Kindergarten students have been learning about blends and digraphs for the past few weeks. These two patterns are essential and often found in books that they look at and read at teacher table. The difference between a blend and a digraph is that in a blend, each letter retains its sound. For instance, in the word “brag,” you can still hear the individual /b/ and /r/ sounds in the “br” blend. This is different from a digraph. A digraph is a two-letter combination that represents a single sound. For example, in the word “chair,” you do not hear the /c/ and /h/ sounds separately; it is a “CH” sound instead. The students are practicing to differentiate between two patterns and are putting their efforts into it every day. They are utilizing their new knowledge by completing cut-and-paste worksheets, creating digraphs and blends using magnet letters, identifying these patterns in books, searching for blends in the sentences they write, and playing beginning and ending consonant blends bingo. They will keep learning more about blends and digraphs so that they can become better readers!
Encourage your child to identify blends in the books you read together before bed. I bet they can spot them in no time!
