25-minute lesson
Year 1 English: Consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th, ck and ng
Lesson objective
- Recognise that two letters can work together to represent one sound.
- Read and spell words containing sh, ch, th, ck and ng.
- Count the sounds in words that contain a digraph.
Success criteria:
- I can say the sound for sh, ch, th, ck and ng.
- I can read words with these letter pairs.
- I can count the sounds in a word like 'ship'.
Materials
- Paper and coloured pencils
- Index cards or scrap paper cut into cards
- A small toy to use as a counter
Introduction
3 minIntroduce today's words:
- digraph: Two letters that together make one sound, such as 'sh' in 'shop'.
- sound: The smallest unit of sound in a spoken word; 'chin' has three: /ch/ /i/ /n/.
- consonant: Any letter that is not a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
- blend: To push sounds together to read a word.
Ask your child what they already know about consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th, ck and ng.
Explanation
5 minSo far, most words your child has read have one letter for each sound. In this lesson they meet digraphs: two letters that team up to make one sound.
- sh as in ship, fish, shop
- ch as in chin, chip, much
- th as in thin, this, bath (th can be a soft 'thin' sound or a buzzy 'this' sound)
- ck as in duck, sock, back (ck comes straight after a short vowel at the end of a word)
- ng as in ring, song, king (ng comes at the end of a word or syllable)
When counting sounds, a digraph counts as one sound. 'Ship' has four letters but only three sounds: /sh/ /i/ /p/. Underlining the two letters together helps children see them as a team.
To read a digraph word, look for the letter team first, then blend: /ch/ /i/ /p/ … chip.
Worked examples
4 minReading a digraph word
Read the word 'shed'.
Step 1: Look for a letter team. 's' and 'h' are together: sh.
Step 2: Say the sounds: /sh/ /e/ /d/.
Step 3: Blend them: shed.
Answer: The word is 'shed'.
Counting sounds
How many sounds are in 'duck'?
Step 1: Say the word slowly: /d/ /u/ /ck/.
Step 2: Remember that 'ck' makes one sound.
Step 3: Count: 1, 2, 3.
Answer: 'Duck' has 3 sounds, even though it has 4 letters.
Spelling with a digraph
Spell the word 'song'.
Step 1: Segment the word: /s/ /o/ /ng/.
Step 2: Write a letter or letter team for each sound: s, o, ng.
Step 3: Read it back to check: song.
Answer: s-o-n-g
Guided practice (do together)
5 min1. Which word starts with the sound /sh/?
(a) chop (b) shop (c) stop
2. Which letters finish the word 'so__' to make something you wear on your foot?
(a) ck (b) ng (c) sh
3. Which word has the 'ng' sound?
(a) king (b) kick (c) kid
4. How many sounds are in 'chip'?
(a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3
Independent practice
6 min5. Which word has the digraph 'th'?
(a) tin (b) bath (c) bat
6. Blend these sounds and type the word: /f/ /i/ /sh/
7. How many sounds are in the word 'thin'? Type a number.
8. Which two letters make the first sound in 'chat'? Type them.
Questions to check understanding
- Can you say the sound for sh, ch, th, ck and ng?
- Can you read words with these letter pairs?
- Can you count the sounds in a word like 'ship'?
- What was the trickiest part today?
Answer guide
1. shop — 'Shop' starts with the digraph sh.
2. ck — s-o-ck spells 'sock'. We use ck after a short vowel at the end of a word.
3. king — 'King' ends with ng.
4. 3 — /ch/ /i/ /p/ makes 3 sounds. The ch is one sound.
5. bath — 'Bath' ends with th.
6. fish — /f/ /i/ /sh/ blends to 'fish'.
7. 3 — /th/ /i/ /n/ is three sounds.
8. ch — 'Chat' starts with the digraph ch.
Review
2 minRecap the success criteria together. Watch for these common misconceptions:
- Sounding each letter separately, such as /s/ /h/ for sh. Teach children to scan for letter teams before blending.
- Counting letters instead of sounds. 'Duck' has four letters but three sounds.
- Using 'ck' at the start of words. 'ck' is used after a short vowel, usually at the end of a word; words start with c or k instead.
Extension activities
- Sort a pile of word cards into 'sh', 'ch' and 'th' groups.
- Write a silly sentence using as many digraph words as possible, such as 'A fish had a chip on a ship.'
- Go on a digraph hunt in the kitchen and list labels with sh, ch, th, ck or ng.
Suggested follow-up
- Revisit consonant digraphs: sh, ch, th, ck and ng tomorrow with two or three quick questions from memory.
- Try the online practice check for this topic and look at any questions that need another go.
Tips for parents
- Make a set of cards with sh, ch, th, ck and ng and play a quick flash-card game each day.
- Use a coloured pencil to underline letter teams in a book or a cereal box.
- Show your child how your mouth changes for /s/ and /sh/ so they can feel the difference.