Quick Review or “Sponge” Activities Using Rainbow Words (Whole Class)
Say It Silly
Point to a word on the Rainbow or flash a sight word card to the students. Have them read the word in a regular voice and then it 2-3 more voices: monster voice, robot voice, whisper voice, grandma’s voice, etc.
Loud and Louder
Point to one color arc of the Rainbow. Have students begin reading the words in a whisper voice. As read along, have them gradually increase the volume until they are nearly shouting by the last word in the arc. Repeat with another color arc of the Rainbow.
ABC Order
Choose one color arc of the Rainbow. Ask students to help you put the words in alphabetical order. Repeat with the other arcs. Mix them up and play again at any time.
Activities & Games for the Whole Class
Around The World
Materials: Sight Word Cards
Have the class sit in a circle. Choose one student to stand behind a student who is sitting. Flash a sight word to both the standing and sitting student. Whoever reads it out loud first moves on to the next student in the circle. Any students that makes it back to their own starting point wins!
Bingo
Materials: Sight Word Cards, Bingo Chips, Bingo Boards
Give each student or each pair of students a bingo board with sight words written in each square. Circulate as you call out each word and make sure that students are placing chips in the appropriate spaces before revealing the word card that you have called out. Bingo boards can be made with a variety of difficulty levels by using 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 and 6x6 boards.
Clue (Whole Class or Small Group)
Materials: Sight Word Cards
Have students sit in a circle on the floor or around a large table. Place several sight word cards face up on the floor. Choose a word (like “for”) and give students clues about the word such as, “The word I’m thinking of starts with f ” or “This word rhymes with door”. Continue to give clues until someone is able to guess the word. Students should not shout out words, but must touch the correct word card. The first to touch the correct word card gets to choose the next word and give the next set of clues.
Activities & Games for Small Groups/Centers
Bang! / Pop! / Kaboom!
Materials: Sight Word Cards, Gift Bag or Oatmeal or Pringles Container
Players: 2-4
Put the sight word cards are in a bag. Also put 2-3 word cards that say either: “Bang!” or “Pop!” or “Kaboom!” on them. The first student picks a word card and reads it out loud. If s/he is correct s/he can keep the card, and it is the next student's turn to choose a card. If the card is read incorrectly, it is put back into the bag. The object of the game is to have the most cards at the end. However, if a student pulls out a card that reads “Bang!” (or “Pop!" or “Kaboom!”), s/he has to read it in out loud and then put ALL of his/her cards back in the can.
Memory/Concentration
Materials: 2 Sets of Identical Sight Word Cards
Players: 2-4
Have students place the sight word cards face down in an array. The first student chooses two cards and reads each one out loud. If they match, s/he may keep the pair and go again. If they do not match, they are flipped back over and it is the next students turn to try and flip over a match. The object of the game is to have the most pairs at the end of the game. When all cards have been matched, students reread and count their pairs to see who wins.
Activities for Parent & Child to Practice at Home
(These activities are included in the Rainbow Words Package)
Speed Reader
Write the sight words on index cards. Use a stopwatch to time your child as he or she reads a stack of word cards. Write down the time and challenge your child to read the words again and beat his or her time!
Word Find
Give your child a page from a newspaper or magazine. Challenge your child to find and then circle or highlight the sight words he or she is learning.
House Hunt
Post sight words around the house- on doors, the refrigerator, mirrors, etc. and have your child read them each time he or she passes by them.
Messy Spellers
To practice both reading and spelling the words, fill a cookie sheet or large tray with sand, shaving cream, or whipped cream. Help your child to trace out words with a finger and then read them aloud. Wipe them away and start again with new words!