That's where Joplin Schools enters the picture. Below you will find a list of 100 words we call "sight words". These are words that are not spelling phonetically. They are words that sometimes break the rules of the English language. They are words that are a common part of what fourth graders read. Our school district has dubbed these as "No Excuse" words. Perhaps that's a harsh title, but that's a debate for another time. The fact is, students should be capable of reading the list in under a minute.
body music color stand sun questions fish area mark dog table north slowly money map busy pulled draw voice seen | horse birds problem complete room knew since ever piece told true hundred against pattern numeral cold cried plan notice south | usually didn’t friends easy heard order red door sure become five step morning passed vowel sing war ground fall king | top ship across today during short better best however low fast several hold himself toward town I’ll unit figure certain | hours black products happened whole measure remember early waves reached listen wind rock space covered field travel wood fire upon |
Would you work on these words at home? Perhaps you could make flash cards and time your child as s/he reads through them all. Come up with ways to remember their spelling, their shape, and their sounds. Use the words in written sentences. If you're like me, you probably think these are pretty easy, but you may still be surprised when your son/daughter struggles with some of them.