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PlayOwl

English · Grade 1

Digraphs and Common Blends

Steps 7 and 8 of the PlayOwl sequence: digraphs, where two letters make one new sound (sh, ch, th, wh, ng and nk), and consonant blends, where two or three consonants sit side by side and each keeps its own sound (st, fl, tr, -nd, -mp). Children read and spell these words and read a decodable story, Chip and the Ship.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 75 minutes
  • Digraphs and blends check: 8 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, label a picture, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Read and spell words with the digraphs sh, ch, th and wh, where two letters make one sound.
  • Read and spell words with ng and nk (ring, bang, sink, junk).
  • Read and spell words with consonant blends at the start or end (frog, sled, nest, lamp), saying every consonant sound.
  • Tell a digraph (one sound) from a blend (two sounds) and read decodable text with Steps 1–8 and heart words.

Lessons

  1. sh, ch, th, wh 6 steps3 practiceabout 19 min
  2. ng and nk 4 steps2 practiceabout 16 min
  3. Consonant blends 5 steps3 practiceabout 18 min
  4. Digraph or blend? Read a story 6 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  5. Digraphs and blends check 8 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Memory LanternsFlip glowing lanterns to find pairs that belong together.
  • Sound GardenListen closely and grow the garden: find the word that starts, rhymes or claps just right.
  • Word WorkshopBuild the word for each picture, one sound at a time.

More 1st grade reading

Guides for grown-ups