About this activity
The twelve final /sh/ words — fish, wash, dish, push, wish, cash, bush, leash, brush, trash, splash, crash — as a spelling task. Derived from the flashcard deck. The digraph is written the same way in every one, which makes the vowels and the opening clusters the actual spelling difficulty here.
How to use it in a session
Say the word, segment it, then build. Point out that the sh is always the last two letters in this set — an unusually reliable pattern — so the student can write it first and work backwards if that helps. Splash and crash are the hardest because the opening cluster has to be spelled as well; leave them until the shorter words are secure.
What to listen for
Watch for one letter where two belong. A child who writes fis for fish has heard one sound and written one letter, which is exactly what the digraph rule exists to correct. Notice the cluster words, where an omitted letter at the front — plash for splash — is the written version of cluster reduction and worth connecting to the speech.
Carrying it home
Ask which two letters end fish. It is a short question and the answer is the same for every word in this set, which is what makes the pattern easy to establish at home.
Questions
- How does this differ from the flashcards?
- Same twelve words, built from letters. The digraph is consistent, so the spelling work is mostly about the vowels and the opening clusters.
- Is it free?
- Yes, no login needed.
- What grades is it for?
- Kindergarten through third, for students working on /sh/ in speech and on digraph spelling.