Language Arts
The child spontaneously acquires basic patterns of speech from his immediate surroundings. Dr. Montessori understood this well and produced many preparatory exercises which help the child to later develop into writing and reading at two levels.
The first “learning explosion” comes when the child writes letters of the alphabet wherever she finds a writing utensil. The second is reading out the letters wherever she sees them written. Gradually the child is led into the process of word building and then reading words.
In a Montessori system, the child learns to read and write by touching and tracing the sandpaper alphabet letters. She is taught the phonic sounds of each letter and is taught to assemble these sounds into words. By mastering this system, she quickly begins to read and is then encouraged to read books and write book reports. She is taught to use the Encyclopedia by using card games. Some of the Montessori materials helping the child’s development process are: Sandpaper letters, Movable alphabet, beginning sound, Phonogram object boxes, cards, booklets and baskets and many, many books.
