Teaching digraphs
- Dual Dialects
- Aug 29
- 1 min read
Once students have learned phonics, digraphs are the another important step! Teaching digraphs helps students move from sounding out single letters to reading more complex words. A digraph is when two letters come together to make one sound, such as ch, sh, th, or ee. By teaching digraphs, teachers give students the tools to decode a wider variety of words. Explicit instruction, where the teacher introduces the sound, shows examples, and models blending, helps learners understand that these pairs act as a single sound unit instead of two separate letters.
Effective digraph instruction also includes plenty of practice in multiple forms such as reading, writing, and saying the sounds. Students can sort words by their digraphs, highlight digraphs in short passages, or build words with letter tiles. Activities like games, rhymes, and picture matching make learning interactive and fun, while also reinforcing the concept. Teaching digraphs in context, alongside familiar words, helps learners recognize them in real reading situations and improves their fluency and confidence.
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