Here are some key elements for teaching phonics to second graders.
Consonant blends and digraphs
Blends: Two or more consonants blended together, where each consonant sound is heard (e.g., bl, st, cr).
Digraphs: Two consonants that make a single sound (e.g., sh, ch, th).
Vowel teams and diphthongs
Vowel teams: Two vowels that work together to make one sound (e.g., ai in "rain," ea in "read").
Diphthongs: A complex vowel sound that begins with one vowel sound and glides into another within the same syllable (e.g., oi in "boil," ou in "out").
R-controlled vowels
When a vowel is followed by an "r," it makes a unique sound (e.g., ar in "car," er in "her," ir in "bird").
Word families
Groups of words that have a common feature or pattern (e.g., -at family: cat, hat, bat).
Grade 2 phonics worksheets
We have a new page dedicated to helping students work on phonics at the grade 2 level.
Consonant blends practice
Students circle the consonant blends for each picture in these worksheets.
Vowel sounds worksheets
Students write the correct vowel sounds for each word listed.
Practice vowel digraphs
Next, students work on vowel digraphs, such as ie, oy and au.
Diphthongs worksheets
Students sound out and write diphthongs in these worksheets.
Working on r-controlled vowels
Students identify and write words with r-controlled vowels in two lists: bossy r or not.
Long vowels worksheets
Students identify and complete sentences with CVCe words.
Practice counting syllables
The final set of worksheets asks students to count the syllables of words.
