Introduction to Digraphs

Digraphs are two consecutive letters that create one sound. As the child approaches consonant blends with the Blue Level series, the introduction of digraphs, also called phonograms in some classrooms, can be a confusing shift in their reading comprehension. Some Montessori Guides will need to isolate this lesson so that early readers can grasp this concept independent of the Blue Level work. There are 11 consonant digraphs that can be introduced in this lesson. They are ch, ck, gh, kn, mb, ng, ph, sh, th, wh, and wr. Students should have some exposure to Blue Level 1 before this introduction so that they may differentiate between letters that blend two sounds, and letters that create one unique sound when spelled out or read aloud. This exercise can also be part of the Blue Lesson series, and in some ways is an extension to that work.

Materials

• A box or basket containing four objects which are blue level type phonetic words, plus one digraph object containing “sh.”
• Red and lead pencils on a holder.
• Scissors
• Roll of paper
• Writing Board
• Green Tray

Points of Interest

• Seeing the objects in the box.
• Sounding out the words.
• Seeing that when two sounds come together, they may make a new sound.
• Seeing the digraph written in red.

Control of Error

• Teacher or another child.
• Child’s own knowledge.

Direct Aims

• To introduce the child to phonograms and digraphs.

Extensions

• Playing “I spy” with objects around the classroom that have the digraph introduced in their name
• Using Blue Level cards to match the digraph in the word to multiple objects that have been introduced