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    Montessori Method in Language

    What is Montessori method?

    Montessori was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. It is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the highly trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process.

    How Montessori teach children about language?

    Children’s language development begins long before they enter the classroom. Dr. Montessori asserted that children from birth to age six are in the age of the absorbent mind. During this time, children are able to learn language simply by living around others who are using language. Montessori classrooms incorporate both spoken and written language into the environment to further enrich this early learning.

    Listening & Speaking

    In the early childhood classrooms we teach children songs and poems so that they may hear and experience language in a fun and playful way that appeals to them. We encourage parents to do the same! Share poems from your childhood with your children and discover new ones together. Sing your favorite songs from when you were little, or enjoy kid-friendly tunes from musicians such as Raffi or Tom Chapin.

    Montessori introduce children to as much vocabulary as possible in their early years. This may start with naming objects around the classroom, but will also expand toward specialized nomenclature. Children learn the names of the continents, plant and animal names, and specific terms that apply to areas of interest. These vocabulary words are spoken and shown in written form.

    Writing

    As you may have guessed, writing starts earlier in Montessori classrooms than in many other settings. Consider the goal of writing: to visually communicate one’s ideas with others using standardized symbols. This is actually separate from the ability to hold a pencil and form strings of letters, words, and sentences on a piece of paper.

    Once a child has a basic understanding of most of the letter sounds, they begin to use a material called the moveable alphabet. Exactly what it sounds like, the moveable alphabet is a box containing sorted wooden letters. Children lay the letters out to write words, and eventually sentences. At this stage we do not expect children to conform to conventional spelling, but rather we allow what is often referred to as inventive spelling. “I love my mom” may look like “I luv mi mom”. 

    Montessori classrooms use many materials to help children strengthen their finger muscles in preparation for the physical act of handwriting. We start this early work in our toddler and primary (age three to six) classrooms. Our experience has taught us that children are ready to express themselves in writing before they are ready to start writing in the traditional sense. 

    Reading

    One beautiful material that you have likely seen is called the sandpaper letters. The letters are used to provide a foundation in both reading and writing.

    It’s important to note that when Montessori guides begin teaching children about letters, our focus is on the sounds the letters make and not so much their names. This means we do not teach the alphabet song, because knowing the names of letters isn’t really as helpful in learning how to read. That’s not to say there is no value in such learning; it will certainly come in handy when learning to alphabetize, or when talking about letters when they are a bit older. We just want parents to the value of using a letter’s most commonly used sound when referring to it. For example, when a Montessori child learns to spell cat, they will say, “k-ah-t” rather than “see-ay-tee”.

    Much of our reading work is done while teaching children other subjects. For example, if they are learning about mammals, they will read lots of text at their level about mammals.

    There are also special series of books, including Miss Rhonda’s Readers (created by a Montessori guide) and Bob Books. Check with your child’s guide if you’re curious or would like some advice on what books to read at home.

    Card materials are also used as children progress, allowing guides to help children isolate specific sounds and blends. One series of cards/lessons may focus on the various ways to make a long a sound. One set of cards displays words containing ai, another will contain ay, and yet another will teach children about words with the silent e.

    Reference:

    1. Montessori education 

    2. Montessori Basics: The Language Curriculum

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