As a teacher I have had the terrifying experience of trying to match the names of students with their faces.  dI was given many tips on how to remember names, but with five classes of nearly 40 students each and with students transferring in and out, every September was a nightmare.

When I became a reading specialist with a caseload of only 50 students, I found I could learn the names quickly.  The problem before was that I felt overloaded with too many names and faces.  So, when I applied this difficulty to the problem of my students who didn't know the Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary of 220 Words (Dolch, 1941), I thought it might be easier for them if I limited the number of words for them to learn by sight.

In examining the Dolch list, I found that about 170 of the 220 Dolch words were sufficiently patterned to teach via the word family approach.  Words like all, call, fall, and small were to be tauht as part of the -all family.  For example, if a student were to miss any one of those four words on a drill, I might ask him/her to write the word all ten times with a green felt tip pen.

all

all

all

all

all

all

all

all

all

all

Then I would have the student change the first all to tall by adding a black letter t in front of the green all.  Then I would have him/her change the second all first to tall and then change that tall to stall by adding a black letter s to tall.  The enxt all would be changed first to tall then to stall and then finally to install.  Other alls became call, recall, ball, fall, and so on.

    all

   tall

  stall

install

    call

 recall

    ball

     fall

   mall

 small

To make the list easier to use with students, I use the commercial Dolch cards (Garrard Publishing) available from nearly any educational supplier.  I separate out the 179 clearly patterned Dolch sight words.  On the back of each card I put other words that fall into the same word family pattern.

Although the Dolch list is often divided into a harder half and an easier half (Dolch Popper Cards), I did not use this convenient division.  The reason is that during the process of restructuring the sight words, I became aware of the inherent problem of relying exclusively on frequency counts to determine which words should be taught first.  For example, the words fall and small are in the easier half while all and call are in the harder half!  Dolch designates words as “easy” on the basis of frequency of occurrence.

However, from a phonemic standpoint, the word all should be designated easy and taught before fall and small.  Rather than accept the arbitrary division of easier half and harder half of the sight words —which leads to such anomalies as teaching train before rain, I just mix up all the Dolch words and work with those that the student doesn’t know.

Using these Dolch words diagnostically, I can find out which word families (rimes), a student needs to learn.  Using the cards, I run through the sight words that follow family patterns and find four or five that the student doesn’t know—and I stop.  I let the student choose which word or words to learn.  And I teach my student the words that are on the back of the card as a method of learning the targeted sight word.

The following Dolch words are not listed in the traditional alphabetical order.  However, they are in an order.  For example, the LONG E sounds spelled ea are grouped together.  The LONG E sounds spelled ee are grouped together.  The LONG A sounds spelled VCe (Vowel Consonant Silent e) will be together, etc.  In this list of 220 words, many of the more common patterns are represented at least once.

 

Short A CVC

Dolch Word on Front side of Card                    Related Family Words on Back

had

had        Tad                ad       ads          add     adds       added       adding        pad      pads      padded     padding       Brad   Brad's       brad    brads              fad      fads        Dad     Dad's        dad      dads           daddy     daddies         lad      lads       glad             gladder gladdest  gladly       mad             madder maddest  madly        sad              sadder  saddest   sadly        bad             worse    worst       badly

 

bad

had        Tad                ad       ads          add     adds       added       adding        pad      pads      padded     padding       Brad   Brad's       brad    brads              fad      fads        Dad     Dad's        dad      dads           daddy     daddies         lad      lads       glad             gladder gladdest  gladly       mad             madder maddest  madly        sad              sadder  saddest   sadly        bad             worse    worst       badly

 

am

am      Sam      Sam-I-am       ram       rams       rammed     ramming      cram     crams     crammed   cramming    scram    scrams   scrammed scramming        lamb      lambs        lam      slam       slams    slammed    slamming      clam       clams    clammed    clamming       Pam       Pam's       dam        dams    dammed    damming       damn      damns       damnation      mam   Homophones:  lam/lamb  dam/damn

 

an

an     Ann       Ann's     Anne      Anne's    Nan       Nan's     tan        tans         tanned        tanning   Stan      Stan's    can        cans        canned       canning   scan      scans      scanned     scanning    pan        pans        panned      panning     fan         fans         fanned       fanning    Jan        Jan's    Dan        Dan's     van         vans    Van         Van's   plan        plans      planned      planning   clan         clans   ban          bans       banned       banning    ran  bran  Fran        Fran's   man        men   man        mans       manned     manning    Homophones:  banned/band  can/Ken/kin  Ann/Anne

 

ran

an     Ann       Ann's     Anne      Anne's    Nan       Nan's     tan        tans         tanned        tanning   Stan      Stan's    can        cans        canned       canning   scan      scans      scanned     scanning    pan        pans        panned      panning     fan         fans         fanned       fanning    Jan        Jan's    Dan        Dan's     van         vans    Van         Van's   plan        plans      planned      planning   clan         clans   ban          bans       banned       banning    ran  bran  Fran        Fran's       man        men   man        mans       manned     manning   Homophones:  banned/band  can/Ken/kin  Ann/Anne

 

man

an     Ann       Ann's     Anne      Anne's    Nan       Nan's     tan        tans         tanned        tanning   Stan      Stan's    can        cans        canned       canning   scan      scans      scanned     scanning    pan        pans        panned      panning     fan         fans         fanned       fanning    Jan        Jan's    Dan        Dan's     van         vans    Van         Van's   plan        plans      planned      planning   clan         clans   ban          bans       banned       banning    ran  bran  Fran        Fran's         man        men   man        mans       manned     manning Homophones:  banned/band  can/Ken/kin  Ann/Anne

 

can

an     Ann       Ann's     Anne      Anne's    Nan       Nan's     tan        tans         tanned        tanning   Stan      Stan's    can        cans        canned       canning   scan      scans      scanned     scanning    pan        pans        panned      panning     fan         fans         fanned       fanning    Jan        Jan's    Dan        Dan's     van         vans    Van         Van's   plan        plans      planned      planning   clan         clans   ban          bans       banned       banning    ran  bran  Fran        Fran's  man        men   man        mans       manned     manning        Homophones:  banned/band  can/Ken/kin  Ann/Anne

 

cap

cap        caps         capped     capping      lap         laps          lapped      lapping    clap        claps        clapped    clapping     flap         flaps        flapped     flapping    slap         slaps       slapped    slapping   wrap         wraps     wrapped    wrapping     rap           raps        rapped      rapping   crap          craps      crapped    crapping scrap        scraps     scrapped  scrapping    trap          traps        trapped    trapping   strap        straps      strapped   strapping     nap          naps        napped     napping   snap         snaps      snapped   snapping      tap           taps         tapped      tapping    map          maps       mapped    mapping     gap           gaps        gapped    gapping   chap         chaps      chapped   chapping     zap           zaps        zapped     zapping     sap           saps        sapped     sapping     yap           yaps        yapped     yapping     pap                Homophones:  laps/lapse  wrap/rap

 

at

at    bat        bats      batted       batting     rat        rats       ratted        ratting   brat      brats    frat       frats   drat      drats    cat        cats  scat       scats     scatted      scatting    hat        hats   mat       mats   Nat        Nats  gnat      gnats     fat         fats    Pat        Pat's    pat        pats       patted      patting   spat      spats    flat        flats   slat        slats   blat        blats  chat       chats     chatted    chatting   that

 

cat

at    bat        bats      batted       batting     rat        rats       ratted        ratting   brat      brats    frat       frats   drat      drats    cat        cats  scat       scats     scatted      scatting    hat        hats   mat       mats   Nat        Nats  gnat      gnats     fat         fats    Pat        Pat's    pat        pats       patted      patting   spat      spats    flat        flats   slat        slats   blat        blats  chat       chats     chatted    chatting   that

 

that

at    bat        bats      batted       batting     rat        rats       ratted        ratting   brat      brats    frat       frats   drat      drats    cat        cats  scat       scats     scatted      scatting    hat        hats   mat       mats   Nat        Nats  gnat      gnats     fat         fats    Pat        Pat's    pat        pats       patted      patting   spat      spats    flat        flats   slat        slats   blat        blats  chat       chats     chatted    chatting   that

 

wagon

wag       wags     wagged     wagging     wagon   wagons   swag      bag     bags        bagged      bagging      rag       rags    brag     brags      bragged     bragging    crag      crags     sag        sags       sagged      sagging      tag         tags       tagged       tagging    stag       stags     nag        nags      nagged      nagging   snag       snags    snagged    snagging      lag         lags       lagged       lagging     flag        flags      flagged      flagging      jag     gag        gags      gagged      gagging

 

Short A  CVCC

 

and

and             band    bands   banded     banding          Rand         grand         grandfather         grandpa         grandmother         grandma         brand   brands  branded    branding         stand    stands    stood      standing          understand       understands       understood        understanding    misunderstand misunderstands misunderstood misunderstanding                hand     hands  handed      handing   overhand underhand       underhanded           land      lands   landed       landing         gland    glands         bland          demand      demands     demanded       demanding         command    commands  commanded    commanding

 

hand

and             band    bands   banded     banding          Rand         grand         grandfather         grandpa         grandmother         grandma         brand   brands  branded    branding         stand    stands    stood      standing          understand       understands       understood        understanding    misunderstand misunderstands misunderstood misunderstanding                hand     hands  handed      handing   overhand underhand       underhanded           land      lands   landed       landing         gland    glands         bland          demand      demands     demanded       demanding         command    commands  commanded    commanding

 

grandfather

and             band    bands   banded     banding          Rand         grand         grandfather         grandpa         grandmother         grandma         brand   brands  branded    branding         stand    stands    stood      standing          understand       understands       understood        understanding    misunderstand misunderstands misunderstood misunderstanding                hand     hands  handed      handing   overhand underhand       underhanded           land      lands   landed       landing         gland    glands         bland          demand      demands     demanded       demanding         command    commands  commanded    commanding

 

grandmother

and             band    bands   banded     banding          Rand         grand         grandfather         grandpa         grandmother         grandma         brand   brands  branded    branding         stand    stands    stood      standing          understand       understands       understood        understanding    misunderstand misunderstands misunderstood misunderstanding                hand     hands  handed      handing   overhand underhand       underhanded           land      lands   landed       landing         gland    glands         bland          demand      demands     demanded       demanding         command    commands  commanded    commanding

 

back

back   backs       backed   backing       sack    sacks       sacked   sacking         lack     lacks        lacked    lacking      slack    slacks      slacked  slacking      black    blacks     blacked  blacking        tack     tacks        tacked    tacking     attack   attacks    attacked  attacking      stack    stacks      stacked   stacking        rack     racks       racked     racking       track    tracks      tracked    tracking      crack   cracks      cracked   cracking       Jack    Jack's        jack     jacks        jacked     jacking     hijack  hijacks     hijacked   hijacking      Mack        smack   smacks   smacked  smacking     knack     snack   snacks     snacked  snacking       pack     packs      packed    packing   unpack unpacks  unpacked unpacking    repack  repacks   repacked  repacking     quack   quacks    quacked   quacking    whack   whacks   whacked   whacking     shack   shacks

 

back

back   backs       backed   backing       sack    sacks       sacked   sacking         lack     lacks        lacked    lacking      slack    slacks      slacked  slacking      black    blacks     blacked  blacking        tack     tacks        tacked    tacking     attack   attacks    attacked  attacking      stack    stacks      stacked   stacking        rack     racks       racked     racking       track    tracks      tracked    tracking      crack   cracks      cracked   cracking       Jack    Jack's        jack     jacks        jacked     jacking     hijack  hijacks     hijacked   hijacking      Mack        smack   smacks   smacked  smacking     knack     snack   snacks     snacked  snacking       pack     packs      packed    packing   unpack unpacks  unpacked unpacking    repack  repacks   repacked  repacking     quack   quacks    quacked   quacking    whack   whacks   whacked   whacking     shack   shacks

 

thank

bank        banks      banked     banking      lank    blank       blanks      blanked    blanking    clank        clanks      clanked    clanking     flank         flanks      flanked     flanking    plank        planks     planked    planking      rank         ranks       ranked      ranking    drank    crank        cranks     cranked    cranking    prank        pranks  shrank    Frank     frank                sank    spank      spanks    spanked    spanking     Hank        Hank's      dank                       Homophones:  Frank/frank/franc

 

 

after

aft         after       raft        rafts      rafted      rafting     draft      drafts     drafted    drafting     craft       crafts     crafted    crafting aircraft     graft       grafts     grafted    grafting      Taft         Taft's   Homophones:  draft/draught

 

ask	ask       asks    asked   asking    bask     basks  basked basking    task      tasks     cask     casks       casket caskets basket baskets   gasket  gaskets

 

fast

last          blast     blasts      blasted      blasting     past        mast      masts         master   masters    mastered   mastering    plaster   plasters    plastered   plastering       aster      asters  disaster  disasters      faster      fast        fasts         fasted        fasting     cast        casts        cast           casting     caster     casters Homophones:  past/passed  mast/massed

 

grass

ass     asses   brass    lass    lasses   bass  glass   glasses   pass    passes  passed passing   mass  masses massed massing   sass    sasses  sassed sassing Homophones:  passed/past  massed/mast Heteronyms:  bass/bass (BAY-ss)

 

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