Do you have any dog lovers in your classroom? They will definitely love this hands-on literacy center but this fun and free Dog Digraph Word Sort Activity is for everyone! These adorable dogs will be your class’ favorite pets as they sort words by their beginning and ending digraphs!
*Pair with our Pets Centers and Activities for Pre-K & Kindergarten!
Dog Digraph Word Sort
This activity is a hit with my kiddos! We even had a fun time naming the dogs using the digraphs in their names!
Just a few of the names we came up with were:
- Jack – the “ck” dog
- Chum – the “ch” dog
- Sheila – the “sh” dog
This activity can be used as an early finisher activity, literacy center, small group activity, or partner game!
How to Prep
To prep this activity, begin by printing the dog digraph printables (download below). I recommend laminating both pages before cutting. This makes them durable and reusable for years to come!
After laminating, cut out the dog digraph cards and the word bones. You may want to make 2 sets for a larger class.
Teacher Tip: To add some extra hands-on fun, use a small basket or grab bag for little hands to “pull out” the word bones and then place them on their doggie digraph match!
How to Use the Dog Digraph Word Sort
To play, students simply “feed” the dogs the correct bones! They do this by sorting the bones to match the correct dog based on their beginning or ending digraph.
When modeling the activity, I like to say, “Sheila the dog will only eat bones with “sh” words like shop, shoe, shell, and ship.”
I give similar examples for each doggie digraph.
Sorting words by digraphs requires visual and auditory discrimination skills so this activity is a fun and engaging way to practice those skills!
Play with a Partner!
To use this activity as a partner game, simply divide the dog digraph cards between 2 players (each player will get 3 cards). Place all the bones face down in the middle.
Students take turns picking up a bone, reading the word, and seeing if it fits with one of their dogs.
If it does, they can keep the bone! If not, they place it back in the middle.
The player that “feeds” all of his/her dogs all four bones, wins!
Extension Activity
If you are looking for ways to extend the lesson, you could make silly sentences trying to use all or most of the digraphs!
For example: “Jack wants to lick the rock but his neck got stuck!” Silly but fun!
These sentences can be an oral activity or a creative writing activity.
Practicing digraph knowledge in different ways can help students remember how to fluently read them in text. This activity is a great way to do just that!
Grab Your FREE Copy
Are you ready to start practicing digraphs with your students? Grab your free copy of the Dog Digraph Word Sort by clicking the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!
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