The research reported here was designed to examine a number of factors that findings from verbal learning studies indicate should affect the recall and transfer of word identification materials. Sight word and phonics-based or rule-based learning were investigated in 112 kindergarteners who were identified as nonreaders. Groups were trained on mixed word lists containing sight words and rule words varying the list structure, amount and order of practice, and the distinctiveness of list contents. The effects of training were assessed by having subjects read and learn sentences containing the sight words, rule words, and new rule words containing the previously trained phonics components. Means and standard deviations for each group on mixed sentence list practice and the retention-transfer tasks are listed. The use of a light blue background cue to distinguish sight words had little influence on transfer performance. The sequence of rule word/sight word/mixed list in learning sight word and rule word contents tends to play an important role in the word identification process during reading and influences further practice of these contents. (MKM)