Identification and Pronunciation of Digraphs ph, sh and ch for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 7
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Recognition of initial letter sounds in words.
Topic: DIGRAPHS PH, SH AND CH: IDENTIFICATION AND PRONUNCIATION
Subject Matter: DIGRAPH: ph, sh, ch SIGHT WORDS: Photo She Chart. Weekly focus: Digraphs ph, sh and ch: Identification and Pronunciation.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ when seen.
• Pronounce the sounds for ‘ph’ (/f/), ‘sh’ (/ʃ/), and ‘ch’ (/tʃ/).
• Recognise words that contain the digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in sounding out digraphs and saying example words.
• Listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions and demonstrations.
• Show enthusiasm for learning new sounds and words.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to the digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ on charts or flashcards.
• Attempt to circle digraphs in given words on a worksheet.
• Mimic the teacher’s mouth movements and sounds for each digraph.

Social Domain

• Take turns during oral practice and games.
• Work cooperatively with the teacher during guided activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Early years phonics workbooks

Instructional Materials

• Large charts showing digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and their example words with pictures (e.g., ‘photo’, ‘phone’, ‘shoe’, ‘ship’, ‘chair’, ‘chop’).
• Flashcards with ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ written clearly.
• Flashcards with sight words: ‘Photo’, ‘She’, ‘Chart’.
• MP3 or MP4 player with audio/video clips of digraph sounds (optional).
• Whiteboard and marker.
• Worksheets with words containing ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ for circling (optional, for guided practice).

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning digraphs like ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ is crucial for Pre-School Level 4 pupils as it builds foundational phonics skills necessary for reading and spelling. Understanding that two letters can make one sound helps children decode words more effectively, preparing them for early literacy and confident communication.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise and say the sounds of individual letters of the alphabet. They can also identify some simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words and follow short oral instructions.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

DIGRAPHS PH, SH AND CH: IDENTIFICATION AND PRONUNCIATION

A digraph is when two letters come together to make one new sound.

Digraph ‘ph’

• The letters ‘p’ and ‘h’ come together to make the /f/ sound, like in ‘fish’.
• Examples:
  • photo (picture)
  • phone (what we use to call people)
  • dolphin (a sea animal)

Digraph ‘sh’

• The letters ‘s’ and ‘h’ come together to make the /ʃ/ sound, like when you tell someone to be quiet.
• Examples:
  • shoe (what we wear on our feet)
  • ship (a large boat)
  • fish (an animal that lives in water)

Digraph ‘ch’

• The letters ‘c’ and ‘h’ come together to make the /tʃ/ sound, like when you sneeze.
• Examples:
  • chair (what we sit on)
  • chop (to cut food into pieces)
  • lunch (a meal in the middle of the day)

Sight Words

• Photo: A picture. (Contains ‘ph’)
• She: A word used for a girl or woman. (Contains ‘sh’)
• Chart: A paper with information or pictures. (Contains ‘ch’)

Key Words

• Digraph – Two letters that make one sound.
• ph – Makes the /f/ sound.
• sh – Makes the /ʃ/ sound.
• ch – Makes the /tʃ/ sound.
• Sound – What we hear when we say letters or words.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

• Write ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ clearly on the board.
• Draw simple pictures for example words: a phone, a shoe, a chair.
• Display picture cards for ‘photo’, ‘shoe’, ‘chart’.

Digraph Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

P-H says /f/, /f/, /f/
Like in ‘photo’, that’s enough!
S-H says /sh/, /sh/, /sh/
Like in ‘shoe’, with a swish!
C-H says /ch/, /ch/, /ch/
Like in ‘chair’, that’s a match!

Actions: For /f/, pretend to take a picture. For /sh/, put finger to lips for quiet. For /ch/, pretend to sit in a chair. Clap along to the rhythm.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the rhyme several times, encouraging pupils to make the sounds and actions. Point to the digraphs on the chart as they are sung.

Watch and Practise

The teacher will play a short video clip to reinforce the sounds and examples of digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1X9Xy4i7lA

(Teacher should fast-forward to the relevant sections for ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ to keep it concise for the age group.)

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Demonstration, Guided Practice, Songs and Rhymes, Picture Talk, Repetition, Question and Answer, Flashcard Drills, Oral Practice.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Review

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and reviews some familiar single letter sounds. The teacher then introduces the idea that sometimes two letters can make one sound, explaining they will learn about ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ today.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, repeat familiar letter sounds, and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Pupils are prepared for the new lesson and understand the concept of two letters making one sound.

Step 2: Presentation of Digraph ‘ph’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the ‘ph’ digraph on a flashcard and a chart with example words like ‘photo’ and ‘phone’ with pictures. The teacher demonstrates the /f/ sound of ‘ph’ clearly, showing mouth movements. Pupils repeat the sound and the example words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the digraph ‘ph’, listen to the sound, and repeat /f/ sound and words like ‘photo’, ‘phone’ after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils identify ‘ph’ and associate it with the /f/ sound and example words.

Step 3: Presentation of Digraph ‘sh’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the ‘sh’ digraph and a chart with ‘shoe’ and ‘ship’ pictures. The teacher demonstrates the /ʃ/ sound (like telling someone to be quiet). Pupils repeat the sound and the example words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe ‘sh’, listen to the sound, and repeat /ʃ/ sound and words like ‘shoe’, ‘ship’ after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils identify ‘sh’ and associate it with the /ʃ/ sound and example words.

Step 4: Presentation of Digraph ‘ch’

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays the ‘ch’ digraph and a chart with ‘chair’ and ‘chop’ pictures. The teacher demonstrates the /tʃ/ sound. Pupils repeat the sound and the example words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe ‘ch’, listen to the sound, and repeat /tʃ/ sound and words like ‘chair’, ‘chop’ after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils identify ‘ch’ and associate it with the /tʃ/ sound and example words.

Step 5: Guided Practice and Rhyme Reinforcement

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads pupils in singing the “Digraph Sound Rhyme” from the Board Summary, ensuring they do the actions. The teacher uses flashcards for ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ in random order, asking pupils to say the sound for each.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and enthusiastically say the correct sound for each digraph flashcard shown by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their recognition and pronunciation of the three digraphs through song and quick recall.

Step 6: Application with Sight Words

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Word Recognition/Sentence Building

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays sight word flashcards: ‘Photo’, ‘She’, ‘Chart’. For each word, the teacher asks pupils to identify the digraph, say its sound, and then read the whole word. The teacher guides pupils to make simple oral sentences using these words (e.g., “I see a photo,” “She is a girl,” “Look at the chart”).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the digraphs in the sight words, say the sounds, read the words, and attempt to make short sentences with the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their digraph knowledge to recognise and use simple sight words in context.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “Which digraph says /f/?” (Pupils point to ‘ph’ or say its sound).
2. “What sound does ‘sh’ make?”
3. “Can you say a word with ‘ch’ in it?”
4. “Point to the word ‘She’ on the flashcard.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Praise

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils about digraphs ‘ph’, ‘sh’, and ‘ch’ and their sounds. The teacher praises pupils for their participation and effort.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and respond to the teacher’s praise.

Learning Point: Pupils recall the main concepts of the lesson and feel encouraged.

Lesson Keywords

• Digraph – Two letters that join to make one sound.
• ph – The digraph that makes the /f/ sound.
• sh – The digraph that makes the /ʃ/ sound.
• ch – The digraph that makes the /tʃ/ sound.
• Sound – The noise we make when we say letters or words.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle, the teacher can provide larger flashcards, more one-on-one repetition, or focus on only one digraph at a time. Use hand-over-hand guidance if tracing digraphs on paper.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, the teacher can challenge them to identify other words with ‘ph’, ‘sh’, or ‘ch’ (e.g., ‘elephant’, ‘brush’, ‘bench’) or attempt to blend simple words containing these digraphs.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, ensure all charts and flashcards for ‘ph’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and their example words are prepared and easily visible. Have the MP4 player ready with the video cued to the relevant segments. The main idea children must grasp is that these two specific letters make one unique sound. Demonstrate the sounds clearly, exaggerating mouth movements. Encourage lots of oral repetition. Repeat the rhyme frequently to embed the sounds. For shy pupils, offer individual turns or allow them to respond by pointing. For the sight word activity, focus on recognition and oral sentence building rather than expecting written work. Observable actions showing understanding include correctly pointing to a digraph when its sound is called, saying the correct sound for a displayed digraph, and identifying a digraph in a word. Keep the pace lively and use positive reinforcement throughout.