High Frequency Words

For the past few weeks, we have been focusing on 'POPCORN Words'.  Popcorn words are words that 'pop up' in your child's everyday reading.  They are high frequency words that are repeated often in books and print.  At school, these words 'pop up' in our morning message, during our "Readers' and Writers' Club", and during centre time. 

We engage students in meaningful encounters with the words during our morning message and literacy centres.  This helps to build connections to other words they are learning.  We do not teach our students to learn by memorizing and reciting the popcorn words. 


Ideas for meaningful POPCORN WORDS at home!!! 

·       FIND THE WORD  Write the popcorn words out and spread them out on the floor.  Provide clues such as: “I’m looking for a word with 3 letters…there is an 'a' in the middle of the word…it starts like cat.” Students enjoy giving the clues also.

·        ERASE THE WORD  I write words on the dry erase board.  I say a word and the student erases it.

·       LIGHT UP THE WORD  Students take turns finding the given word and lighting up the word with a flashlight.

·       CLAP THE WORDS

·        Highlight or cut the popcorn words out of the newspaper and magazines

Readers and Writer's Club

Hopscotch using 'popcorn words'

Example of a morning message.