Reading For All™ System
Multisensory Reading Resources for Every Learner
Reading For All

Level 2 — Lesson 7

Digraph Blends at the Start
Today's Focus: Digraph Blends — a digraph plus a consonant at the start
💪 Effort Makes You Stronger!
You already know digraphs and blends on their own. Now let's put them together! A digraph blend is a digraph (like sh or th) plus another consonant at the start of a word. You can do this!
Remember: "shr" = sh + r, "thr" = th + r. Each digraph blend is just sounds you already know, combined!

⚓ Anchor Words

👧
Abby
/ă/ — short A
Level 1 Star
💪
Effort
/ĕ/ — short E
Level 1 Star
📣
Issue
/ĭ/ — short I
Level 1 Star
👦
Otto
/ŏ/ — short O
Level 1 Star
💃
Usher
/ŭ/ — short U
Level 1 Star

All five anchor friends help us remember every short vowel sound!

💡 Abby = /ă/ • Effort = /ĕ/ • Issue = /ĭ/ • Otto = /ŏ/ • Usher = /ŭ/

🎓 Practice Words

Tap each word. Listen for the digraph blend at the start, then blend the whole word!

🦐 shrimp /sh/ /r/ /i/ /m/ /p/
💓 throb /th/ /r/ /o/ /b/
🤷 shrug /sh/ /r/ /u/ /g/

Tap a word above to see its digraph blend broken apart:

sh
r
i
m
p
▼
shrimp
Digraph Blend Vowel Consonant

📚 Word Bank

Words that begin with digraph blends:

shred shrimp shrink shrub shrug shrunk thrash thresh thrill throb throng thrush

📖 Silly Story Time!

All five friends are here! Pick digraph-blend words from the dropdowns to fill in the story.
Then read it out loud with effort!

The at the

Abby did a map and . "It was just scrap!" she said.

Effort had a when he a net at a in the pond.

Issue saw a on a . The thrush did back.

Otto did his drum and on the mat. What a ruckus!

Usher said, "I at this trip! Let us the list and just have fun!"

The End!

⭐ Sight Words Used

These common words appear in the story. Practice reading them on sight!

a the on and to in at it from was just she he his her what us let have