Practice Every Day

    In my classroom we practice letter names, letter sounds, and sight words every day.  I make the time to practice those items because it's important that the students know these skills so well that they don't even have to think when they need to use them. Early in the year, of course, we devote the amount of time necessary to initially learn them. Thereafter, it takes only a few minutes a day to review those skills.  These primary skills ("tools" as I often call them) must be rote. Yes, as we get to the 100th day of the school year students begin to groan and complain that they know these skills already. Yet they often lack fluency. Set the expectation that these skills will be practiced each day and then do it.