One of the best things about teaching literacy in Spanish is its lovely decodable-ness. Okay, so maybe that's not a word but it is nice to work with a language that doesn't cause constant confusion with all of its exceptions.
While we don't have to worry about SIGHT WORDS in Spanish, we can help young learners become fluent readers more quickly by teaching high-frequency words in Spanish.
Here is my list of 100 high frequency words in Spanish based on several research-based lists. You can download it for free here.
Last week, I was in a Kindergarten classroom in Stephenville and saw this teacher's great way of keeping track of the high frequency words that students are learning. Each week, the teacher gives the students a card with the new word(s) of the week and those are kept on a ring. Students can practice reading their words and refer to them during writing.
I snapped the picture below in a first grade classroom in Mesquite. The teacher had made his own version of this game and was using it as one of his center activities. The students would walk around the room to the other students and ask them to read the word they were wearing. They were so quiet and loved it!
Here is another fun and simple activity to practice with students in small groups so they can later play on their own in pairs.
Flashcards Activity-My Pile, Your Pile in Spanish from Mesquite ISD on Vimeo.
While it is important for students to be able to read the words in isolation, the real purpose of studying these words is to be able to read them in context. Even students that don't know all of their letters and sounds can begin to read simple, repetitive texts.
Hubbard's Cupboard has quite a few printable books in Spanish with high frequency words (scroll down and look for "Black and White Student Booklets" in Spanish).
The Rigby Colección PM Básicos readers are perfect for practicing words in context.
What are your favorite ways for helping your students practice high frequency Spanish words in isolation and in context? I love hearing your ideas!