Two Letters, One Sound: Meet the Sound Teams sh, ch and th
🎯 Today's mission briefing
We are learning that some sounds are written with two letters working as a team — sh, ch and th — and to read words that use them.
You'll know you've got it when:
- I can say one sound (not two) when I see sh, ch or th
- I can spot a sound team hiding inside a written word before I start sounding it out
- I can blend and read real words with sound teams, like 'ship', 'chat' and 'moth', all by myself
The letters that hold hands
Connects to what your guest already knows and makes them curious. Activating prior knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of new learning.
Helper, read aloud: Last year you collected letter-sounds one at a time, like single players on a team. But the reading code has a secret it's been saving for you: sometimes two letters HOLD HANDS and make one brand-new sound together. Watch — 's' says sss, and 'h' says h... but when they hold hands? (Write 'sh' and make the quiet-down gesture.) Shhh! A whole new sound that neither letter can make alone. Letters that team up like this are called SOUND TEAMS, and today you're meeting the three most famous ones.