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Rock ‘N Learn Sight Words DVD Review

Even though I have been a proficient and an avid reader for over twenty years now, I still remember memorizing my sight words when I was first learning to read back in kindergarten and first grade. Sights words are words that a reader learns to read through rote memorization. Many common words must be learned by sight because of the complexity of the spelling system of the English language.

Although she is only six months old, my daughter will be learning her sight words sooner than I know. Thus, I am already on the lookout for fun but educational materials that will help my baby girl learn to read. I recently reviewed the Rock ‘N Learn Letter Sounds DVD. I was very impressed, so, when Rock ‘N Learn offered me a chance to review the Sight Words DVD, I jumped at the opportunity.

Because my reaction to the Letter Sounds DVD was so positive, I was very excited when I received my Sight Words DVD in the mail. According to the DVD box, Sight Words is for children in kindergarten and older. This DVD teaches over sixty sight words for learning to read. All of the written words are pre-primer Dolch words. Also included on the DVD are the top twenty words from Fry’s First 100. The written words taught on the Sight Words DVD include the following:

  • up, down, come, go, in, out
  • of, the, a
  • where, is, it, here, there
  • one, two, three, red, yellow, blue, little, big
  • look, see, find
  • run, jump, play, away, and
  • you, I, we, can, make, funny, face, get
  • to, for, me, my, give, from, came, as, are
  • no, not, now, said, help, will
  • he, she, his, her, they, that, was, with, on

All of the words covered are indeed commonly written words, most of which must be learned through rote memorization.

Upon popping the DVD in my DVD player, I was excited to see that Sight Words included the same cast of characters as Letter Sounds. Because I am worried about the effects of over-stimulating television on my daughter, I was pleased by the simplicity of the graphics used for the Sight Words DVD. The colors are bright and fun but not too busy. The characters are also very entertaining. I also really appreciate that Rock ‘N Learn products are not too fast paced. My daughter can watch this DVD and look at one screen for a while, which allows her a chance to absorb the information better.

Sight Words DVD from Rock 'N Learn Sight Words

My daughter is only six months old; however, as soon as I put the Sight Words DVD in my DVD player, she began watching. She really seemed to love all of the bright colors. However, she really started paying attention as soon as the music started. Because my husband and I refuse to use the television as a babysitter, we let our daughter watch TV only when we can interact with her. Although I sometimes find music aimed towards children a little grating, I actually enjoyed the songs used to teach sight words on this DVD. Even now, while I am looking at the back of the DVD case, I find myself singing the “look, see, find” song to myself. The tune is quite catchy but not annoying.

I personally found the songs and activities used to teach the sight words quite engaging. I really liked that each written word was displayed on the screen while the characters sang the songs. By hearing the words spoken or sung while seeing the written word at the same time, young children will be better able to commit the written word to memory. The written words are printed in a bold font that is easy to read, even for someone like me with pretty bad eyesight. Most kids should be able to learn their sight words from the Sight Words DVD.

My only complaint about the Sight Words DVD is that the entire program is only fifty minutes long. At times, I felt like each section was going by pretty quickly. However, as the main character does state at the end of the film, children can and should watch each part over and over again until each sight word is learned by heart. In other words, children just need to watch the entire DVD or even just parts of the DVD multiple times for the best learning experience.

Final Verdict: Sight Words from Rock ‘N Learn is a great beginner DVD for teaching children to read sight words from memory. I will definitely be letting my daughter watch Sight Words when she gets a little older and is ready to start learning the most common words that she will need to know as she learns to read. I love the simple but entertaining characters and graphics. I give the Sight Words DVD two thumbs up as an educational tool for teaching young children how to read.

For more information about the Sight Words DVD, check out Rock ‘N Learn online. You can also follow Rock ‘N Learn on FacebookTwitter, and Google+. Use the coupon code KR8822 for 25% off online purchases.

Image Credits

Sight Words DVD from Rock ‘N Learn © 2012 Heather Johnson
Sight Words © 2012 Heather Johnson
Poppy Watching the Sight Words DVD 1 © 2012 Heather Johnson
Poppy Watching the Sight Words DVD 2 © 2012 Heather Johnson
Poppy Watching the Sight Words DVD 3 © 2012 Heather Johnson

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