First Grade · Reading · week 9

Checkpoint: Digraphs and Blends Cold

Show automatic, accurate reading of digraph and blend words from the last eight weeks, without hints.

This is a checkpoint week -- no new sounds to learn! It is a chance to show how much you can already read: sh, ch, th, wh, ck, double letters, and blends at the start and end of words.

Read each word cold, which means without any help first. If you get stuck, that tells us exactly what to practice a little more.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Let your child read each word without a hint first; only offer a hint after a real attempt.
  • Keep a quick tally of any word that needed a hint so you know what to revisit next week.
  • Stay warm and low-pressure -- this is a snapshot, not a test with a grade.
  • Praise strategies you see them use, like covering part of the word or sounding it out slowly.
Talk about it:
  • Which words felt totally automatic today?
  • Was there a digraph or blend that tripped you up?
  • What is one word you are proud you read on your own?

Mastery looks like: They read digraph and blend words from the last eight weeks accurately without hints.

Common stumbles: Needing a hint on a digraph they have seen many times, showing it is not automatic yet.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Blending & SegmentingSlide sounds together to read a word — /s/ /u/ /n/ → “sun”.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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