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2nd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 14

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 2.2(B); 2.2(C) · vowel teams, digraphs and blends

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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 2 of 14 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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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

    Which word starts with the “sh” sound?

    • 👟shoe
    • 🤫whisper
    • ⛈️thunder

  2. Question 2

    Which letters are missing?

    🍞t__st
    • ai
    • oa
    • ee

  3. Question 3

    Which word starts with the “wh” sound?

    • 🧵thread
    • 👤shadow
    • 🌾wheat

  4. Question 4

    Which letters are missing?

    🎨p__nt
    • ai
    • ee
    • oa

  5. Question 5

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

    🐘elephant
    • 1
    • 3
    • 2

  6. Question 6

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

    ☀️sun
    • 3
    • 1
    • 2

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