Songs and Sight Words

April at Wolfelicious is having a Sight Word Linky Party!  I just had to tell you all about some of my favorite songs that teach the sight words, because when I first started teaching I didn't realize that you could use music and movement as well as visuals to teach sight words.  Now that I'm a 20-year veteran, I realize by using movement, music, and a visual, you're really including all types of learners.  The first great pair of songs is by Jack Hartmann and they are called "Popcorn Words" and "Popcorn Words (4, 5 & 6 Letter)" from the CD's Hip Hop Alphabop and Hip Hop Alphabop 2.  You can listen to the first one on Jack Hartmann's web site, and the second one is the exact same song but with different words.  I give the children popcorn word cutouts (the file shown below, printed on yellow paper) and have them "pop up" when it's their turn.  The children are positioned on their knees so that they can easily bounce up and down during the song; when it's their word, they stand up.
Popcorn Words for Board

I also have a Popcorn Word Wall in my room so the kids can easily see the words and use them in their writing daily.  Here are two quick-and-easy popcorn word sheets that I made, where kids are just practicing saying the word and visually matching it to its identical partner:
Popcorn Words Cut Paste

Another really fabulous song is "Singing the World Wall" by Dr. Jean, from her album Kiss Your Brain. It's a really cool teaching song because once you get the melodies down, you can use this song to springboard to other sight words.  For example, Dr. Jean uses the melody for "Three Blind Mice" to teach the word "and," but really any 3-letter-word can be used with that melody.  She does the same thing for 4-, 5-, and 6-letter words.

I also make sight word board games for each month of the year.  I just put a new kindergarten egg sight word game on TPT.  I really like making and using these games, because the kids play cooperatively with others, and they really take pride in being able to spell and recognize the sight words.  I also made a special poster called "Super Sight Word Spellers."  When the children know all of their sight words for your class, you simply put their name on the list and give them a prize.  My children kept asking me to re-test them because they wanted to be the next person on the list.

Have a super time singing and spelling!