qu Says /kw/

Grade level

1st grade

Time

About 15 minutes

Topic

Digraphs and blends

Answer key

Yes, page 2 of the PDF

Kids practice

Digraphs, Consonant blends, Spelling rules, Decoding longer words

What kids do

“q and u go together! Read, trace, find and fill in the qu words.”

Printed on the sheet:

1. 2. Read and trace queen quilt quiet squid qu says /kw/, as in queen and
2. 3. Color every word with qu
3. 4. Write qu or c to finish each word
4. Tip: q almost always has a u right after it. They are a team.
5. 5. Read the sentence. Trace the qu words.
6. The queen made a quick quilt.
7. 6. Draw a queen in a quilt

Teacher tip

Q and u are best friends. Kids say /kw/ as they trace.

How to use it

• Teach a digraph as “two letters, one sound” and a blend as “two letters, two sounds”.
• Use a hand motion for each digraph, like a finger on lips for sh.
• Say every word on the sheet together before kids start, stretching the sounds.

Watch for

th has two sounds (thin and this). Accept both when kids read.

Talk about it

• Can you think of another word with this blend?
• Can you think of another word with the same sound?

Take it further

Sort picture cards by blend at a center.

US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.