Shhhhh!! The baby’s asleep!

Beginning Reading Lesson

Nell Fleming

. To successfully decode words in reading, students must learn the components that make up the alphabetic code – graphemes and their corresponding phonemes. This lesson will teach students the grapheme-phoneme correspondence sh=/sh/. When two letters together make one sound, we call it a digraph. Digraphs are very common in the English language. This lesson will help children remember that when they see s and h together, they make the /sh/ sound.



- teacher set of Elkonin letterboxes (large so that class can see clearly)

- set of Elkonin letterboxes for each student

- letters for each child and teacher set : a, e, i, o, u, s, h, t, m, p, f, r, d, w, s, n

- the book Tish the Fish (Educational Insights) (one per child)

- poster with tongue twister “Josh shines Shelly's shoes at the shop”

- worksheet with words that contain the sh digraph, and words that do not



1. Explain. Today we are going to learn about a special sound two letters make whenever you see them together. Does anyone know what letters make the /sh/ sound when they are together? That’s right – s and h. (Or tell class if no one answers). Whenever two letters together make one sound, we call it a digraph.

2. Review.
We have learned how letters tell us what sounds to make and how to move our mouths .Who can tell me what you might say if there was someone sleeping and others were being too noisy? That’s right…/shhhh/.

3. Explain how.
I want you all to put your fingers up to your mouth and make the /shhhhh/ sound. Good! Pretend like you are trying not to wake up the sleeping baby! Do you feel a little bit of air coming out of your mouth when you make that sound? What are your teeth doing? That’s right…they are together! Well, that is the sound that the letters s and h make whenever you see them together.

4. Model.
(Display poster with tongue twister). Now we are going to read this sentence and listen for when we hear that /sh/ sound. Let’s read it together. “Josh shines Shelly’s shoes at the shop.” Good! This time let’s stretch out that /shhhhhh/ sound when we hear it. “Joshhhhh shhhhhines Shhhhhhelly’s shhhhhoes at the shhhhhop.” Great! Now, I am going to circle the letters sh whenever I see them. Here they are in the first word, Josh. (Circle letters). Can someone find another sh digraph in our sentence? (Continue circling until all are found).

5. Simple practice.
Now I want you to tell me which word you hear /sh/ in. Ready? dash or run? shy or sigh? catch or cash? shop or chop? would or should? Good!

6. Letterbox lesson.
(Pass out boxes and letters. Review how to use the letterboxes – one sound per box). Now we are going to spell some words that have the /sh/ sound in them. I will try one first. I am going to spell shop. I will stretch it out /sh/-/o/-/p/. I hear the /sh/ sound! I know that two letters make that sound – sh. Will I put that in one box or two? That’s right, one, since it is only one sound! (Finish spelling word. Give students the remaining words to spell one at a time– ash, shut, mesh, fish, sad, shred, swish. Walk around the room to provide scaffolding when needed. Discuss each word after it is spelled. Fill in teacher letterboxes for each word as you go). Now, I will spell the words, and I want you all to read them for me!

7. Whole texts.
(Give each student a copy of Tish the Fish to read. Give a brief book talk to get students interested.) While you are reading, I will be walking around the room. When I come to your desk, I want you to read out loud for me, ok?

8. Assessment
. Give each student a worksheet with words that contain sh and words that do not. Have them read the words and circle the ones that contain the digraph and cross out those that don’t. Then, ask students to write a one-sentence message using at least two words that contain the  sh digraph.



Beason, Margaret. Shhhh! Shouts the Librarian!

Cusham, Sheila. Tish the Fish. Edcuational Insights (1990).  

Schofield, Rebecca. Shhh- Do Not Wake the Baby! guides/schofieldbr.html

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