Supporting Struggling Readers with Engaging Sight Word Activities

If you’re looking for creative ways to support students struggling with sight word identification, these engaging first grade sight word fluency passages activities are designed to make practicing sight words both effective and fun. Whether you’re working with small groups or during your RTI (Response to Intervention) block, this weekly routine will help your students build sight word fluency in a way that feels comfortable, repetitive, and enjoyable. Each week, students will have the opportunity to work with three activity sheets for each sight word, providing multiple opportunities to practice and master the words both in isolation and context.

Three Weeks of Sight Word Activities

Included in this free set are three different sight words you can try out with your kindergarten students. The pacing allows you to focus on one word per week, but if your students are mastering the words quickly, you can easily move to two sight words per week. These sight word fluency passages and activities come in both color and blackline options. If you choose to print in color, laminating the sheets or using page protectors will help extend their use for repeated practice.

TIP: For those who want to expand beyond this set, the full sight word program includes sight word fluency passages and activities for 200 words and is suitable for kindergarten, first grade, and even second grade students and are available in the Early Elementary Resources All Access Membership. If your students are finding this free set too challenging, try out the kindergarten sight word activity sheets for more foundational support.  As a side note, I used these for my struggling students when I taught kindergarten, but my advanced students did the same activities at their seats with words and passages that came later on in the curriculum.

Here are the downloadable files that you’ll need for these lessons:

• Sight Word Fluency Passages and Activities for Three Weeks
• CBM Assessment & Record Sheet
• Sight Word Bingo for Small Groups

Week 1 Breakdown of Activities: Focus Sight Word “run”

Objective: By the end of the week, students will be able to confidently recognize and read the sight word run in isolation and within context, demonstrating improved fluency through various engaging activities.

Monday

1. Introduction: Students begin their week by interacting with the target sight word see in multiple ways. First, write the focus sight word on the “I Can” Poster and introduce the word to your students.
2. Optional Activity #1: Watch a YouTube video about the sight word run. Here are some of my favorites. You can always spread these over the course of the week.
   • Nimalz Kidz – Let’s Learn the Sight Word Run!
   • Kids R Kids – Sight Word Run
3. Activity #2: Read It, Trace It, Write It, Highlight It
   • Model writing the word run for students on a small white board.
   • Next, have students complete the worksheet. Students will read the word, trace the word, write the word independently, and then find and highlight the focus sight word.
4. Activity #3: Introduction to Roadrunner Read
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word run. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the focus sight word.
   • Next, have students pick up the other color highlighter. Ask students to look at the remaining words in their Roadrunner Read. Have them highlight all of the words they recognize.
   • Last, have students point and share which words they DON’T recognize. Review any unknown words as a group.
   • Finish up with a choral reading of the Roadrunner Read.

Tuesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Introduce the Roadrunner Read as a quick warm-up, where students race to identify the focus sight word among other words.
   • Have students whisper while reading their Roadrunner Read for around 3-5 minutes. Give students support if they are struggling with any specific words.
   • Optional: Get out stopwatches and let students time each other to see how fast they can go!
   • Tip: Consider creating a daily “speed challenge” chart to track how quickly each student completes the Roadrunner Read. Students love to see how they get faster over the course of the week!
3. Activity #2: Students are introduced to this week’s Sight Word Fluency Passage “Matt Runs”.
   • First, look at the picture. Ask students what they think the story is going to be about and let them share their thoughts. Do they see any words they know in the title?
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word run throughout the passage. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the word see. How many times did they find and highlight the word see? Answer: 4 times.
   • With the other color highlighter, ask students to highlight all of the other words they recognize and do not mark any words they don’t know.
   • Ask students to share which words they knew throughout the passage. Go over any unknown words together.
   • Model reading the passage to students. Then complete a choral reading as a group.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Wednesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A fast-paced review to kickstart the day. Students get quicker and more confident each time they complete this activity.
3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom.
   • Finally, let students practice reading out loud to a partner. Have each student read the passage three times, alternating back and forth with their partner.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Thursday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
3. 3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom. During this practice time, have students practice reading with inflection and tone in their voice.
   • Finally, let students “show off” to the group and read their sight word fluency passages out loud. I am not a big fan of making students read in front of a group if they don’t feel comfortable. I always make this piece optional and for students who volunteer.
4. Optional Closure: Play a game of Small Group Sight Word Bingo as a fun cumulative review. Another great review game to play is I Have, Who Has? which is included in the membership.

Friday

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A final quick round of Roadrunner Read to get students in the zone for their CBM assessment. I give assessments one-on-one, so plan on giving students an assignment to work on back at their seat. I typically have students use this time to complete any unfinished assignments from the week or assign them the same assignment as the rest of your class.
2. Assessment: Assess students on their sight word fluency.
   • Time each student for one minute and have them read the sight words from the CBM Sight Word Assessment. Record each student’s time on their CBM Sight Word Assessment Record Sheet.
   • Optional: Have students read the Sight Word Fluency Passage aloud to you. You can always keep these in a student binder if you need to keep track of additional data for your student.

Week 2 Breakdown of Activities: Focus Sight Word “two”

Objective: By the end of the week, students will be able to confidently recognize and read the sight word two in isolation and within context, demonstrating improved fluency through various engaging activities.

Monday

1. Introduction: Students begin their week by interacting with the target sight word two in multiple ways. First, write the focus sight word on the “I Can” Poster and introduce the word to your students.
2. Optional Activity #1: Watch a YouTube video about the sight word a. Here are some of my favorites. You can always spread these over the course of the week.
   • Nimalz Kidz – Let’s Learn the Sight Word Two!
   • Jack Hartmann – Sight Word Two
3. Activity #2: Read It, Trace It, Write It, Highlight It
   • Model writing the word two for students on a small white board. 
   • Next, have students complete the worksheet. Students will read the word, trace the word, write the word independently, and then find and highlight the focus sight word.
4. Activity #3: Introduction to Roadrunner Read
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word two. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the focus sight word.
   • Next, have students pick up the other color highlighter. Ask students to look at the remaining words in their Roadrunner Read. Have them highlight all of the words they recognize.
   • Last, have students point and share which words they DON’T recognize. Review any unknown words as a group.
   • Finish up with a choral reading of the Roadrunner Read.

Tuesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Introduce the Roadrunner Read as a quick warm-up, where students race to identify the focus sight word among other words
   • Have students whisper while reading their Roadrunner Read for around 3-5 minutes. Give students support if they are struggling with any specific words.
   • Optional: Get out stopwatches and let students time each other to see how fast they can go! If you feel students would not be independent enough to use the timer, let students volunteer to show off their reading for the group and you can time the students instead.
   • Tip: Consider creating a daily “speed challenge” chart to track how quickly each student completes the Roadrunner Read. Students love to see how they get faster over the course of the week!
3. Activity #2: Students are introduced to this week’s Sight Word Fluency Passage “Two Pet Dogs”.
   • First, look at the picture. Ask students what they think the story is going to be about and let them share their thoughts. Do they see any words they know in the title?
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word see throughout the passage. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the word two. How many times did they find and highlight the word see? Answer: 4 times.
   • With the other color highlighter, ask students to highlight all of the other words they recognize and do not mark any words they don’t know.
   • Ask students to share which words they knew throughout the passage. Go over any unknown words together.
   • Model reading the passage to students. Then complete a choral reading as a group.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Wednesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A fast-paced review to kickstart the day. Students get quicker and more confident each time they complete this activity.
3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom.
   • Finally, let students practice reading out loud to a partner. Have each student read the passage three times, alternating back and forth with their partner.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Thursday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom. During this practice time, have students practice reading with inflection and tone in their voice.
   • Finally, let students “show off” to the group and read their sight word fluency passages out loud. I am not a big fan of making students read in front of a group if they don’t feel comfortable. I always make this piece optional and for students who volunteer.
4. Optional Closure: Play a game of Small Group Sight Word Bingo as a fun cumulative review. Another great review game to play is I Have, Who Has? which is included in the membership.

Friday

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A final quick round of Roadrunner Read to get students in the zone for their CBM assessment. I give assessments one-on-one, so plan on giving students an assignment to work on back at their seat. I typically have students use this time to complete any unfinished assignments from the week or assign them the same assignment as the rest of your class.
2. Assessment: Assess students on their sight word fluency.
   • Time each student for one minute and have them read the sight words from the CBM Sight Word Assessment. Record each student’s time on their CBM Sight Word Assessment Record Sheet.
   • Optional: Have students read the Sight Word Fluency Passage aloud to you. You can always keep these in a student binder if you need to keep track of additional data for your student.

Week 3 Breakdown of Activities: Focus Sight Word “new”

Objective: By the end of the week, students will be able to confidently recognize and read the sight word new in isolation and within context, demonstrating improved fluency through various engaging activities.

Monday

1. Introduction: Students begin their week by interacting with the target sight word new in multiple ways. First, write the focus sight word on the “I Can” Poster and introduce the word to your students.
2. Optional Activity #1: Watch a YouTube video about the sight word like. Here are some of my favorites. You can always spread these over the course of the week.
   • Nimalz Kidz – Let’s Learn the Sight Word New
   • Phonics Garden – Sight Word New Song
   • Jack Hartmann – Sight Word New
3. Activity #2: Read It, Trace It, Write It, Highlight It
   • Model writing the word a for students on a small white board. 
   • Next, have students complete the worksheet. Students will read the word, trace the word, write the word independently, and then find and highlight the focus sight word.
4. Activity #3: Introduction to Roadrunner Read
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word new. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the focus sight word
   • Next, have students pick up the other color highlighter. Ask students to look at the remaining words in their Roadrunner Read. Have them highlight all of the words they recognize.
   • Last, have students point and share which words they DON’T recognize. Review any unknown words as a group.
   • Finish up with a choral reading of the Roadrunner Read.

Tuesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Introduce the Roadrunner Read as a quick warm-up, where students race to identify the focus sight word among other words.
   • Have students whisper while reading their Roadrunner Read for around 3-5 minutes. Give students support if they are struggling with any specific words.
   • Optional: Get out stopwatches and let students time each other to see how fast they can go! If you feel students would not be independent enough to use the timer, let students volunteer to show off their reading for the group and you can time the students instead.
   • Tip: Consider creating a daily “speed challenge” chart to track how quickly each student completes the Roadrunner Read. Students love to see how they get faster over the course of the week!
3. Activity #2: Students are introduced to this week’s Sight Word Fluency Passage “My New Kitten”.
   • First, look at the picture. Ask students what they think the story is going to be about and let them share their thoughts. Do they see any words they know in the title?
   • You will need two different colored highlighters. Ask students if they can find the focus sight word see throughout the passage. Using one of the colored highlighters, have students go through and highlight the word see. How many times did they find and highlight the word new? Answer: 3 times.
   • With the other color highlighter, ask students to highlight all of the other words they recognize and do not mark any words they don’t know.
   • Ask students to share which words they knew throughout the passage. Go over any unknown words together.
   • Model reading the passage to students. Then complete a choral reading as a group.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Wednesday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A fast-paced review to kickstart the day. Students get quicker and more confident each time they complete this activity.
3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom.
   • Finally, let students practice reading out loud to a partner. Have each student read the passage three times, alternating back and forth with their partner.
4. Optional Closure: Use sight word flash cards to review previously taught words. I have a set of matching sight words that are included in the membership.

Thursday

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what sight word you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
3. Activity #2: Sight Word Fluency Passage
   • Start off with a choral reading as a group.
   • Next, let students practice independently. I love letting students use whisper phones if you utilize them in your classroom. During this practice time, have students practice reading with inflection and tone in their voice.
   • Finally, let students “show off” to the group and read their sight word fluency passages out loud. I am not a big fan of making students read in front of a group if they don’t feel comfortable. I always make this piece optional and for students who volunteer.
4. Optional Closure: Play a game of Small Group Sight Word Bingo as a fun cumulative review. Another great review game to play is I Have, Who Has? which is included in the membership.

Friday

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A final quick round of Roadrunner Read to get students in the zone for their CBM assessment. I give assessments one-on-one, so plan on giving students an assignment to work on back at their seat. I typically have students use this time to complete any unfinished assignments from the week or assign them the same assignment as the rest of your class.
2. Assessment: Assess students on their sight word fluency.
   • Time each student for one minute and have them read the sight words from the CBM Sight Word Assessment. Record each student’s time on their CBM Sight Word Record Sheet.
   • Optional: Have students read the Sight Word Fluency Passage aloud to you. You can always keep these in a student binder if you need to keep track of additional data for your student.

These sight word fluency passages activities are designed to build confidence in students’ reading skills while giving them multiple opportunities to practice and master sight words in a structured and supportive environment. Perfect for first grade sight word intervention, these activity sheets will help your students thrive.

Want Access to Sight Word Fluency Activity Sheets for 200 words? Join the Membership!

• Read It, Trace It, Write It, Highlight it for 200 Sight Words
• Roadrunner Read for 200 Sight Words
• Sight Word Fluency Passages for 200 Sight Words
• Sight Word Bingo for Small Groups
• I Have, Who Has? Sight Word Games for Small Groups
• CBM Assessments and Record Sheets
• Daily and Weekly Lesson Plan Template
• Editable Templates

Other Articles You May Find Helpful for Struggling Students

• Kindergarten Sight Word Activity Sheets for Effective Intervention
• How to Teach Letter Identification to Struggling Students
• Letter Sound Recognition Activities for Struggling Learners

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