Our Multi-Generational Montessori Journey
This fall, my three year old started Montessori preschool. I've been trying to learn as much as I can about the Montessori approach to language and reading, because it differs in key ways from how literacy is taught in most mainstream school settings in our country.
My son's preschool is not our first introduction to Montessori. I attended Montessori preschool many moons ago, though I confess I don't have many distinct memories of it. (I do remember having the general freedom to do the activities and lessons I wanted to do, which suited my personality just fine.) When I was in high school, my mother, who was already a teacher, completed her Montessori certification for ages 6 - 9. I had learned many things in conversation with her about Montessori for older children, and some basic principles that transferred to preschool aged children. Now that I'm anticipating my child starting to do traditional Montessori activities, such as using sandpaper letters, I want to make sure I'm supporting this type of language learning at home too.
The Importance of Sounds in Montessori Language Learning
By far, the thing that makes the most sense to me about the Montessori approach to language is that the child begins by learning the sounds the alphabet makes, not the names of the letters. For example, when I point to the letter "d" at the beginning of my son's name, I tell him that his name starts with "da," not "d." When children learn to read, they need to know what sounds the letters make in order to form them into words. Later, they can learn the names of the letters to aid with spelling.
Another important aspect of Montessori language is starting with lowercase letters. Remember, a child is going to be encountering lowercase letters much more often in books and other texts than uppercase. On that note, why is it so hard to find alphabet books with lowercase letters? Fortunately my mother is making my son an personalized alphabet book for Christmas and she'll be doing it in lowercase.
Montessori-Inspired Language Activities To Do At Home
While I tended to be a bit lazy about doing language activities with my son before he started preschool, one thing that he and I both enjoyed with beginning sound baskets. These are easy to put together with toys, books, and other objects you have around the house. For about a week, I'd keep out a basket with a magnetic letter, and items that began with that letter. I also selected a book that used the letter often. To introduce the basket to him, I'd show him the letter and say the sound several times, and ask him if he'd like to say it. Then I introduced each item one at a time; for example "this is a pig. Pig starts with "pa." Of course he would want to play with the objects, which is encouraged. As we read the book, I'd stop to emphasize the words that used the letter featured in the sound basket.
We've also worked some with classified cards, which are pairs of pictures, one with a name label and one which has a label that is kept separate from the picture. They are presented to the child as a part of a series of related items, such as fruits, farm animals, or insects. For a two to three year old, the activity can be used to simply expand their language skills by learning the names of new animals or objects. As the children match objects, they are strengthening mental skills that will be needed for reading, math, and science. Once children have developed more awareness of sounds, the classified cards can also be used for an "I spy" activity. For example, tell your child, "I spy an animal that starts with 'ba.' Can you show me the animal whose name starts with 'ba'?" Once children begin reading, the child can find the matching label that goes with the unlabeled card in the pair.
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| Nursery rhymes are important in language development and they're not just for babies! |
There are also many other language activities you can do at home that are recommended by both Montessori and mainstream educators. Reading and saying nursery rhymes helps children detect language patterns. Research suggest that knowledge of nursery rhymes bolsters children's reading skills at a later age. Finally, the most important thing families can do with their children at home to develop their literacy skills is to read aloud frequently. Nothing else can substitute for the vocabulary, mental stimulation, and language development that reading aloud provides.
Reading Makes Your Child Smarter
ReplyDeleteReading is known to have numerous benefits. It increases your world knowledge, enhances your vocabulary, and works to improve your reading comprehension abilities.
But did you know that reading can actually make you smarter?
In fact, reading not only can make a child smarter, the very act of reading can even help to compensate for modest levels of cognitive ability in children by building their vocabulary and general knowledge! This is a finding reported by researchers Cunningham and Stanovich in a report titled "What Reading Does For the Mind".
The simple fact here is that reading can make your child smarter, and that learning to read early on is directly linked to later success in life.
1) Did you know that your child's vocabulary at 3 years old predicts his or her grade one reading success? [1]
2) Did you know that vocabulary and reading ability in first grade strongly predicts grade 11 outcomes? [2]
3) Did you know that your child's reading skill in grade 3 directly influences high school graduation? Studies have found that children who cannot read proficiently by grade 3 are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers! [3]
>> Give your child the best possible head start. Teach your child to read today. Click here to learn how.
But how do you teach a young child to read, and isn't that the job of the school and teachers?
You can't be more wrong...
With the right tools, knowledge, and techniques, teaching young children to read can be a simple and effective process. I'd like to introduce you to a fantastic reading program called Children Learning Reading, a super effective method for teaching children to read - even children as young as just 2 or 3 years old.
The creators of this program have used it to teach their four children to read before age 3, and by reading, I mean real, phonetic reading.
I can understand if you find that hard to believe... In fact, I had a difficult time believing it myself as well... that is, until I saw the videos they posted documenting the reading progress of the their children - not to mention all the videos other parents have sent in showcasing their children's reading progress after using the Children Learning Program. After learning more about their methods and techniques, it became clear how it's possible to teach young children to read effectively.
It is truly within your ability to teach your child to read in a relatively short period of time spending just 10 to 15 minutes each day.
>> Click here now to watch the videos and start teaching your child to read.
1. Vocabulary Development and Instruction: A Prerequisite for School Learning
Andrew Biemiller, University of Toronto
2. Early reading acquisition and its relation to reading experience and ability 10 years later.
Cunningham AE, Stanovich KE.
3. Double Jeopardy How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation
Donald J. Hernandez, Hunter College and the Graduate Center,
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