Today is rung 4 of 9 on this topic
Digraphs and blends — sh, ch, th, and str
Can do: Reads two letters making one sound (sh, ch, th, ck) and blends of two or three consonants (stop, split).
Why it matters
These cover an enormous share of English words. A child stuck on single letters can only read a fraction of what's on a Grade 1 page.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Sounds sh as s-h, or drops a letter out of a blend — reading "sop" for "stop" and "pit" for "split".
⏱️ Two-minute check
Write: ship, chin, that, stop, flag, split. "Read these."
Solid looks like: Five of six, with the digraph read as one sound.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Two Letters, One Sound
- 1Write six words and have them highlight the digraph before reading — spotting comes before sounding.
- 2Say the rule out loud: "S and h are holding hands. Together they say shhh."
- 3For blends, tap each sound on a finger: s-t-o-p is four taps, not three.
- 4Read a short book and hunt for that week's pattern — tally the finds.
- 5Write two of the words from dictation to close the loop back to spelling.
If it's too hard
One digraph a week, always in the same position — sh at the start only.
If it's too easy
Digraph plus blend in one word: shrink, splash, strength.
Say this
"Those two letters are holding hands — they make one sound together. Try again."