Teaching the Montessori Alphabet - Sleeping Should Be …
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1. Call the letters by their sounds, not their names 1. Call the letters by their sounds, not their names
Every Friday morning, my son’s Montessori teacher would review what he learned that week.
Except rather than saying, “We reviewed the letters ‘C’ and ‘G’,” she would say, “We reviewed the letters ‘cuh’ and ‘guh’.”
And this was her talking to me, not to my son.
Letters were identified by their sounds, not their names. The Montessori method promotes sounds because it associates the visual letters with the sounds they make. And in doing so, this helps them form and read words much better.
So the teachers would point to a letter and say its sound (“aah” for the letter “A”) and not its name (“ay”).
Because a child who sees “C-A-T” will have an easier time putting together “cuh-ahh-tuh” and deciding that sounds like “cat.” Compare this to another child who might see the letters and simply think, “see-ay-tee.”
Once kids are older, then they can formally learn the names of the letters. Or, more often, they’ll figure it out on their own, especially with daily reading. But tying the sounds to the letters from the start gives them a leg up in reading and writing words.
Free printables: Want from my workbook, Letters and Numbers? You’ll get worksheets to help your child trace and recognize the letters of the alphabet. Grab them below—at no cost to you. You’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:
“Just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you. I needed that today.” -Kristy LeBlond2. Choose the more common sound for letters with more than one 2. Choose the more common sound for letters with more than one
Now that you know to introduce letters by their sounds, what do you do if a letter has more than one?
For instance, the letter “C” can be said “cuh” like “cat” as well as “sss” like “cell.” The letter “G” can either be “guh” like “gap” or “juh” like “gem.”
In these cases, start with the more common sound. The letter “C” is usually pronounced as “cuh,” and the letter “G” has more words that sound like “guh.”3. Start with short vowel sounds, not long 3. Start with short vowel sounds, not long
The vowels are a prime example of letters with more than one sound. Begin with the short vowel sounds first and reserve the long vowel sounds for much later.
In fact, don’t expect your child to read three-letter words with vowels that have the long sound, such as “say,” just yet. Focus more on words with short vowel sounds, like “sat” or “sip.”
Thankfully, more words use short vowel sounds than long. Starting with—and sticking to—short vowel sounds for now will avoid confusion while still allowing him to read plenty of words.4. Introduce lowercase letters first 4. Introduce lowercase letters first
Many of us, when we think about the ABCs, automatically imagine uppercase letters. Following the Montessori alphabet method, however, means introducing lowercase letters first. Why?
Words and sentences have more lowercase letters, giving your child more opportunities to point out and identify them. Each time he reads a book, he’s more likely to see lowercase letters than uppercase ones.
Once you see that he’s able to identify lowercase letters, start introducing uppercase ones. But establish that foundation first so he can better form and recognize letters and words.5. Don’t introduce letters in alphabetical order 5. Don’t introduce letters in alphabetical order
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It’s easy to assume that we should simply introduce letters in alphabetical order (especially when we can sing the letters this way). And down the line, kids will need to be able to organize words in this order.
But for now, there’s a far better way to introduce letters, and it’s not in alphabetical order.
Instead, the Montessori alphabet method prioritizes an order that allows your child to make and pronounce many words.
Think about the first three letters of the alphabet: A, B, and C. Other than “cab,” he really can’t form any other words with those three letters.
According , here is a sample set of letters you can introduce: c m a t
s r i p
b f o g
h j u l
d w e n
k q v x y z Truthfully, every Montessori school has its own sets they begin with. Or you might even begin with the first letter of his name, assuming it’s a simple and common sound (and not something like “Ch”).
It’s not so much about following an exact order of letters, but coming up with letters that make it easier for him to identify and form words with.6. Use movable letters and sensory items 6. Use movable letters and sensory items
We all learn differently, and many Montessori schools believe in using all of a child’s senses to learn. Using movable letters (blocks, wooden pieces, pieces of paper) as well as sensory items to write words can be a wonderful technique.
For instance, you can show your child how to write letters using sand, play dough, or paint. Feeling textures while tracing letters can be an effective way for him to learn.
Movable letters like magnets on a refrigerator are especially useful. He’s able to form words by rearranging them, even without a pencil. This will help him to play with letters and words before he uses traditional writing tools.
Plus, he’ll learn that he can sometimes make new words by swapping one letter and sound for another. Imagine the impact of learning that “cat” is now “mat” just by replacing one letter.
Here are a few items that can help: also has a different color for vowels. Letters also have more than one piece, allowing your child to spell words like “dad.” Tracing with allows your child to use his senses to learn the shapes of the letters. The pieces can also be moved around to form words. makes it fun to write words on paper if he can’t hold a pencil yet. make sounding out 3-letter words that much more intuitive.7. Sing “letter sound” songs or rhymes 7. Sing “letter sound” songs or rhymes
Teach alphabet sounds using music and rhymes. They’re popular among kids because they’re catchy and fun!
Find songs or rhymes that focus particularly on the sounds of the alphabet. You’ll find plenty of songs about the names of the letters, but see if you can listen to (or make up your own!) songs or rhymes about sounds.
A few ideas are: This Is the Sound, 102 Children’s Songs Volume 1
Learning Our Short Vowels, 102 Children’s Songs Volume 1
Learning Our Long Vowels, 102 Children’s Songs Volume 1
Rhyme Time, School Days Volume 5
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