Phonics: digraphs, silent e, and vowel teams (grade 1) · lesson

Letter pairs

💡 Two letters can work as a team to make one new sound.

S and h say shhh, like in ship.

C and h say ch, like in chick. W and h say w, like in whale.

🧠 How to think about it

See s and h? Do not say s, then h. Say shhh.

🏡 Try it at home

Hunt for sh, ch, and th in a book. Read each word you find.

💡 A silent e makes the vowel say its name.

Cap has a short a. Add an e and it is cape.

Kit becomes kite. The i says its name.

🧠 How to think about it

See an e at the end? Skip it. Make the vowel before it say its name.

🏡 Try it at home

Write cap, kit, and hop. Add an e to each. Read the new words.

💡 Two vowels side by side often make one long sound.

O and a say long o in boat and goat.

Two e's say long e in tree.

🧠 How to think about it

See two vowels side by side? Try the long sound of the first one.

🏡 Try it at home

Read a cereal box. Hunt for ee, oa, and ai words.

💡 Every syllable has a vowel, so long words come in parts.

Sunset is sun and set. That is two parts.

Rabbit is rab and bit.

🧠 How to think about it

Find the vowels. Split the word between the parts. Read each part, then put them together.

🏡 Try it at home

Clap long words you see at home, like basket or napkin.

💡 Endings like s, ed, and ing tell when or how many.

Walked means it already happened.

Walking goes with is or was. Walks goes with he or she.

🧠 How to think about it

Look for clue words like yesterday or is. Pick the ending that fits.

🏡 Try it at home

Act out jump. Say I jump, I jumped, and I am jumping.