Sight words are words that students are expected to read automatically. Some of these words do not follow common phonetic patterns. Many of them are not easy to visualize. This can make it challenging to teach these important words to English Language Learners. Look for creative ways to make sight words visual to support your students.

Teach Sight Words in Context

The easiest way to help students learn the meaning of sight words is to incorporate them into the context of a sentence. This makes it easy to add pictures as well.

Add Pictures

For ELLs, pictures are a helpful way to understand unfamiliar words. Students can match sight words with pictures.

Illustrate Sight Words

When possible give students a visual picture that they can connect with sight words. Sight word nouns are simple. For the others, this is easiest with a sentence. For students that are still learning how to read very simple sight words, they can match the sight word with a simple picture.

Another idea is to have students illustrate simple sentences with common sight words. This builds in context for the sight words and then allows students to add in their own creativity.

Resources for Sight Words with Pictures

Cut apart sentences– Students match sentences and cut apart sentences with simple sight words with a picture.

Read Match Find– Students read words or sentences with sight words and then match them to the picture.

Sight Word Fluency Strips– Students read simple sentences with sight words and a matching picture.

Read more tips for teaching sight words to ELLs.