After your students have mastered CVC words, they’re ready to learn how to read and spell words with consonant digraphs! Consonant digraphs are two consonants that make one sound when next to each other. While there are more, I typically cover ch, sh, th, wh, and ck, which are the most common.

As a special education teacher, I find that introducing one or two digraphs a week works well. I usually teach ck first, and then ch and sh, and then wh and th. If you’re teaching general education, you may find that you’re able to progress more quickly. I follow the same general lesson plan for phonics each week, which is easier for both you and your students. In this post, I’ll use ch and sh for the examples and explain how I would teach words with ch and sh over the course of one week. You can follow the same structure when teaching other digraphs.

Day 1

Tell students that sometimes two letters work together to make one sound. When the letters s and h are next to each other, they say /sh/. Show a picture of a shell and say /sh/ /e/ /l/. Show or write the word shell, and explain that we spell /sh/ with sh. Repeat with the /ch/ sound and a word with ch, such as chick. After modeling, lead students in guided practice of reading more words with ch and sh. Then, practice reading fluency sentences together that contain words with ch and sh and other mastered words (at this point, that’s likely only sight words and CVC words). You can find the needed picture cards, word cards, and fluency sentences in my Phonics by Design Digraphs Unit.

Day 2

Briefly review what you taught yesterday, and then tell students they’ll be practicing writing words with /sh/ and /ch/ today. Show a picture card with a ch or sh word, such as ship. Model segmenting the word (/sh/ /i/ /p/) and then writing each corresponding letter/digraph to write the word on the board or chart paper. Continue with other picture cards, having students segment the sounds as a group or taking turns. Finally, have students practice on their own by dictating words to them and having them write them down. You can also dictate a few short sentences that include only known sight words, CVC words, and digraphs.

Day 3

Today students will independently practice reading and writing words with the digraphs ch and sh. I use the activity sheets included in my Phonics by Design Digraphs Unit and in my No Prep Pack.

Day 4

Review reading and spelling words with ch and sh before introducing a simple digraphs matching game they can play in pairs. Spread out the cards in a grid face down. When it’s their turn, the student will turn over two cards and identify the pictures and/or read the words. If it’s a match, they keep the pair. If not, they put the cards back, face down. Students alternate turns until all pairs have been matched. The student with the most pairs wins. You can find digraph matching games in my Phonics by Design Digraphs Unit.

Day 5

Assess students by dictating ten words with ch or sh and having them record them. If you have time and a small enough group, you may also wish to have individual students read a few words with ch and sh for you as well.

This lesson plan schedule for teaching consonant digraphs is simple but effective! I usually start with ck, then teach ch and sh the next week, and then wh and th the following week.

Save yourself time by snagging everything you need to teach consonant digraphs in one place with my Phonics by Design Digraphs Unit Bundle. You’ll get all the materials mentioned in this post for each digraph (picture cards, word cards, fluency sentences, activity sheets, matching game), plus posters, flapbooks, and more! Snag it here .

How to Teach Consonant Digraphs