Scott Foresman Reading Street

Generalization Consonant digraphs consist of two or three consonants that stand for a single sound.

Associate consonant digraphs with the letters that spell them.
Review consonant blends.
Blend and read words that contain consonant digraphs and consonant blends.
Apply decoding strategies: blend longer words.

Support Phonics English language learners may need extra help understanding that there is often more than one way to spell the same sound in English, such as /f/ cough, phone, and fast. The th in think or those may be especially difficult. Let students read aloud as often as possible to give them extra practice saying words with consonant digraphs.

See the Phonics Transition Lessons in the ELL and Transition Handbook.

Practice Book 3.1 p. 99

with | without Answers

Generalization Consonant blends consist of two or more letters whose sounds are blended together when pronouncing a word.

You may wish to explain the meanings of these words.
stubborn	not willing to change your opinion
splatter	to splash
classify	to arrange things into groups
squabble	a noisy quarrel about nothing important

Consonant Digraphs

TEACH

Remind students that they hear all the letters in a consonant blend. Explain that they
will learn about other consonant combinations that stand for a single sound. Write
the words chat, parachute, shining, bother, white, phone, catch, and long.

How many letters do you see in chat? (4)
How many sounds do you hear? (3)
Which two letters stand for one sound? (ch)

MODEL When I see the letters ch in chat, I pronounce them as a single
sound, /ch/, because ch is a consonant digraph. But when I see the same
letters in the word parachute, I pronounce them as /sh/. The digraph ch
can stand for different sounds, /ch/ and /sh/. I also watch for the consonant
digraphs sh, th, wh, ph, tch, and ng when I sound out words.

Model blending parachute, shining, bother, white, phone, catch, and long. Then have students blend the words with you.

Review Phonics

CONSONANT BLENDS

CONNECT Write this sentence: Please straighten your desk.

We studied initial and final consonant blends.
Read the sentence to yourself. Raise your hand when you know which words have a
consonant blend. (Please, straighten, desk)
What letters make up the consonant blend in please? (pl) In straighten? (str)
In desk? (sk)

Continue in the same way with the sentence The child waited for the traffic light to
turn green before crossing the street.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

DECODE LONGER WORDS Have individuals read the following words. Provide

help chunking and blending the words as needed.

stubborn	slightly	threaten	blend
splatter	cranberry	myself	private
classify	gratitude	stretcher	squabble

READ WORDS IN CONTEXT Have students read these sentences and write the

word or words containing consonant blends on a separate sheet of paper.

I gave a present to my brother on his birthday.

Practice what you preach.

There are three loaves of bread in the stove.

The air was crisp, and frost gleamed on the grass.

To assess, have students read each sentence aloud. Listen to hear whether they
pronounce all the consonants in the consonant blends.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

DECODE LONGER WORDS Write these words. Have students read them and

then underline the consonant digraphs.

	inchworm	photograph	cushion	rather
	thimble	whisper	switch	chaperone

READ WORDS IN CONTEXT Write these sentences. Have individuals read

them, point out words with consonant digraphs, and say the sound the
letters stand for. Words with consonant digraphs are underlined.

Thunder scares our dog, and she hides under my bed.

Each boy let out a whoop of joy.

I hear a little bird chirping beneath my window.

To assess, have students identify four words on page 256 of the Student Edition
that have a consonant digraph. (Possible answers: father, thatch, fashioned,
everything.)