Digraph SH (Story 2)

Free Printable Digraph SH (Story 2)

The SH digraph is a foundational phonics pattern where two letters, S and H, combine to make a single new sound, /sh/. This skill is typically introduced early in Phase 2 phonics instruction, after students have mastered individual letter sounds and simple CVC words. Young learners often find the SH digraph tricky because they may initially try to pronounce the "s" and "h" separately, leading to mispronunciations like "s-h-ip" instead of "ship." Another common error is confusing the /sh/ sound with the /ch/ sound, pronouncing "shed" as "ched," or with the /s/ sound, saying "sip" instead of "ship." Mastering the SH digraph is crucial for decoding many common words like "shop," "fish," and "wash." To effectively use these SH digraph worksheets, begin by reviewing the target words. Have your child say each word, emphasizing the initial /sh/ in words like "shut" and "shell," and the final /sh/ in words like "dish" and "wish." The decodable passage, "Shad Washes Dishes," provides an excellent opportunity to practice reading these words in context. Encourage your child to highlight or underline all the SH words they find. The word sort activity helps reinforce recognition of SH words; ask them to sort words based on whether the SH is at the beginning or end. Use the phrasing cards to build fluency, having your child read short phrases containing SH words. Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart for SH words will help build automaticity and speed in recognizing and reading this important digraph.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.