The hardest part of students learning literacy program is not the phonics itself, but words that do not fit in with the phonics rules. In my opinion, sight words are much harder. Basically, a sight word is a word that is frequently used, but that bucks patterns of phonics. They are short words that can not be sounded out and must simply be memorized. Sight word lists are the bane of existence for any child with learning difficulties. Many students never master these words up to grade level, and you cannot read the simplest of texts without this understanding.
Using sight words to help in this area benefits students tremendously. Some schools take a whole language approach, refusing to really spend enough time drilling things like sight words and phonics lists. Students do not learn the patterns that make up language, and they also don’t memorize these common words. Instead, they are expected to pick them up on their own by reading specially designed books. Some students truly understand using this method, but for others, it is a disaster. It makes them feel stupid, and inspires a fear of reading that can last for a lifetime.
Of course, word lists alone are not enough to get sight words. It doesn’t make any sense to have a strict phonics program, or a whole language program either. You need a program that combines the best of both approaches. On the one hand, you need sight words and word lists. Students really need to make a concerted effort to study these words so they can recognize them, even without context. On the other hand, words in context are also important. Just adding a sight word it is not enough. A student needs to be able to read a story and see that word in the text. Using these tools to teach students paves the way for advanced reading skills development.