Can someone PLEASE tell me how many high frequency words there are??????

[propercheesed]

DS is currently KS1 at school, I have requested a copy of any high frequency words he should be learning(along side his reading) but surprise surprise access denied!!. Anyone would think I wanted to help my son .

I have googled and googled and I keep getting different answers, please could any teachers or up to speed parents tell me where to find the answer?

And yes, ok, re the lists. Will take that on trust as have no particular desire to see such a list, I was just defending myself from criticism that was unfairly proportioned.

To be fair L&S don't suggest learning them by sight

I know, but how many teachers take any notice of that 'guidance'?

And why should children be learning a list of words, anyway? I thought the whole point of phonics instruction was to enable them to independently read any word they encounter. If these words really are 'high frequency' they'll encounter them often enough to establish them in sight memory without making a big song and dance about 'learning' them...Won't they?

youarekidding - any links to 'fab fun games and activities online for learning phonics '?

www.phonicsplay.co.uk

www.kenttrustweb.org.uk/kentict/content/games/literacy_menu.html

They are important because they make up 50-75% of the words a reader will encounter in any level of reading material. Mastering them, whether phonetically or by sight (many do not follow phonic rules) means better fluency.

220 Dolch words is how a lot of US schools approach them.

sorry mathanxiety but they do follow phonics rules (if you know the rules which by age 6-7 most children will)

It's knowing the 200 words by sight and using the pictures to guess the rest of the words which gets children into trouble.

It looks like they can read - until they're given a book without pictures.

But by then often noone is listening to them read anymore a d no one actually notices how bad their reading is. And the child is used to guessing and also doesn't realise they're not reading properly.

I had no idea DS couldn't read new words (in Y6) because he had done such a good job of memorising sight words.

So basically, it's really not a good idea to get your child to learn 200 hfw because it can mask reading problems.

www.primarygames.com/

I have also used the site feenie linked to - phonics play.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/

You're right, Mrz, but a huge number of teachers and TAs attending our courses firmly believe that HFWs are synonyms for sight words. That's for all the reasons maizieD has spelt out already and because the writers of L&S didn't shout from the rooftops that these words are NOT meant to be learnt by sight.

Is there a list anywhere of the High Frequency words and how to sound them out phonetically and decode the really tricky ones?

You'd think it would be easy for me to work it out, but it's not, and I don't want to do it wrong. My son's school insists he learns the HFW by sight, and I'm trying to teach him how to sound them out instead. (After reading Mumsnet!)

The majority of the HFW have no "tricky" parts so are simple to decode - words like mum, dad, cat, dog, am, at, in etc

so there are relatively few that need additional knowledge

he, she, me. we, be the letter e represents the sound ee in all these words

go, no and so the letter o represents oa

was - the letter a following the sound w (wh) often represents the sound o not a
think what, want, wasp

the -
to
I
no
go
into
he
she
we
me
be
w a s
you
they
all
are
my
her
s ai d
have
like
so
do
some
come
were
there
little
one
when
out
wh a t
oh
their
peo p le
Mr -contractions
Mrs -contraction
looked
c al l ed
asked
c oul d

Thanks for that mrz.

I am a little confused regarding this whole phonics/reading thing. I understand that the majority of words can be sounded out. Is that the point of phonics that you use phonics to sound out new words, however, once you have done this several times you then read the words by sight?

Is it about the primary method that is used by the child? should I be asking my dd to read for meaning when she struggling to decide which of the variations is correct.

I tried to raise this with her teacher and the only advice I got was to 'keep doing what I was doing.' :( The school follows Letters and Sounds and has tricky words. For example yesterday the word was "could". They have not asked her to learn any of the high-frequency words.

Mrz, many cannot be decoded. That is why they are called sight words.

They are not called sight words, mathanxiety.

Which words are you having trouble decoding?They aren

There are no words in the English language that cannot be decoded. That is because ALL words have at one time or another been encoded!
All words in the English language are comprised of sounds and all sounds have been assigned spellings - otherwise they couldn't be written down.
So, if you can encode a word, you must be able to decode it, even if the spellings that have been assigned to the word are relatively rare.

mathanxiety sight words are part of the discredited whole language reading method imported from the USA last century and nothing to do with high frequency words.

True enough that there are very few words that completely defy decoding. But how much time do you want to spend going through the variations and helping children decide which to use?

How much time do you imagine it takes?
Far less time than memorising the million words in the OED and far more reliable than guessing from word shape or picture clues.

Not so Mrz.
Dolch, Fry, 'sight' words and 'high frequency' words are all lists based on the same principle. There is a huge amount of overlap among all the various lists. The point of teaching them is to help students arrive at the point of automaticity.

They are taught explicitly.

ah! Dolch a 1936 list for whole language teaching

a better don't get I many out she these wash
about big done give if may over show they we
after black down go in me own sing think well
again blue draw goes into much pick sit this went
all both drink going is must play six those were
always bring eat good it my please sleep three what
am brown eight got its myself pretty small to when
an but every green jump never pull so today where
and buy fall grow just new put some together which
any by far had keep no ran soon too white
are call fast has kind not read start try who
around came find have know now red stop two why
as can first he laugh of ride take under will
ask carry five help let off right tell up wish
at clean fly her light old round ten upon with
ate cold for here like on run thank us work
away come found him little once said that use would
be could four his live one saw the very write
because cut from hold long only say their walk yellow
been did full hot look open see them want yes
before do funny how made or seven then warm you
best does gave hurt make our shall there was your

all 220 are decodable words