Create a word wall in your classroom. The possibilities are endless. You can use a bulletin board to hang "words of the week," choose a dry erase board, write words on index cards and tape them to a wall, or use a simple poster board. The idea is to rotate the words each week and regularly review them with your students. Each day ask your students to help you identify what each word says.
Help your first-grade students write their vocabulary words each day. For students who are comfortable copying words, write a list of sight words on your blackboard and ask students to copy them to their own paper. Writing practice not only helps your students memorize how to spell and recognize words, but it helps them become comfortable using writing utensils. If your first-graders aren't comfortable simply copying new words down, allow them to first trace a new word before writing it themselves.
Read out loud with your students each day. Ask students to bring their favorite storybooks from home and read a new book or two each day. Turn the book toward your students and have them help you point out new words that they recognize. You can also read out loud and periodically stop to ask your students how to spell a word. If you read the sentence, "Mary wore a red hat," for example, stop reading and ask your students, "How do we spell the word 'hat' again?"
Write sentences with blank spots to help your students remember their words. You can blank out entire words for students to fill in or start by obscuring only certain letters. Some students may work best with a blank fill-in worksheet, but you can also write words on the board and ask your students, as a class, to help you fill in the missing letters.