Lessons and materials

Adapted Reading Lesson of High Frequency Words

Adapting reading lesson of high frequency words for students with visual impairments.

By Gwyn McCormack

Practicing Reading High Frequency Words

Learning to read words that occur often (known as “high frequency” words) is an important skill for beginning readers.  This post demonstrates how to adapt this lesson for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Original Lesson Plan

Materials
  • Between five and eight high-frequency words, written on individual cards:  the, and, a, said, to
Procedure
  1. Display a word card.
  2. Point to each letter in the word as the children sound-talk the letters (as far as is possible with tricky words) and read the word.
  3. Say a sentence using the word, slightly emphasizing the word.
  4. Repeat 1–3 with each word card.
  5. Display each word again, and repeat the procedure more quickly but without giving a sentence.
  6. Repeat once more, asking the children to say the word without sounding it out.

Adapted Lesson Plan

Materials
  • Between five and eight high-frequency words, including de-codable and tricky words, written on individual cards in braille.
  • Word board with Velcro to attach word cards too.
  • Word sheets with the same word written out three times, e.g. the the the, and and and, a a a, said said said, to to to

Procedure

  1. Display a word card on word board.
  2. Ask child to sound talk the letters and read the word
  3. Say a sentence using the word, slightly emphasizing the word.
  4. Repeat above with each word card.
  5. Ask child to read a line of the specific high frequency word,  sounding the word out e.g. the the the
  6. Ask the child to say the words without sounding out.
word board with assorted words
Word board with words in large print on Velcro strips
word board with assorted words
Word board in print and braille
word board with assorted words
Word cards
word board with assorted words
Word cards in print and braille