by Jan and Kari | Oct 10, 2025 | High-Frequency Words
We’ve all been there. We have kids chant, trace, and write a word. We think they’ve learned it, only to have them stare blankly at it the next time they encounter it in text or go to write. We find ourselves thinking (and sometimes even saying), “But you know that...
by Jan and Kari | Sep 19, 2025 | High-Frequency Words
If you’ve ever wondered how children transition from laboriously sounding out words to reading fluently and effortlessly, the answer lies in a powerful cognitive process known as orthographic mapping. Understanding this process is crucial for educators aiming to...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 18, 2025 | High-Frequency Words
It’s surprisingly common to find upper elementary students who still need help with foundational spelling patterns, like short vowel sounds in closed syllable (CVC) words. But with older kids, not only is time of the essence—they need to catch up without missing out...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 21, 2024 | High-Frequency Words
Do We Really Have to Know the Difference Between Sight Words and High-Frequency Words? If you’re like us, you’ve likely used these two terms—high-frequency words and sight words—interchangeably. But to really understand the brain science of word learning...
by Jan and Kari | May 18, 2023 | High-Frequency Words
As more and more schools are making shifts to more brain-friendly practices, many have embraced the idea of marking certain parts of a high-frequency word with a heart, a star, or a surprise face. Chances are you have, too! And whatever the symbol you use, your...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 19, 2022 | High-Frequency Words
If we asked you to guess how many encounters with a new word a typical reader needs to be able to retrieve the word instantly and automatically, without guessing, decoding, or relying on other hacks . . . what number would you guess? 20? 30? 40? More? Well, you might...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 16, 2022 | Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
If you’re looking for a bit of magic in your sight word instruction, you’re in the right place! The real magic, of course, comes from HOW you teach high-frequency words. And spoiler alert – successful word instruction has everything to do with leveraging the...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 3, 2022 | High-Frequency Words
We’ve all been there! We’ve all said some version of this phrase! After chanting and practicing and highlighting and rainbow writing a word repeatedly, a student encounters the word in print (or goes to use it in their writing) and looks at it like it’s a martian with...
by Jan and Kari | Jul 29, 2022 | High-Frequency Words
If you’re like us, you’ve likely used these two terms – high-frequency words and sight words – interchangeably.But to really understand the brain science of word recognition, it’s important to get clear on the difference between these two labels...
