Montessori Language Approach

 Montessori Language

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Montessori Language Sequence of Activities to Enrich Your Child your child language experiences

In Early 2009, shortly after I acquired my teachers certificate, a parent contact me to teach his son how to read and write.  On my first contact with this child, I started with the names of the alphabet. Then, I realized I cant help him read with the names of the alphabet. This was a turning point moment for me. I left wondering how I learned to read as a child.

While walking home, this thought kept running through my Mind.

• How can I teach this child to read and write?
• How did I learn to read and write?
• What does this child need?
• What is the foundation of literacy (reading and writing)?

The answer to these questions is what you will find here and More.

To begin, what is language?

Encyclopedia Britianica defines language thus:

Language, a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. 

 

Language is the lifeblood of human connection. It's a complex system of symbols, both spoken and written, that allows us to share ideas, feelings, and knowledge with each other. It's a fundamental part of our culture, shaping how we understand the world and interact with those around us.

Language is a major element of culture.  Without language there will be no means of transmitting knowledge and ideas. Language is transmitted in written form or orally.  Written form involves use of codes or symbols while orally involve speaking, use of sounds and music.

How a child acquires language: Foundation of literacy.

The family is the first point of contact for a child. When a child is born into a family, he hears all the interaction that goes on in a family. He picks words, signs and gestures that communicates. The child starts by blabbing, mimicking the sounds. As he grows, he becomes grounded in how the sounds(words) are pronounced.  He picks names of people, objects and places as it has been pronounced. At this stage, whatever a child hears (rightly pronounced or not) will affect how he says it in the future. Oral communication (use of language) is what a child picks while growing.

 

While some families introduced the written form of language to the child while at home,  other children only get to see this in the school.  There they learn how to codify spoken words using symbols. This gave birth to phonics.  Codifying spoken words using symbols.

Why children acquire language?

Children are wired to acquire the language spoken in their immediate environment and because language is a cultural tool, it helps children to function in their immediate environment. To help children learn their cultural tools and acquire the language spoken in their immediate environment, Activities of Daily Living also known as Practical Life Exercise is critical.

Maria Montessori identified two things that empower children to acquire language.

• Sensitivity
• Absorbent Mind
• 
  

What are sensitive periods?

Sensitive periods are transient periods when your child is motivated to participate in an activity with a spontaneous desire to master a skill or concept. When your child is engaged in such an activity, he or she will show deep concentration.

Young children are often drawn to activities that meet their developmental needs.

Although there are rough guidelines to which sensitive periods happen at which age, every child is different and may not “follow the schedule.”

Dr. Montessori identified six specific phases that a child goes through in his or her early development. For language these are:

1. From birth to 6years: language with a sensitivity to vocal sounds
2. From1½-3years: there’s often a “language explosion”.
3. From2½-3years: receptivity to proper terminology
4. From 3 -6 years: insatiable need to learn new words, including scientific terms.
5. From3½-4½years: writing
6. From4½-5½years: reading

Importance of Sensitive periods

• The child is naturally drawn to an activity that will help him or her develop the skill needed at the time.
• As a parent, we can prepare the environment, accordingly, giving the child what he or she needs for each stage.
• It is easier for a child to learn a specific skill when he or she is experiencing a sensitive period, making for more effective and efficient learning.
• Adults have no direct influence on sensitive periods; therefore, we must prepare the environment to help the child.

What is absorbent mind?

The absorbent is that ability of the child to absorb information from his immediate environment just like a sponge absorb water when it enters water effortlessly.

Maria Montessori identified two phases of the absorbent mind

• The unconscious absorbent mind, from birth to 3years 
• The conscious absorbent mind, from 3years to 6years

To break down this process further, that is, to help a child understand and codify spoken words,  the Montessori curriculum has four curriculums stages to help a child.

These curriculums are:

• Preliminary Activities
• Pink Series
• Blue Series
• Green Series
• Grammar

Preliminary: here a child is exposed to:

• Oral language exercises         
• Written Language
• Sounds of the English alphabet

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Pink words

Here, the child is introduced to two or three letter words that are phonetically pronounced e.g i-t,  b-a-t, b-a-g,  etc.

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Blue words

Here the child is introduced to words that have consonants at the beginning or end and pink words e.g f-l-a-g,  v-e-s-t,  etc

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Green series: 

 

Under this curriculum, the child is introduced to words made of of diagrams and phonogram. Digraphs or phonograms are two letters which when combine produce a different sound different from the individual should that make up the sound.

Understand the Green Series here

Sight words: these are words that are not phonetically pronounced, e.g come,  before,  the,  he,  she,  etc. 

Grammar

Here, the child is introduced to the part of speech, phrases and sentence analysis.