Say Goodbye to those Flashcards! Teaching Irregular Words using Multisensory Learning

You’ve might of heard them called sight words, snap words, or high frequency words. However, we learn them all the same. Did you know that about 14% of the English language is irregular (ISME, 2020), meaning it does not follow an expected rule or pattern.

What’s the difference?

Sight words: Sometimes called snap words, these are words that children should know by sight or in a snap! They are stored in the long term memory and can be read with automaticity.

High Frequency Words: These can actually be regular or irregular words. These words show up most often in the English language. (i.e. Regular HF words: say, boy, she; Irregular HF words: once, says, said)

Say goodbye to those flash cards!

Irregular words, or as ISME calls them, “red words” should be taught using a multi-sensory technique. This technique is designed to help students 1) recall how to spell these types of words and 2) read these words using prior knowledge and motor/muscle memory (ISME, 2020)

Do NOT decode!

It’s important to understand that when children learn these irregular words, they are not decoding them. They simply can’t decode them because they don’t follow the phonics rules they have been taught. That is why we have to teach them explicitly and use a multisensory approach.

Choosing which “Red Words” to teach:

-->Talk to your teachers

Your child’s teacher most likely already follows a list of irregular words to teach that is provided by the district.

-->Find a list of words online

There are the Dolch Word lists and Fry Sight Word list. You can find these online!

-->Use a Reading Specialist (*ME!*) who can assess your child and create a personalized list of words that they can work on at home!

You can find a list of my services on my website (go to menu, services) or you can contact me through email or Instagram message! @learningwiththedocs

How to Teach:

There are a number of ways to teach these types of words in a multisensory way! I’ll share with you how I teach them in my tutoring sessions, which I learned through ISME Orton Gillingham Training! Go to https://www.orton-gillingham.com/ for more information.

Present the word: If the reader is capable, they should try to sound out the word to figure out what is irregular about it.
Model how to write the word: Use a screen underneath the paper and use a RED crayon to write the word. (I use needle point boards, links on my linktree here: https://linktr.ee/learningwiththedocs
ARM TAPPING & FINGER TRACING! See below:

Arm Tapping

Here is where the multisensory learning comes in! Right-handed students place their right hand on their left shoulder, left-handed students place their left hand at their right wrist. Students will tap along their arm from left to right with their dominant hand (because this is how we read words). With your writing hand, begin tapping the letters of the red word down (or up, if you're a leftie) your arm. As you do this, you should be verbalizing each letter as your progress along the arm. Make sure to state the whole word after tapping out the letter. Repeat this three times.

Finger tracing

There is a reason for writing the red word on that screen. You will now model how to trace the written word (that is in red crayon) as your state aloud the letters. Notice that the letters are “bumpy” from writing on the screen. This will ensure that multisensory learning is happening in the fingertips! After you state each letter, make sure to “underline” the word and say it out loud. Repeat this three times.

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Happy Learning!

Ashley