Final answer:
To support students' automatic word recognition, a first-grade teacher should first teach students the strategy of sight words.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first-grade teacher should first teach students the strategy of sight words to support their automatic word recognition. Sight words are high-frequency words that often do not follow regular spelling patterns and cannot be easily sounded out. By memorizing these words, students can quickly recognize them in texts without having to decode them letter by letter.
To teach sight words, the first-grade teacher can use a variety of strategies such as flashcards, word walls, and sight word games. They can introduce a small set of sight words at a time, provide repeated exposure and practice, and incorporate them into reading and writing activities.
For example, a first-grade teacher might start by teaching students common sight words such as 'the,' 'and,' 'is,' and 'in.' They can create flashcards with these words and practice reading them aloud. The teacher can also display the sight words on a word wall and encourage students to use them in their writing.