Dolch sight word lists (pre-primer, primer, first grade).

2. Improve DRA score, specifically word accuracy score and oral reading fluency.

Outcomes & ArtifactsProfessional Outcomes Learner Outcomes

1. Research technology based interventions.

• Success Criterion: Find at least 2 interventions that utilize technology for improving sight words.

• Planned Artifact: Develop an area of focus statement based on research found.

 2. Implement iPad apps and computer-

assisted lessons.• Success Criterion: Find and install at

least 5 sight word apps for the iPad. Find and install 1 software program for the computer and develop activities for the students.

• Planned Artifact: Create a list of available sight word apps and observe which apps the students prefer. Develop lesson plans for the computer-assisted activities.

1. Improve sight word recognition.

• Success Criterion: Students will increase the number of Dolch sight words read correctly per sight word list.

• Planned Artifact: Pre-tests and posttests for each sight word list.

2. Increase oral reading fluency score on the DRA.

• Success Criterion: Students will improve their score on the DRA.

• Planned Artifact: Running record and scoring sheet will be completed according to DRA instructions.

Specific Procedures & Timeline1. Give each student a

pretest on the primer, pre-primer and first grade sight words.

2. Have each student take a survey about sight words.

3. Set up the parameters for each iPad app based on the student’s needs.

4. Allow 10 minutes at the beginning of class each day for sight word practice on the computer or iPad.

5. Monitor progress by observation and tracking results (if possible) within each app or computer activity.

6. Test students after 2 weeks.

7. Posttest students after another 2 weeks, right before school ends.

8. Take another survey to determine if student’s attitude towards sight words improved.

To achieve my goals, I will:

• Research interventions that use technology.

• Search for iPad apps, computer games, and computer software that focus on sight words.

• Install/download apps and software.

• Set up the parameters for each app based on the student’s ability.

• Create activities utilizing the computer software program Kurzweil 3000.

• Develop a survey for students.

• Monitor progress during the intervention.

• Pre and posttest students.

Research: Why teach sight words?• Sight words are important because they are the words that are

most frequently used in text and often do not follow the rules of the English language.

• Struggling readers often have a sight word deficit. Reading failure can be credited to deficits in sight word vocabulary, fluency, decoding skills, and comprehension (Cullen, Keesey, Alber-Morgan, & Wheaton, 2013).

• When a student must decode each word in a sentence, they become frustrated and can lose the meaning of the text (Brummitt-Yale, n.d.).

• Once a student knows the high frequency words, they will also know other words that contain the same high-utility chunks, which gives a student word power (Caulkins, 2001).

Research: Why use technology?

• Technology may be the answer, because of the various assistive technologies such as word processing, text-to-speech, voice recognition, and multimedia software (Schibur, 2009).

• Increases in motivation, attention, and time on task have been noted when instruction is presented as an interactive medium with sound, animation, and video recording (Mechling, Gast, Krupa, 2007).

• The ability to provide extended practice and speech feedback makes technology programs especially suited for supporting the development of word recognition (Englert, Zhao, Collings, & Romig, 2005).

Sight Words by Grasshopper Apps

Sight Words Little Speller by Grasshopper Apps

Sight Word Bingo by abcya.com

Sight Words Ninja by Grasshopper Apps

Sight Words Coach by Sierra Vista Software

iPad Apps

Results

Pre-Primer Primer First Grade Second Grade

0102030405060708090

100

Student A

Sight Word List

% o

f w

ord

s re

ad c

orr

ectl

y

Pre-Primer Primer First Grade0

20

40

60

80

100

Student B

Sight Word List

% o

f w

ord

s re

ad c

orr

ectl

y

Assessment SchedulePre-Test/Placement TestProgress Monitoring after 2 weeksPosttest after 4 weeks

*At 2 weeks another list was introduced to each student because they were making significant progress, therefore, the last list only has 2 scores.

Results (continued)

•Both students improved end of the year DRA scores from level 6 to level 8.

•Both students improved NWEA reading scores on the end of the year assessment.

Surveys

ReferencesBrummit-Yale, J. (n.d.) Benefits of teaching sight words. K12 Reader: Reading

Instruction Resources for Teachers & Parents. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://www.k12reader.com/six-benefits-of-teaching-sight-words/

 Calkins, L. (2001). The art of teaching reading. New York: Longman. Cullen, J., Keesey, S., Alber-Morgan, S. R., & Wheaton, J. (2013). The effects of

computer-assisted instruction using Kurzweil 3000 on sight word acquisition for students with mild disabilities. Education and Treatment of Children, 36(2), 87-103.

 Englert, C., Zhao, Y., Collings, N., & Romig, N. (2005). Learning to read words: the

effects of internet-based software on the improvement of reading performance. Remedial and Special Education, 26(6), 357-371.

 Mechling, L. C., Gast, D. L., & Krupa, K. (2007). Impact of SMART Board technology:

an investigation of sight word reading and observational learning. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(10), 1869-1882.

 Schibur, G. (2009). The impact of technology on sight word instruction. (Master’s

thesis, Marian University). Retrieved May 1, 2014, from ginaschibur.wikispaces.com/file/view/.../Final%20AR%20Report.doc