Sight Word Flash — Primer
Dolch primer sight word flashcards.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Split the fifty-two into sets of eight or ten and take one set to fluency before adding another. Speed is the measure rather than accuracy — a word that is read correctly after three seconds of sounding out has not become a sight word. Sort each set into decodable and irregular as you go, since the two need different strategies and children benefit from knowing which is which.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentShow the word and wait 3 seconds for the student to read it.Log as correct
- First soundCover all but the first letter and let them try again.Log as cued
- Two choicesSay two words and let the student pick the one on the card.Log as cued
- ModelRead the word; the student reads it after you and traces it once.Log as cued
Adjust it
Work on 5 words at a time, mixing 3 known with 2 new.
Read the words in short sentences, or spell them from memory.
Matching IEP goal
Given sight word cards, such as 'all' and 'are', Student will read the words in 8 of 10 opportunities within 3 seconds each, across 3 consecutive sessions.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Fifty-two Dolch primer sight words — all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good and the rest. The primer list follows the pre-primer one and contains more irregular spellings: are, do, four and came all defy the rules a first-year reader has been taught.
What to listen for
Watch the irregular words specifically. Are, do, four and came cannot be decoded correctly by a beginning reader, and a child who keeps trying is applying a good strategy to a word that defeats it. Notice which words are confused: ate and at, came and come, but and put recur across most students.
Carrying it home
Short and frequent beats long and occasional. Ten cards flashed twice a day builds automaticity in a way that one long session a week does not — and stopping while the child is still succeeding is what makes them willing to do it again tomorrow.
What's in this activity
- all
- am
- are
- at
- ate
- be
- black
- brown
- but
- came
- did
- do
- eat
- four
- get
- good
- have
- he
- into
- like
- must
- new
- no
- now
- on
- our
- out
- please
- pretty
- ran
- ride
- saw
- say
- she
- so
- soon
- that
- there
- they
- this
- too
- under
- want
- was
- well
- went
- what
- white
- who
- will
- with
- yes
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Kindergarten through second, following the pre-primer list.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all fifty-two cards play free.
- How is the primer list different from pre-primer?
- It is the next set of high-frequency words, and it contains more irregular spellings — are, do, four, came — which cannot be worked out by decoding.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.