POPCORN WORDS

Sight vocabulary refers to the words that children can recognize or identify immediately without the need to use word analysis skills such as phonics, onset-rime analogy or structural analysis.

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Words are more quickly and permanently learned when they are learned in a meaningful context. Language-experience texts are meaningful because they are composed by the children themselves. (David Hornsby, 2017)

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This year in Prep, we will be following a ‘Words in Context’ list, designed to help children develop a sight vocabulary as quickly and easily as possible. This method of learning sight vocabulary is based on the research of David Hornsby. When children learn sight words in this way:

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1. Each word is introduced in a meaningful context with other words that are already known (not in isolation).

2. Early words, and other key words, are introduced and learned through literature first.

(David Hornsby, 2017)

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Our sight vocabulary words will be referred to as POPCORN WORDS - they must be recognised and said as soon as they are seen.  All words in the set must be said like "popcorn" in order to move on to the next set.  
Your child will be tested at school on a regular basis so please ensure their Popcorn Word Book (A4 size) REMAINS IN THEIR KIT FOLDER.  When a set is completed, they will move on to the next set.  A stamp will be placed in their Popcorn Word book to let you know that your child has successfully completed a set and is ready to start practicing the next set. 

It's important to know that a lot of sight words cannot be sounded out and just need to be learned. By learning these words, children are free to focus on using reading strategies for unknown words.  

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Words are given singularly and in a sentence to provide context and meaning. When tested, children will be asked to read the word both ways - singularly and in an unfamiliar sentence with other known words.

To make sure children are successful they should spend some time practicing the words on his/her word list on a regular basis.  Once children have had the opportunity to study new sight words, games are a fun, hands on way to help strengthen their retention. 
There are a few very important things to consider when practicing these words at home:

1. When tested at school, children are usually given five seconds to say the word in order to be successful – remember that these are not words to be sounded out each time they are seen.
2. If there are only a few unknown words on their current list (and your child is waiting to be retested at school), please feel free to practice the unknown words in the next list, however, rushing them through the lists will do them no good!
3. The words are tested in a random order, so please remember to ask the words from the list out of order so that they are not just remembering the list order.
4. Students will focus on two words in their Popcorn Word Book to work on at home with you at a time. These are the next two words I want them to smash the next time they are tested.

5.  Children do not learn new words by being exposed to them only once.  Repetition is key to sight word acquisition.  As children progress through the lists it is important to continue revising previous lists.

 6.  When children see words used in natural ways rather than in isolation they are more likely to remember them because they develop an understanding of the word’s significance and meaning.  Present sight words in short sentences and search for sight words in books.