SWITCH- Quick Sight Word Activity for Guided Reading

Switch is spin off activity taken from Jane Richardson's Guided Reading Model of the activity "Mix-And-Fix."  This is a quick 1-3 minute sight word activity to help build automaticity.  Each child is provided with a set of magnetic letters in a little plastic GLAD container with the focused sight word for the week.  Students play "Mix-and Fix" with the sight word and build the sight word 3 times to help build automaticity and fluency of spelling the sight word.   Our version consists of building 5 sight words.  Throughout the week students are practicing learning how to write 5 sight words for the week.  On Thursdays and Fridays we play "SWITCH" with the sight words.

SWITCH Directions:

1. Each student has one container.

2. Students open the container and dump the letters out and try to figure out which sight word they have.  The letters are all jumbled up. (Hence the "MIX" part)

3. Students will build their sight word with the magnetic letters. (Hence the "FIX" part.)

4. Students will read the sight word

5. Students will write the sight word on their dry erase board

6. Student will put lid back on the container and pass the containter to the person on their right.

7. The game continues until all of the students have all of the sight words written on their dry erase board

**Please note students get very excited about playing and often need reminders of how to properly use materials...Review how to shake the container and how to pass the container so that materials aren't going flying everywhere!! :))

Students absolutely love this game and anxiously wait to get their next word!  The most exciting part about this activity is that one of my students created the name of the game and it has now become apart of our guided reading routines.

Accommodations: Have all of the correct spellings of each sight word on a mini dry erase board at your guided reading table (this will help students see the word correctly so that they can build it correctly the first time. 


 According to Marie Clay, students need to see words spelled correctly to help build fluency in writing skills.  It is much more difficult to undo an incorrect spelling habit.  Ultimately, our goal is help students build a wide range of writing vocabulary.  We can help by setting them for success with friendly accommodations.

-CK