Q = EXPLAIN HOW WORD BUILDING IS INTRODUCED TO CHILDREN USING MOVABLE ALPHABET AND

ALPHABET BOXES AT PINK, BLUE AND GREEN LAVEL

ANSWER

When Maria Montessori began working with the children in the first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House),

she gave them sandpaper letters to trace while saying the correct sound. She didn’t do any specific work in the

area of reading, but almost effortlessly, the children began to read. Italian is a very phonetic language (words

are spelled the way they sound), and once the children knew the sounds, they could read.

After the Montessori method was brought to the United States in the 1920s, it was clear that another

approach was needed to teach reading and writing in English. While there are many phonetically spelled

words in English, there are even more that use “phonemes”; that is, groups of letters that create distinct

sounds when combined. For instance, “ough” can make several sounds, as in “through” or “bough”. These

sounds need to be memorized; they can’t be sounded out phonetically.

The Pink, Blue, and Green Series materials were developed to meet that need. They break down the

essentials of English phonics into three groups: short vowel sounds, consonant blends, and phonetic

combinations. By moving through these materials in order, a child is able to easily master the art of reading

and writing in English.

The Pink Series materials are where it all begins. Pink Series words consist of three letters: a beginning

and ending consonant, and a vowel in the middle. All of the vowel sounds in this series are short vowels: “a”

as in “cat”; “e” as in “bed”, “i” as in “pig”, “o” as in “hot”, and “u” as in “bus”. The letter “y” is not included in

this grouping.

After mastering the Pink Series, the child is ready to move to Blue Series words. These words consist of

consonant blends (at the beginning or end of the word, or both), and a short vowel sound. Examples would

include “flag”, “mend”, and “clock”. There are about 20 different blends, if you include doubles like “ll” and

“ss”. The child may work on this step for quite awhile, as there are hundreds of words that fit into this scheme

(see picture for an example of Blue Series matching cards).

Once the Blue Series words have been mastered (essentially, that means the child is familiar with all the

blends and can spell most Blue Series Words), they are ready for Green Series. The Green Series is where

reading fluency really begins, as the child now has the keys to unlock the inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies of

the English language.

The Green Series words consist of all the major phonemes, for example: “ai”, “ou”, “ie”, and “ow”. It also

includes vowel combinations with a consonant in the middle, like “a_e” or “i_e” where the “_” is a consonant.

These would be words like “cake” or “mice“. It includes silent letters, hard and soft letters, and many other

difficult spelling and reading challenges. There are about 40-50 different sound combinations in this group.

There is a huge variety of Pink, Blue, and Green Series work. Common ones include matching cards,

rhyming cards, using the movable alphabet to spell words, cards with lists of words for spelling or reading

practice, and word cards with matching objects. Materials differ by classroom and teacher and most

Montessori companies have their own personalized sets of materials that are all slightly different.

Q = 3 NOTE ON ORAL EXCERSICE

ANSWER

Oral EXCERSICE in the Montessori Classroom

There are so many opportunities for teachers to optimize oral language in the Montessori classroom. It

starts in the morning when we greet the children and welcome them into the classroom. "Good morning,

Taylor. It's nice to see you today. How are you?" The children respond.

Greeting the teacher and having a conversation become second nature and part of the daily routine. Our

use of language continues throughout the day. Although we use few words when giving a lesson, there

are many opportunities for having conversations, reading books, telling stories, introducing new

vocabulary, and even introducing new languages.

Maria Montessori tells us in The Absorbent Mind about the importance of language development: "Not

only does it fuse men into groups and nations, but it is the central point of difference between the

human species and all others. Language lies at the root of that transformation of the environment that

we call civilization."

The absorbent mind of the young child allows him to take in, without effort, everything in his

surroundings. The ability to learn multiple languages at this time is a wonder to witness.

While young children are in the sensitive period for language, the more language we use in our daily

interactions with them, the more language they will acquire.

Communicating with Parents

As Montessorians, we know that learning sounds indirectly prepares children for reading and writing.

When parents think of language development, they often immediately think of reading and writing. On

their own, they may not make the connection between oral language and later reading and writing.

We emphasize to parents the importance of creating an environment rich in oral language. We give them

suggestions: talk to children; include children in social situations; include them in family discussions;

listen to their ideas; have conversations around the dinner table; make rhymes; sing songs, play I Spy. All

of these activities lead to greater success as children progress to reading and writing.

Encourage parents to use "real" words when they talk to their children.

These are some of the words children hear in our classrooms on a daily basis. Parents are often amazed

when their children come home and nonchalantly use words like askew, sensible, appropriate, available,

interruption... Again, being in the sensitive period for language, these words come easily to children.

Add Vocabulary to Classroom "Jobs" at Circle Time

Circle time is the perfect setting. It is during the first circle of the day that many teachers assign "jobs" for

the day. One of the favorite jobs in my classroom was the weather person. Incorporate new vocabulary.

Ask the weather person for his assessment of the weather.

The weather person goes outside or looks out the window and assesses the weather. Is there

precipitation? Is it windy, sunny, cloudy, and partly cloudy? The child tells the class what types of clouds

are in the sky (cumulus, stratus, cirrus). Children check the rain gauge as part of their job. Also, have the

child look at the thermometer. What is the temperature?

Don't worry if the children don't get the words quite "right." A cherubic weather announcer we heard

about returned from making her assessment of the weather and proudly told her classmates: "It is 3

degrees and partly today!"

Sing Songs at Circle Time to Reinforce What Children are Learning

Singing songs is a language-rich and fun activity. Remember to sing songs that include colors, movement,

rhyming words, parts of the body. Choose songs from other cultures. Songs about peace, love, and

nature will round out your repertoire.

The children loved singing "Friends, Friends, One, Two, Three" in English and then repeating the song in

Urdu.

Around the Classroom

Along with naming the didactic materials throughout the classroom, take advantage of daily classroom

activities to encourage language use.

Sitting at the Snack Table Can be More than Social Time

Snack-time is also a wonderful time to enhance language skills. Snack-time presents a great opportunity

for children to discuss what is happening in their lives. As teachers, we can join the children at the snack

table and guide the conversation, introducing new vocabulary.

Talk about the food. "This cheese tastes delicious. Cheese is high in protein. It's important for us to eat

protein." Or talk about weekend activities. "I went hiking this weekend. Many of the trees were covered

in lichen."

The Peace Table Helps Children Express Their Feelings

Expressing how they feel requires children to use words: Angry, frustrated, hurt, sad, disappointed,

nervous, anxious, happy, worried, relieved, calm. Guiding children through a process to resolve conflicts

helps them find the words they need. "I felt angry when you knocked my work over..." What a great

sense of accomplishment we all feel when children utter the words, "Peace is declared."

It's Time for a Story!

We all have our favorite books that we read every year. Maybe it is Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.

The children love the repetition of "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" Perhaps Jambo Means Hello is

a must-read. What a joy it is to hear the children greet each other with "Jambo rafiki!"

Children will ask you to read books over and over again. Have you ever sat in the book corner reading to

one child and before you knew it, a small group assembled at your feet? Again, we are witnessing their

love of words. When the children in the classroom are normalized, it is possible to read to a small group

during the work period.

Tell stories too. This tradition started so long ago around the campfire. We can carry it out in the

classroom as well. Tell personal stories or stories that relate to the children's experiences. The children in

my class loved to hear the story about Freckles, the beagle that I got for my seventh birthday.

You and the children can make up stories. Let the children fill in the blanks. "There once was a boy

named _______ and a girl named ________. They lived in _____. One day, they took a trip to _________,

where they ate ________." Continue the story. The children will learn how to structure the story with a

beginning, middle, and end and use many words to complete it.

Sharing Day: The More Words the Merrier!

Children look forward to sharing objects or experiences. This is another excellent opportunity for

language development.

Some children might need a little prompting from you. Ask open-ended questions to get them started.

"Where did you find the acorn?" "What is your hamster's name?" Encourage discussion: "Please tell us

what colors you used in your painting." "Tell us how you felt when you went sledding."

Allow time for the other children to ask questions and make comments. Think of "Sharing Day" as the

children's introduction to public speaking.

Talk to the Animals

Model how to talk to the animals in your classroom. The teacher's soft-spoken, nurturing greeting to the

class parakeet lets children know that not only our words, but also our tone of voice, is important when

communicating with others.

Once they've received the "how to feed the animal" lesson, children can talk to their friends as they feed

the animal. "Let's get the measuring cup. I'm measuring one-half cup of bird seed. Let's pour the bird

seed into the bird's food container. Would you please check the water level in the water container? It's

time to replenish the water."

Children love using words to identify the parts of an animal. The canary has a beak, wings, and so on. The

Beta fish has gills. Children love classifying the animals. The Chinese water dragon is a reptile. The fire-

bellied toad is an amphibian.

Nature Walk and Nature Table

Children love nature walks. When you return from your walk, children can place their treasures on the

nature tray. Have a lively discussion about your finds. "This a palm frond." "Is the pine cone rough or

smooth?" "Is the feather light or heavy?" "What kind of leaf is this?"

Talk about your senses. What did you smell while on the walk? "I smelled a fragrant rose! It smelled like

cinnamon." What did you hear? "I heard a pigeon cooing." "I heard a woodpecker pecking the oak tree."

Encourage children to bring items to school that they find at home or on a trip. Talk about how birds

gather sticks, leaves, and mud to make their nest. Again, the more words we use the better. Of course,

remind them not to disturb nature. We would never take a bird's nest from a tree, but an old bird's nest

that has fallen out of a tree is okay.

Time to Say Goodbye!

We've enjoyed our day with the children. It's time to say goodbye. We might gather at circle and talk

about our day. Perhaps we read a book or recite a poem. Sing a goodbye song? Whatever we choose, we

communicate through words. There are many opportunities throughout the day for us to provide a rich

environment full of words.