Year 1 English Two Letters, One Sound (Digraphs): worked examples and questions with answers

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 ship.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   sh | i | p
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   ship

Check. Read the sounds back in order: sh - i - p makes ship. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of sh 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 fish.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   f | i | sh
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   fish

Check. Read the sounds back in order: f - i - sh makes fish. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of sh 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 chick.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   ch | i | ck
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   chick

Check. Read the sounds back in order: ch - i - ck makes chick. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ch 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 shell.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: sh
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   sh

Check. Put sh in the gap and read the word: shell. ✓

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

Method. Find the word that starts with the letters c and h together.

1. Look at the start of each word. Only one word starts with ch.
   shop: sh | chin: ch | thin: th
2. Find the word with ch. chin starts with the sound made by ch.
   chin
3. Write the answer.
   chin

Check. shop starts with sh, and thin starts with th. Only chin starts with ch. ✓

Watch out. Check the first two letters. sh, ch and th look alike, so read them slowly.

Method. Look for the letters sh in each word. The word without sh is the odd one out.

1. Look at shop, ship and shed. Each of these has the letters sh.
   shop, ship, shed: sh
2. Look at chip. chip has ch, not sh.
   chip: ch
3. Write the odd one out.
   chip

Check. Sound boxes for chip: ch | i | p. There is no sh box. ✓

Watch out. chip looks like ship, but the first two letters are ch, not sh.

Method. Split the word ship into sound boxes, then compare with what Tom wrote.

1. Split ship into sound boxes. sh is one box.
   sh | i | p
2. Look at what Tom wrote. Tom wrote sip. It has only three letters.
   sip: s | i | p
3. Compare the two. The h is missing from Tom’s word.
   sh is missing its h
4. Write the answer.
   No. Tom has missed the h.

Check. Read Tom’s word: s-i-p. It is not ship. ✓

Watch out. A digraph needs both letters. Do not leave one out.

Method. Write three words that start with sh. Check each one has sh at the start.

1. Think of words that start with sh. Pick words you can picture.
   ship, shop, shed
2. Check the first two letters. Each word starts with s and h together.
   sh at the start of each word
3. Write your three words.
   ship, shop, shed (any three correct words)

Check. Read each word and check the first box is sh: sh | i | p, sh | o | p, sh | e | d. ✓

Watch out. Make sure each word has both letters: s and h together.

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 ring.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   r | i | ng
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   ring

Check. Read the sounds back in order: r - i - ng makes ring. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ng 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 whisk.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   wh | i | s | k
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   whisk

Check. Read the sounds back in order: wh - i - s - k makes whisk. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of wh 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 dolphin.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   d | o | l | ph | i | n
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   dolphin

Check. Read the sounds back in order: d - o - l - ph - i - n makes dolphin. ✓

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

Method. Look at the end of the word king. Find the last two letters.

1. Say king in sound boxes. The end sound is the last box.
   k | i | ng
2. Look at the last box. ng is one box, with two letters that make one sound.
   ng
3. Write the answer.
   ng

Check. Read the last two letters of king: n, g. They make ng. ✓

Watch out. Do not write nk here. king ends with n and g.

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 dolphin.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: ph
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   ph

Check. Put ph in the gap and read the word: dolphin. ✓

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

Method. Look at the last two letters of each word.

1. Look at sink, pink and drink. Each one ends with n and k.
   nk, nk, nk
2. Look at king. king ends with n and g, so it ends with ng.
   ng
3. Write the odd one out. It is the only word that does not end with nk.
   king

Check. sink, pink, drink end in nk. king ends in ng. ✓

Watch out. Look at the last two letters, not the first letter.

Method. Check the last two letters of ring. Then check the word rink.

1. Look at ring. The end sound is ng.
   ring: n, g = ng
2. Look at rink. rink ends with n and k, which is nk.
   rink: n, k = nk
3. Compare the two. They are different words with different end sounds.
   No. A ring ends with ng.

Check. Say the picture’s word: ring. Its end is n-g. ✓

Watch out. rink is a different word. Look at the last two letters.

Method. Write two words that end with nk and two words that end with ng.

1. Think of words that end with nk. Look for n and k at the end.
   sink, drink
2. Think of words that end with ng. Look for n and g at the end.
   ring, king
3. Write your four words. Check the last two letters of each one.
   sink, drink (nk); ring, king (ng)

Check. Read each word and check its last two letters. ✓

Watch out. nk is n and then k. ng is n and then g. Say each word slowly and look at the end.

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 rain.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   r | ai | n
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   rain

Check. Read the sounds back in order: r - ai - n makes rain. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ai 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 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. 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 boat.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   b | oa | t
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   boat

Check. Read the sounds back in order: b - oa - t makes boat. ✓

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

Method. Look for three letters that work together in the word light.

1. Say light in sound boxes. The middle box has three letters.
   l | igh | t
2. Find the three letters. i, g and h make one sound with the t after it.
   igh
3. Write the answer.
   igh

Check. Check the boxes: l | igh | t. The igh box is one sound. ✓

Watch out. igh has three letters but one sound. Keep all three together.

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 coat.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: oa
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   oa

Check. Put oa in the gap and read the word: coat. ✓

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

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 wheel.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   wh | ee | l
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   wheel

Check. Read the sounds back in order: wh - ee - l makes wheel. ✓

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

Method. Look at the vowel digraph in each word.

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

Check. rain, tail and train all have ai. road has oa. ✓

Watch out. Read the middle letters of each word, not just the first letter.

Method. Look at the letters in boat.

1. Find the vowel letters in boat. The two vowel letters are o and a.
   b - oa - t
2. Check which digraph it is. The letters oa make one sound, not ai.
   oa, not ai
3. Write the answer.
   No. Boat has oa, not ai.

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

Watch out. The word boat looks like a word with ai, but the letters are oa.

Method. Write one word with ee and one word with ai. Check the letters in each.

1. Think of a word with ee. Look for two e letters together.
   tree
2. Think of a word with ai. Look for a and i together.
   rain
3. Check the sound boxes. Each digraph is one box.
   tree: t | r | ee; rain: r | ai | n

Check. Read each word and check the box: tree has ee, rain has ai. ✓

Watch out. ee is two e letters. ai is an a and an i. They are spelled differently, so the letters matter.

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 moon.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   m | oo | n
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   moon

Check. Read the sounds back in order: m - oo - n makes moon. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of oo 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 car.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   c | ar
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   car

Check. Read the sounds back in order: c - ar makes car. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ar 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 fork.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   f | or | k
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   fork

Check. Read the sounds back in order: f - or - k makes fork. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of or 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 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 star.
2. Find the missing sound. The gap is one sound, so it can need two or three letters.
   Missing sound: ar
3. Write the letters in the gap. Fill the gap, then read the whole word again.
   ar

Check. Put ar in the gap and read the word: star. ✓

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

Method. Think of the long oo sound in the example word moon. Check each word in the list.

1. Check each word with oo. book, boot, foot, spoon and good all have the letters oo.
   book, boot, foot, spoon, good
2. Say each one with the long sound, as in moon. boot and spoon sound like moon. book, foot and good are short.
   long: boot, spoon
3. Write the long ones.
   boot, spoon

Check. boot and spoon have the long oo sound, as in moon. ✓

Watch out. Both words have the same letters, oo, but the sound is different. Think of the example words.

Method. Look at the letters in each word, and find the one that is not ar.

1. Look at car, farm and park. Each of these has the letters ar.
   car, farm, park: ar
2. Look at fork. fork has the letters or, not ar.
   fork: or
3. Write the odd one out.
   fork

Check. car, farm and park have ar. fork has or. ✓

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

Method. Look at the letters in fork and in park.

1. Look at fork. The vowel letters are o and r. They make or.
   f - or - k
2. Look at park. The vowel letters are a and r. They make ar.
   p - ar - k
3. Compare them. They are different letters, so they make different sounds.
   No. Fork has or. Park has ar.

Check. Read the boxes: f | or | k and p | ar | k. The boxes are different. ✓

Watch out. The word fork and the word park look alike, but the middle letters are different.

Method. Write one word with or and one word with ar. Explain the difference.

1. Think of a word with or. Look for the letters o and r together.
   fork
2. Think of a word with ar. Look for the letters a and r together.
   park
3. Explain the difference. or and ar make different sounds, so the spelling is different.
   fork: or; park: ar

Check. fork: f | or | k. park: p | ar | k. ✓

Watch out. The letters or and ar make different sounds. Think about 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 cow.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   c | ow
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   cow

Check. Read the sounds back in order: c - ow makes cow. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ow 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 an owl.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   ow | l
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   owl

Check. Read the sounds back in order: ow - l makes owl. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ow 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 coin.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   c | oi | n
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   coin

Check. Read the sounds back in order: c - oi - n makes coin. ✓

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

Method. Look at the last part of each word, and find the one with a different sound.

1. Look at coin, join and point. Each one has the letters oi.
   coin, join, point: oi
2. Look at town. town has the letters ow, not oi.
   town: ow
3. Write the odd one out.
   town

Check. coin, join and point all have oi. town has ow. ✓

Watch out. Look at the two letters together. oi and ow are different.

Method. Find the word with the letters er. Check each word.

1. Look at fur and curl. Both have the letters ur.
   fur: ur, curl: ur
2. Look at fern. fern has the letters er.
   fern: er
3. Write the answer.
   fern

Check. Sound boxes: f | er | n. fur and curl have ur. ✓

Watch out. ur and er can sound the same, but they are spelled differently.

Method. Think about the two words, and what Lily says.

1. Look at snow and cow. Both words have the letters ow.
   snow: ow, cow: ow
2. Say the two words. The ow in cow sounds different from the ow in snow.
   cow: ow as in cow | snow: ow as in boat
3. Compare the sounds. The ow in snow sounds the same as the oa in boat.
   Not quite.

Check. Sound boxes: s | n | ow and c | ow. The letters match, but the sound is different. ✓

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

Method. Think about the sound in each word.

1. Look at fur. fur has ur, and the sound is like the er in her.
   fur: ur
2. Look at her. her has er, and the sound is the same.
   her: er
3. Explain. ur and er are different spellings for the same sound in these words.
   ur and er can make the same sound.

Check. fur: f | ur. her: h | er. Both words have the same sound. ✓

Watch out. Different letters can make the same sound. Look at the letters in each box, then read the example words again.

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 hair.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   h | air
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   hair

Check. Read the sounds back in order: h - air makes hair. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of air 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 chair.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   ch | air
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   chair

Check. Read the sounds back in order: ch - air makes chair. ✓

Watch out. Write both letters of ch 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 stairs.
2. Split the word into sounds. Two letters that make one sound go in one box.
   s | t | air | s
3. Write the word. Write each sound in order, with its letters together.
   stairs

Check. Read the sounds back in order: s - t - air - s makes stairs. ✓

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

Method. Find the three letters that make one sound in hear.

1. Say hear in sound boxes. The sound at the end has three letters.
   h | ear
2. Find the three letters. e, a and r together make one sound.
   ear
3. Write the answer.
   ear

Check. Sound boxes: h | ear. The ear box is one sound. ✓

Watch out. Do not write just the e. Keep all three letters together.

Method. Use the sound boxes to spell the word.

1. Look at the boxes. The first box is y. The second box is ear.
   y | ear
2. Join the boxes together. Write the letters in each box, in order.
   y + ear
3. Write the word.
   year

Check. Read the word back: y-ear. It is year. ✓

Watch out. Write all three letters of ear together, not as e, a and r apart.

Method. Think about the sound at the end of hear and her.

1. Look at hear. hear has the three letters ear, and it sounds like the ear in year.
   hear: ear
2. Look at her. her has only two letters, er, so it is a different word.
   her: er
3. Write the answer. Ravi wrote her, but the word for the picture is hear.
   No. Hear has ear, not er.

Check. Sound boxes: h | ear and h | er. The words have different letters. ✓

Watch out. Look at the letters before you write. hear and her look alike, but they are different words.

Method. Find the word whose sound is different.

1. Look at chair, hair and stairs. Each one has the letters air.
   chair, hair, stairs: air
2. Look at year. year has the letters ear, not air.
   year: ear
3. Write the odd one out.
   year

Check. chair, hair and stairs have air. year has ear. ✓

Watch out. air and ear look alike, but the sounds are different.

Method. Choose three words, and check the letters for each one.

1. Think of a word with ear. Pick words such as near or hear.
   near
2. Think of a word with air. Pick words such as pair or hair.
   pair
3. Think of a word with ure. Pick words such as pure or cure.
   pure

Check. Sound boxes: n | ear, p | air, p | ure. ✓

Watch out. Check each word has the right three letters together.

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.