The Dolch sight word lists are the most commonly used sight word reference tool for educators. 

Before entering first grade, students have typically been exposed to 92 Dolch sight words in their Pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms. 

This activity will introduce them to 3 dozen more, preparing students to move up a level in their reading expertise! 

Practice First Grade High-Frequency Words

Through this activity, students will show they can identify 36 high-frequency words from Dolch’s research-based Grade 1 sight words list.

Players will roll a die and move that many spaces on the board, identify the sight word, and write it on the recording mats provided.

The sight words students will review in this activity include:

an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, going, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, open, over, put, some, stop, take, them, then, think, walk, were, when

Scaffolding + Extension Tips 

Challenge fast finishers who already understand the concept to write the words in alphabetical order on a separate piece of paper. 

Support students who need help understanding the concepts with a visual reminder of the sight words such as a word wall or an anchor chart displayed in the classroom.

Get our 10 Best Scaffolding Strategies here! 

More Activities

We created this resource for your reading center as an independent practice activity. You can also use it for small group and full-class instruction through scoot activities, lesson reviews, formative assessments, and more! We suggest these: 

🧑‍🏫 Show Me!

Give each student a mini dry-erase board and a dry-erase marker. Project the gameboard on your screen and roll a die to select a word. Sound it out together and have your students write the word on their board. When everyone has written their answer, say, “Show Me.” Students will flip their boards, allowing you to see who needs extra support.

✍️ Be the Writer

On a separate sheet of paper, students will write sentences using words from the game board. This activity will allow you to assess each students’ understanding of sight words while letting them get in some creative writing practice of their own. 

👉 Knock Off

Have your students stand up and make a line across the room. Project the game board on your screen and roll to move to a word. Use our Random Name Picker widget to draw a student’s name to read the word. If the student answers correctly, they tap the person on their left or right to send them back to their seat. If the student answers the card incorrectly, they must sit out. Play continues until only 1 student is standing.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Print on cardstock for added durability, and slip the recording mats into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a dry-erase marker, then erase and reuse.

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Prepare your Grade 1 readers to tackle their sight words by adding these activities to your reading center:

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