Strategies for Teaching Consonant Digraphs
1. Fundations Tiles
One thing I love about the Fundations tiles is that the digraph sounds are on one tile, “ch”, “sh”, “th”, “wh” and “ck”, and you don’t have to show students two separate magnet letters and try to explain that they make only one sound.
If you don’t have Fundations, take a square pattern block or square magnet and a sharpie and make your own.
2. Use Digraphs with Sound Boxes
(Some call them Elkonin boxes) Students can touch each box while they say a sound, and if laminated, you or the student can write a letter (or letters if it is a digraph) for each sound in each box. Example: the second row of three boxes could be used to tap out “math”. Or write “math”, m in the first and a in the middle box and th together in the third box. . Students say each sound and blend.
Another strategy for segmenting words is to use chips or other objects (like pom poms show in the pic above) that students can push up for each sound. This helps solidify 1:1 sound correspondence for students. One chip = one digraph.
3. Word Chains (reading)
Want an easy strategy for teaching consonant digraphs? Have a list (typed and printed or written on a board of similar words for students to read. When they move from one word to the next, only one sound should change. For example, only change the initial digraph, or the vowel sound. They can include real or nonsense words or both.
Here is an example of a word chain that you can feel free to use with students: chop, chip, ship, whip, hip, hop, shop, shock, rock, Rick, rich
Keep reading for more ideas of how to help students learn consonant digraphs.
4. Word Ladders (writing)
You can find free word ladder templates online or just have students write them on a white board or paper. I choose digraphs and vowel sounds that my readers need to practice. You say each word, they write it down. Like word chains, only one sound is changed each time and real and nonsense words can be included.
I had a few students who mixed up sh and ch and this is a word ladder I used with them: chin, chill, shill, shell, shock, chock, chick, chin, shin
5. Make it Creative!
Try this fun painting activity from Simply Kinder for digraphs! Another fun activity to add to your repertoire for teaching consonant digraphs!
One of the happy teachers who tried Pop it Phonics Consonant Digraphs said, “This was a great resource for CVC words. Helped to keep my students active and aligned nicely with SOR!”
Click here or on any of the images to check it out at TPT (PSST: on sale until August 8!) .
If you want to pin this post and read it again later, click on the Pin below!
You might also be interested in these blog posts:
- 7 Ways to Practice CVC Words
- What is Phonemic Awareness
- 8 Ways to Use Pop Its to Engage Learners
- Reading Intervention: Sounding out Words
- Reading Intervention all in one Place
