Phonics Lesson Digraph Review Lesson 49: Oct 6-9 (Reading Practice Book)

Phonics Lessons: Digraph Review ck /k/, sh /sh/ , th /th/ & /th/ and ch /ch/ 

We have learned that when we put letters together, they can make one sound. This is called a consonant digraph because it is two letters that come together to make one sound. 

ck /k/

We have already learned that the letter c and the letter k both can spell /k/. When c and k come together to make the same sound. The grapheme ck is only used at the end of a word or syllable immediately after a short vowel sound like in the words duck, black and rock.    

sh /sh/

Although students have learned some double letters making one sound, this is the first double letter that represents a sound that is different from either if its letters. This consonant diagraph can come at the beginning of word, such as ship and shop. The consonant diagraph sh can come at the end of the word, such as fish and wish. 

Voiced th /th/

The voiced th spells /th/ like at the beginning of words like this, them and that. To make the voiced th sound, stick your tongue out just a little between your front teeth and both air out with your voice on. When you make this sound, your tongue might tickle. The /th/ sound is a continuous sound that can be stretched out. 

Unvoiced th /th/

The th sound can also be an unvoiced sound and is the more common pronunciation of the th diagraph. The unvoiced th spells /th/ can be at the beginning of a word like thin and thick. It can also come at the end of the word, such as with and path. To make the unvoiced sound, stick your tongue out just a little between your front teeth and blow air out with your voice off. The unvoiced th sound is also a continous sound that can be stretched out.    

ch /ch/

When the two consonants c and h come together in words, they make the one sound /ch/ and is a stop sound. It can come at the beginning of the word, such as chip and chin. It can also come at the end of a word, such as such and rich. 

In this week's text called, Snacks for Pets, students are looking for words that have one of our consonant digraphs (ck, sh, th, ch). They are looking to highlight (the whole word that has that spelling pattern). Be careful for spelling patterns that are included in the story that include those letters that aren't part of this spelling pattern. Students are also looking to illustrate the story to demonstrate their understanding of the text.  

Heart (Irregular) Words of the Week

Heart words are words that do not decode or follow the spelling rules that we have been learning. We have to know them by 'heart'. However, once we learn more spelling rules, they may be only temporary heart words and the rules will come along later! In the meantime, we have been focusing on reviewing and learning the words below with focused in class practice.

This week we are reviewing:

• your
• want 
• what
• said
• no
• go
• so

We are introducing as more review words:

• says
• goes
• she
• we
• they
• their
• were
• talk
• walk

Fluency Grids
With each lesson, there is a fluency grid with the lesson focus that is intended to help students recognize the phonics rule and assist in reading it with accuracy and automaticity. At home, challenge your young reader to read the word (aim is to decode/read each word within 3 seconds) and then recall it each time they see it within the grid of mixed up, repeated words. A couple minutes of practice is all they need. This acts as a warm up before reading the text that also applies the same skill while building on all the previous skills as well. Each week we are building on the previous week to become more fluent readers so we can focus on what the text is sharing rather than spending all the time decoding the words.

Homework Reminders 

Students have been working on the story in their Reading Practice book that will come home each weekend. At school, they work with a partner to complete their fluency grid, read with someone their story and highlight the focus words. Following, they are illustrating a picture for the text to show their understanding. At home, students are to finish the above tasks and read to an expert the week's lesson(s). After completing, parents are to initial at the indicated spot at the top. This week, we are have completed one lesson so there will be one story to complete in their white Reading Practice booklet. Please see the information letter in the front of the book for more, detailed information about this weekend practice book coming home. Please return on Monday (or Tuesday if there is a no school day on Monday). 

Happy reading!