Montessori Language lessons

1. 1

   Sandpaper Letters

   2.5 to 5 years

   Tracing letters cut from fine sandpaper while saying their sounds, so the child learns each letter by sight, sound and the movement of writing it.

   Materials: Sandpaper Letters

2. 2

   Sound Games (I Spy)

   2.5 to 4.5 years

   Spoken games of "I spy something that begins with /m/", played with objects and then with the whole room, so the child hears the sounds inside words before meeting a single letter.

3. 3

   Moveable Alphabet: Building First Words

   3.5 to 6 years

   Building short phonetic words from a box of cut-out letters, which lets a child write by sound before their hand can hold a pencil for long.

   Materials: Moveable Alphabet, Pink Series Object Box

4. 4

   Metal Insets

   3.5 to 6 years

   Tracing a metal frame and its shape in two colors, then filling the figure with even pencil strokes, to train the hand for writing.

   Materials: Metal Insets

5. 5

   Pink Series: Object Box Reading

   4 to 6 years

   Reading short three-letter word labels and matching each to a small object, the first step of the pink, blue and green reading series.

   Materials: Pink Series Object Box

6. 6

   Three-Part Cards: Land and Water Forms

   4 to 6.5 years

   Matching picture cards and word labels, then checking them against control cards, worked here with the land and water forms the child already knows.

   Materials: Three-Part Cards (Land and Water Forms), Land and Water Form Trays

7. 7

   Blue Series: Words with Consonant Blends

   4.5 to 7 years

   Reading short words that start with two consonants, such as frog and flag, and matching each label to an object, the step after the pink series.

   Materials: Blue Series (Blend Words)

8. 8

   Grammar Symbols: The Noun and the Verb

   4.5 to 7 years

   Playing word games that show what a noun and a verb do, then marking each word with its symbol: a black triangle for the noun, a red circle for the verb.

   Materials: Grammar Symbols

9. 9

   Puzzle Words (Sight Words)

   4.5 to 7 years

   Learning by sight the common English words that can't be sounded out, a few at a time, so the child can read whole phrases.

   Materials: Puzzle Word Cards

10. 10

    Green Series: Phonograms

    5 to 7.5 years

    Learning letter pairs that make one sound, such as sh or ee, then reading words built from them, the step after the blue series.

    Materials: Green Series (Phonograms), Moveable Alphabet

11. 11

    Command Cards (Reading of Commands)

    5 to 7.5 years

    Reading a card in silence that names an action, such as hop or "bring me the red pencil", and showing the reading was understood by doing it.

    Materials: Command Cards (Action Cards)

12. 12

    Grammar Boxes and Grammar Box Cards

    5.5 to 9 years

    Building short sentences from color-coded word cards sorted in compartment boxes, one new part of speech per box, from article and noun up to all nine.

    Materials: Grammar Boxes

Language materials

• Sandpaper Letters

  Lowercase letters cut from fine sandpaper on smooth boards, consonants and vowels on different colors.

• Moveable Alphabet

  A compartment box of cut-out letters, several of each, for building words by sound.

• Pink Series Object Box

  A box of small objects with three-letter phonetic names and matching word labels.

• Metal Insets

  Ten pink metal frames, each holding a blue geometric shape with a knob, for tracing and filling in with colored pencils.

• Three-Part Cards (Land and Water Forms)

  Picture cards, label cards and control cards for one subject; the sets here cover the ten land and water forms.

• Blue Series (Blend Words)

  Reading material for phonetic words with consonant blends, such as frog and flag: objects or pictures with blue labels, word lists and booklets.

• Green Series (Phonograms)

  Reading material for phonograms, letter groups with one sound such as sh and ee: phonogram cards with folders or booklets of words.

• Grammar Symbols

  Nine colored shapes, one per part of speech, laid above written words: a black triangle for the noun, a red circle for the verb.

• Grammar Boxes

  A set of eight compartment boxes and color-coded word and sentence cards, one new part of speech per box.

• Puzzle Word Cards

  Cards printed with the common English words that can't be sounded out, such as said and was.

• Command Cards (Action Cards)

  Cards or slips that each name an action for the child to read silently and carry out, from one verb to a full sentence.