Year 1 English Two Letters, One Sound (Digraphs): check-up and quiz

Method. Look at the picture, then build the word from its sounds.

1. Look at the picture. Say what it is, in one word.
   The picture shows a tree.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   t | r | ee
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   tree

Check. Read the sounds back in order: t - r - ee makes tree. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ee together, in one box.

Method. Split chin into sound boxes.

1. Say chin in sound boxes. The first box has two letters.
   ch, i, n
2. Find the first box. The first box is ch.
   ch
3. Write the answer.
   ch

Check. Read the boxes: ch | i | n. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters: c and h together.

Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.

Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.

1. Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.
   n - igh - t
2. Put the letters for each sound in a box. Two or three letters that make one sound share one box: igh.
   n | igh | t
3. Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.
   3 sounds
4. Write the answer.
   n, igh, t

Check. Push the boxes together again: n + igh + t makes night. ✓

Watch out. Keep the letters of igh in one box. Do not split igh into separate letters.

Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.

Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to make the word.

1. Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.
   sh
2. Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.
   sh - ee - p
3. Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.
   sheep
4. Write the answer.
   sheep

Check. Split the word back into sounds: sh, ee, p. ✓

Watch out. Say sh as one sound, not as two separate letters.

Method. Look at the picture, then find the letters for the missing sound.

1. Look at the picture. The picture shows the whole word.
   The picture shows a fork.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: or
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   or

Check. Put or in the gap and read the word: fork. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of the digraph in the gap, not just one.

Method. Look for the letters ur in each word.

1. Look at fur. fur has the letters ur.
   fur: ur
2. Look at fern and fork. fern has er, and fork has or.
   fern: er, fork: or
3. Write the answer.
   fur

Check. fur has ur. fern has er. fork has or. ✓

Watch out. Look at the two middle letters of each word.

Method. Look at the picture, then build the word from its sounds.

1. Look at the picture. Say what it is, in one word.
   The picture shows a crown.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   c | r | ow | n
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   crown

Check. Read the sounds back in order: c - r - ow - n makes crown. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ow together, in one box.

Method. Look for the vowel digraph in each word.

1. Look at rain, train and sail. Each one has the letters ai.
   rain, train, sail: ai
2. Look at coat. coat has the letters oa, not ai.
   coat: oa
3. Write the odd one out.
   coat

Check. rain, train and sail have ai. coat has oa. ✓

Watch out. Read the vowel letters in the middle of each word.

Method. Think about the th letters in thin and this.

1. Look at thin. thin starts with th, as in thin.
   th
2. Look at this. this also starts with th, but it makes a different sound.
   th
3. Explain the answer. The two words have the same letters, but the sound is different.
   Not quite.

Check. Sound boxes: th | i | n and th | i | s. The th box is the same, but the sound is different. ✓

Watch out. The same two letters can make different sounds. Think of the example words.

Method. Look at the picture, then build the word from its sounds.

1. Look at the picture. Say what it is, in one word.
   The picture shows a moth.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   m | o | th
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   moth

Check. Read the sounds back in order: m - o - th makes moth. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of th together, in one box.

Method. Look at the picture, then build the word from its sounds.

1. Look at the picture. Say what it is, in one word.
   The picture shows a bee.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   b | ee
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   bee

Check. Read the sounds back in order: b - ee makes bee. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ee together, in one box.

Method. Find the two letters at the start of shell.

1. Split shell into sound boxes. The first box has two letters.
   sh | e | ll
2. Find the first box. The first box is sh.
   sh
3. Write the answer.
   sh

Check. Read the boxes: sh | e | ll. ✓

Watch out. sh is one sound. Write both letters.

Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.

Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.

1. Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.
   f - i - sh
2. Put the letters for each sound in a box. Two or three letters that make one sound share one box: sh.
   f | i | sh
3. Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.
   3 sounds
4. Write the answer.
   f, i, sh

Check. Push the boxes together again: f + i + sh makes fish. ✓

Watch out. Keep the letters of sh in one box. Do not split sh into separate letters.

Key words. Blend means to push the sounds together to read a word.

Method. Say each sound, then push the sounds together to make the word.

1. Say the first sound. Use the letters for that sound together.
   w
2. Say the sounds in order. Keep going until you reach the last sound.
   w - oo - d
3. Push the sounds together and read the word. Read them quickly, as one word.
   wood
4. Write the answer.
   wood

Check. Split the word back into sounds: w, oo, d. ✓

Watch out. Say oo as one sound, not as two separate letters.

Method. Look at the letters in each word.

1. Look at fork, park and cow. fork has or, park has ar, and cow has ow.
   fork: or
2. Find the word with or. Only fork has the letters or.
   fork
3. Write the answer.
   fork

Check. fork: f | or | k. ✓

Watch out. Check the middle letters of each word.

Method. Look at the picture, then build the word from its sounds.

1. Look at the picture. Say what it is, in one word.
   The picture shows a shark.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   sh | ar | k
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   shark

Check. Read the sounds back in order: sh - ar - k makes shark. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of sh together, in one box.

Method. Look at the picture, then find the letters for the missing sound.

1. Look at the picture. The picture shows the whole word.
   The picture shows a train.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: ai
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   ai

Check. Put ai in the gap and read the word: train. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of the digraph in the gap, not just one.

Method. Look at the vowel digraph in bright.

1. Split bright into sound boxes. Three letters make one sound in the middle.
   b | r | igh | t
2. Compare with ai. ai has two letters. bright has igh, with three letters.
   igh, not ai
3. Write the answer.
   No. Bright has igh, not ai.

Check. Sound boxes: b | r | igh | t. There is no ai box. ✓

Watch out. igh has three letters. Look at every letter in the middle of the word.

Key words. A sound box holds one sound. A digraph is two letters that make one sound.

Method. Say the word slowly. Put the letters for each sound in one box.

1. Say the word slowly, one sound at a time. Say each sound on its own, like a robot.
   ch - e - s - t
2. Put the letters for each sound in a box. Two or three letters that make one sound share one box: ch.
   ch | e | s | t
3. Count the boxes. Each box is one sound.
   4 sounds
4. Write the answer.
   ch, e, s, t

Check. Push the boxes together again: ch + e + s + t makes chest. ✓

Watch out. Keep the letters of ch in one box. Do not split ch into separate letters.

Method. Choose three words, each with a different digraph, and check each one.

1. Pick a word for each digraph. Choose words you know how to split.
   ship (sh), rain (ai), moon (oo)
2. Check the sound boxes. Each digraph is one box.
   ship: sh | i | p; rain: r | ai | n; moon: m | oo | n
3. Write your three words.
   ship, rain, moon (any three correct words)

Check. Read each word and check its digraph is in one box. ✓

Watch out. Each word must have a different digraph. Check the boxes to be sure.