When teaching a phonics lesson on vowel digraphs, which of the following words would be the best example to introduce the digraph "ea"?

The word "team" is an excellent choice to introduce the vowel digraph "ea" because it visually and audibly demonstrates the phonics concept in question. In "team," the combination of the letters "e" and "a" together creates a single vowel sound, which is pronounced like the long "e" sound. This is the hallmark of digraphs, where two letters work in tandem to produce one sound.

Using "team" in a phonics lesson allows students to identify the "ea" digraph clearly and understand that it alters the vowel sound compared to other combinations. Visually presenting "team" next to words that do not feature the "ea" digraph will help students grasp the concept more effectively, as they can compare the phonetic results of different vowel combinations.

In contrast, the other words listed either do not contain the "ea" digraph or do not exemplify the phonetic properties associated with it. For instance, "cat" contains a single vowel sound (short 'a'), "coat" contains the digraph "oa," and "pit" has a short 'i' sound. None of these words serve to reinforce the lesson on the "ea" digraph.