High Frequency Words

We are always trying to figure out how to get the most bang for our buck with literacy. Students only have so much energy and we want to be strategic about how we encourage them to use it. Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz, MD, Professor of Learning Development at Yale University’s School of Medicine has consolidated a list of the 150 most frequently used words in the English language that we encourage any parents of struggling readers and writers to prioritize.

The goal for these 150 words, also referred to as high frequency words, is to develop automatic reading and spelling in order to allow a struggling reader or writer to focus their energy on decodable words. Automaticity is best developed by using multi-sensory, structured word inquiry with multiple exposures. It can take a dyslexic brain anywhere from 30-100 exposures for a word to stick so be optimistic, encouraging, and positive in this process. Additionally, do not be surprised if a word seems to stick one day and then it seems foreign the next; this is all part of the journey.

In order to give parents a launchpad, Redwood has created taglines and corresponding videos for almost all of the 150 high frequency words as well as some illustrated flashcards for purchase on our Teachers Pay Teachers store with 100% proceeds going towards student scholarships. Below are some samples of taglines we use with students to help develop their automaticity.

Was: The narwhal Was Acting Silly

This short tagline helps trigger the decoding and encoding of this word providing a short story and a visual using words that have the sounds of the unexpected /a/ and /s/ in the word ‘was.’

They: There is no /a/ in ‘they’ because ‘they’ is for e-e-e-e-everybody!

This short tagline helps trigger the decoding and encoding of this word providing a short story and a visual that emphasizes the unexpected vowel ‘e’ in the word ‘they.’