2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 12
Sound Detectives
sh, ch, ee, ai and more
What your child practices
Letter teams that make one sound (sh, ch, th, wh, ee, ai, oa) and clapping syllables.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 2.RF.3 · syllables, digraphs and vowel teams
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Some letter pairs make one sound: sh in ship, ch in chick, th in thumb.
- Vowel teams make a long sound: ee in tree, ai in rain.
- Clap each beat (syllable) to count the parts of a word.
Example: Which letters are missing? r _ _ n (water from the sky) Water from the sky is rain. The long a in rain is spelled ai. Answer: ai
Sound Detectives in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 12 in 2nd grade English Language Arts, after Rhyme Time and before Story Builders.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- 2nd grade guide for Arizona parents
- Printable 2nd grade English Language Arts sheet
- Arizona report cards explained
Source: Arizona Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Clap the word “tree”. How many claps (syllables)?
🌳tree- 1
- 2
- 3
1
Hint: Clap as you say it: tree. Each clap is one syllable. That's 1.
Question 2
Which word starts with the “wh” sound?
- 👤shadow
- 👟shoe
- 🐳whale
🐳 whale
Hint: Say each word slowly. “whale” starts with wh.
Question 3
Which letters are missing?
⛓️ch__n- oa
- ee
- ai
ai
Hint: Say “chain” slowly. The middle sound is spelled ai.
Question 4
Which letters are missing?
🐑sh__p- oa
- ee
- ai
ee
Hint: Say “sheep” slowly. The middle sound is spelled ee.
Question 5
Which letters are missing?
🍞t__st- oa
- ai
- ee
oa
Hint: Say “toast” slowly. The middle sound is spelled oa.
Question 6
Which word starts with the “th” sound?
- 🌡️thermometer
- 🍫chocolate
- 🤫whisper
🌡️ thermometer
Hint: Say each word slowly. “thermometer” starts with th.