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