Revolutionizing Early Literacy
Mastering Dolch Sight Words through Interactive Technology
Over the past 25+ years, I have witnessed the evolution of teaching methods and the profound impact technology has had on the educational landscape. The invaluable benefits of integrating interactive technology, such as Google Slides, PowerPoint, and Smartboard files, into daily lessons are too numerous to count.
One critical aspect of early literacy is understanding the science of reading and mastering sight words. High-frequency words are the building blocks of reading and writing, laying the foundation for a student's literacy journey. Leveraging interactive whiteboards, such as Smartboards or Promethean boards, provides a dynamic and engaging platform for students to immerse themselves in the world of sight words.
Interactive technology not only captures young minds but also offers teachers a real-time assessment of their students' understanding. This immediate feedback is crucial for tailoring lessons to meet individual needs and ensuring comprehensive skill development. The immersive experience fosters a deeper connection with the material, transforming mundane learning moments into exciting, memorable ones.
In my years of experience, I have seen firsthand how this approach not only elevates student engagement but also significantly enhances retention.
A few years ago I started creating “Interactive Sentence Builders” for my students to use on my Smartboard, as a way for them to “play” with words, and to spark joy with words, to ensure daily practice and to increase academic rigor. My goal was for students to think they were playing, and for me to know that they were learning. I started by creating a set of 20 slides where students drag down penguins and polar bears (that had words on their bellies) to igloos and icebergs, organizing them to create grammatically correct sentences. This was such a hit with my students, that I put it up for sale in my TpT store as one of my first products, Winter Sentence Builders for Smartboard. I can’t believe that I started my store back in 2013! I then went on to create Spring Sentence Builders. These two products were great hits in my classroom, as well as my TpT store, and my students begged to play them, so I knew I needed to make more.
Click here to visit my TpT store, and to find products that seamlessly integrate technology into your classroom, making learning an enriching experience for your students. The products I have created allow for differentiation, promote academic rigor, and provide you with instaneous formative assessment on how your students are doing in their learning journey.
I am currently working on completing the Spring Sentence Builders for Smartboard, and below you can see the Winter ones (I have them for both Google/PowerPoint and also for Smartboard, and I love seeing how they have evolved!) I go back to school tomorrow, and can’t wait to share the Winter Bundle with all 5 lists of Dolch words with my students. SO.MUCH.FUN! P.S. I also have Fall Sentence Builders for Smartboard that are so dang cute! I love love love them!
Below are some examples of the Winter Sentence Builders for Google/PowerPoint - I have them sold separately as the 5 Dolch lists and I also have them as a Bundle where you get all 5.
If you have a Smartboard, I have the products all set up and ready to go for you as well! Click here to see the Bundle Set of all 5 lists, and scroll down in the listing to see the individual lists and all that you get with each product!
