Tag: sightwords

Stop and Go! FREE Sight Word Cards and Readers

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Did you know that many children with Down Syndrome as young as 3 years old can learn to read sight words?

If you’re wondering whether or not your child is ready, here’s a free way to try.

I made this set of car-themed sight word cards and readers for a boy in our co-op who just wouldn’t sit at a desk.

So, we sat on the floor and played cars. And snuck in some sight-word learning. When I showed him the word “Go”, we’d yell “Go!”, and he would zoom a car across the floor. Then I’d show him the word “Stop” when the car stopped. Next I took out a car ramp, and I showed him the word “Car” or “Truck” before he could let a car or truck go down the ramp. Eventually, he had to read “car” or “truck” before zooming down a vehicle.

Some of the best learning happens when we incorporate play.

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Teaching Children with Down Syndrome to Read: Phonics or Sight Words?

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Parents and teachers of children with Down Syndrome may wonder how to start teaching their students with Down Syndrome. Should they start with sight words or phonics?

Currently, the educational trend is strongly in favor of explicit phonics for children at large. However, many experts, such as Sue Buckley, Natalie Hale, and Terry Brown, and many reading experts in Europe who have extensive experience teaching children with T21 recommend starting with sight words first. This is true even in countries such as Spain, where the rules of phonics and pronunciation of Spanish are much more straight forward than English.

Here are five reasons why you should start with sight words, especially if your child is just starting kindergarten:

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See and Learn Phrases 1 Practice Workbook

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

Are you looking to teach your child with (or without) Down Syndrome to read? Or looking to build your child’s expressive vocabulary?

As many of you know, I’m a great fan of the See and Learn Kits from Down Syndrome Education. It was the See and Learn Phrases 1 Kit that launched my son with Down Syndrome into the wonderful world of reading. I began using See and Learn with my son when he 3.5 years old and discovered that 1) learning to read sight words was a great way to build his expressive vocabulary and 2) reading was a very enjoyable activity for him. To see videos of how we used See and Learn, check out this post: Teaching Preschoolers with Down Syndrome to Read with See and Learn.

Naturally, we also used this with the boys in our Down Syndrome co-op. So, to help the busy moms practice See and Learn daily with their kids, I made this homework packet/workbook. And now, with the generous permission of Down Syndrome Education, I’m sharing it with you for FREE.

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A Kindergarten Curriculum for Children with Down Syndrome

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Let’s talk curriculum, shall we? It’s one of my favorite topics! Many children with Down Syndrome need curriculum tailored to their learning profile. So, I’ve spent a lot of time searching, adapting, and creating curriculum for my son who has T21.

Today I’m sharing with you my favorite resources to help children with Down Syndrome master kindergarten-level skills and concepts.

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Winter-Themed Picture and Word Cards

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It’s winter! So here are some winter-themed picture and word cards to build your child’s sight-word reading vocabulary. This free download also comes with a book that allows your child to practice reading the new sight words. The book is best suited for children who have completed See and Learn Phrases 3. But the cards can be used at any level.

Check it out:

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Our Favorite Books and Publishers for Emergent Readers

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As many of you know, my son Junior, who has T21, has become a voracious reader. Hence, we make several trips to the library to keep him well supplied. To simplify my never ending job of finding reading material, I find a publisher/series that I like and order as many books from that series that I can from the library. Here are our favorite books and publisher series for emergent readers.

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Around the House and Food-Themed Picture and Sight Word Cards

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Here are more FREE picture and sight word cards for those of you teaching your kids to read words by sight. This is a set of thirty-eight pictures of items around the house, some clothing, and favorite foods. Use them to build vocabulary, teach sight words, talk about word function, and for sorting.

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Autumn-Themed Sight Words and Pictures, See and Learn Style

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Can you believe it’s autumn already?

Here are eighteen autumn-themed sight word pictures and word cards. They’re great for building vocabulary, too. Use them just the way you use the See and Learn kits. And since books are always so motivating, here are two books that go with the words:

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Nativity and Christmas Picture and Word Cards

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Just over a year ago, Junior began learning to read sight words using DSE’s See and Learn Reading program. We have been amazed at how quickly he learned to read, and since then he has completed all three of the See and Learn Phrases kits and the See and Learn Sentences kit (which is huge!). Now there are no more See and Learn Kits for him to use, but I don’t want to slow down his momentum. We have since moved onto phonics. However, the process of matching, selecting, and reading sight words is such a powerful learning tool for him that I want to keep using it in addition to learning phonics.

So I am making my own picture and word cards, See and Learn style. It’s a lot of work, but definitely worth the effort, especially when I see how quickly and eagerly Junior learns new words. Here are two sets I am sharing with you today: A Nativity Set and a Christmas Vocabulary Set.

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