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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.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 2.1.1.2; 2.2.1.2 · syllables, digraphs and vowel teams in reading and spelling

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Some letter pairs make one sound: sh in ship, ch in chick, th in thumb.
  2. Vowel teams make a long sound: ee in tree, ai in rain.
  3. 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 Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 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.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Clap the word “alligator”. How many claps (syllables)?

    🐊alligator
    • 2
    • 4
    • 1

  2. Question 2

    Which letters are missing?

    🎨p__nt
    • oa
    • ai
    • ee

  3. Question 3

    Clap the word “turtle”. How many claps (syllables)?

    🐢turtle
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3

  4. Question 4

    Which letters are missing?

    🐑sh__p
    • ee
    • oa
    • ai

  5. Question 5

    Which word starts with the “th” sound?

    • 🌡️thermometer
    • 🪑chair
    • 🐚shell

  6. Question 6

    Which letters are missing?

    🛣️r__d
    • ee
    • ai
    • oa

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