Does your word study block need a little pick-me-up? These beginning digraph games for SH, CH, WH, and TH help students use pictures to hear and spell the single sound a beginning digraph makes in words like shelf, chick, wheel, and thumb.
The games are aligned to Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers (3rd Edition), Unit 3, Sort 23, but they work alongside any phonics or word study program. They're designed for students in the middle of the Letter Name-Alphabetic stage who can spell beginning consonants in CVC words and have started experimenting with blends and digraphs in their writing.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Chase the Whale Board Game (Partner Game)
Students take turns drawing picture cards and finding the matching word ending on the game board path. They mentally fill in the missing digraph to find a space to cover. Friendly competition keeps students engaged, and the recording sheet makes it easy to check that students understood each digraph.
- Teacher directions
- Chase the Whale game board
- Game cards
- Student-friendly directions
- Recording sheet
- Answer key
Spin and Cover (Independent Activity)
Students choose one of 4 picture boards, spin for a digraph, and cover a picture of a word that starts with it. Then they record the digraph of the word they covered.
- Teacher directions plus ideas for extending the picture boards
- 4 picture boards
- 1 spinner with student-friendly directions
- Recording sheet
- Answer key
ALSO INCLUDED
- Black and white and color versions of everything
- Word list of all included words
- Answer keys for both activities
HOW THIS RESOURCE HELPS YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS
- Gives students two engaging ways to practice the same digraphs
- Picture cards and boards help students hear the single sound each digraph makes
- Works for partner centers, small groups, early finishers, and independent practice
- Recording sheets build in accountability and quick assessment
- Uses the same game formats as the rest of Unit 3, so students don't have to learn new rules each week
- Ready to print and use with no extra prep beyond cutting cards
Want every game in this unit? This game set is included in the Beginning Digraphs and Blends Unit 3 Letter Name Words Their Way Games | Consonant Cluster Activities, so you can get all of the Unit 3 games together and save.
ABOUT THE LETTER NAME-ALPHABETIC STAGE
This stage is where students connect the letters they know to the sounds those letters make. Students at this level recognize most letters and are ready to study beginning and ending consonants, word families, digraphs and blends, and short vowels in CVC words. Instruction focuses on hearing the sounds inside a word and matching each one to the letter that spells it. By sorting pictures and words by sound, students build the letter-sound knowledge that supports both early spelling and early reading.
NEED PRINTABLES FOR THE ENTIRE LETTER NAME-ALPHABETIC LEVEL?
See the Letter Name-Alphabetic Printable Bundle (contains all 4 resources)
Or, Shop By Activity:
- Word Study Notebook
- Word Searches
- Fill in the Blank Word List Activity
- Weekly Spelling Homework & Word Lists
Copyright © Tammy Roose, Tarheelstate Teacher.
The purchase of this resource gives the buyer permission to download and copy for single classroom use only. Electronic distribution is also limited to single classroom use. Copying for other teachers, school-wide use, or school systems is only allowed with the purchase of additional licenses.
