SpellingJoy|ELA
Grade 1 year plan

Grade 1 · Week 1Word study

Chad and the Shop

Students read a short decodable story packed with sh- and ch- words, then answer six questions, with teacher and homeschool guidance supporting practice of consonant digraphs.

10-15 min 54 words 6 questions
Play this lesson

On screen - your kid, alone

  • 1Day 1 - Meet the story
  • 2Day 2 - Word work
  • 3Day 3 - What it means
  • 4Day 4 - Fix & re-read
  • 5Day 5 - Show what you know

Offline - with you

Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.

Kid pages (PDF) Answer key (PDF) Full packet (PDF)

Start by reading the passage aloud once together, then have your child read it back to you, pointing to each word. As they read, ask them to listen for the two special sounds: /sh/ as in "ship" and /ch/ as in "chip." A good response is when your child can find words like shop, shell, dish, Shen for /sh/, and Chad, chip, chick, chin, chat for /ch/, and can tell you which sound each word starts or ends with. You can also play a quick sorting game: say a word from the passage and have your child point to "sh" or "ch" on a piece of paper. If your child mixes up the two sounds, hold up a finger to your lips and whisper "shhh" like a quiet signal for sh, then make a short "ch-ch-ch" sound like a train for ch — these gestures give them a clue to lean on. If a word is still tricky, cover everything but the first two letters, say the sound together, then slide your finger under the rest of the word to blend it.

Chad and the Shop

Chad and Shen go to the shop. Chad sees a ship in the shop. Shen sees a shell. The shell is on a dish. Chad gets a chip to munch. Shen gets a chick to pat. The chick has a red chin. Chad and Shen chat and chat. What a fun shop!

What this lesson checks

  • Sound correspondence: Which word from the story begins with the /sh/ sound?
  • Sound correspondence: Which word from the story ENDS with the /sh/ sound?
  • Sound correspondence: Find a word in the story that ENDS with the /ch/ sound. Write the word.
  • Sound correspondence: Pick a ch-word from the story and use it to write your own short sentence. Be sure to spell the ch-word correctly.
  • Sound correspondence: Copy a part of the story that has TWO words with the sh digraph in them.
  • Sound correspondence: Copy a part of the story that has a ch-word where the ch sound is in the MIDDLE or at the END of the word (not at the start).