Language

Language work flows from the development of concentration, ordered thought, and fine motor skills that are attained through interaction with Sensory and Practical Life activities. A child’s natural tendency towards increasingly more complex work will lead them towards picture recognition, word association, commands, phrases, and ultimately sentences. Children come to recognize phonetic symbols as representative ideas and sounds, paving the way to more complex abstractions such as reading comprehension and multiple languages.

Pre-Reading

After a great deal of observation and documentation, Maria Montessori observed that language forms in the human mind at birth and stems from an observation of sound and voices from the environment. The work in the pre-reading section is designed to expand upon this principle by focusing on vocabulary and the students ability to articulate stories and events. Terminology of the classroom, show and tell, and matching exercises help the student begin to tie words and phrases to ideas and these connections allow them to expand upon this concept later.

Writing Preparation

Children continue the work of language development through the relationship between sound and symbol. In this section we review activities designed to connect students to letters through sensorial experiences. In the Montessori classroom, the goal is not merely memorization, but mind body connection. Sandpaper letters, moveable alphabets, and small object relationships allow students to create a rich set of experiences with letters and sounds.

Reading

As the recognition of letters grows, word formation begins. The introduction of the Montessori programed reading materials has begun, and children begin to build upon their knowledge by creating more complex word formations. Three and four letter words are open for exploration, along with consonant blends, double vowels, multi-syllable, and compound words. Much of this work is gamified and structured so that students understand the natural progression through the program from White Level, Pink, Blue, and Green. Rich extensions help to reinforce ideas, and create wonderful art for students to show their families.

Analysis of Language

As students master the sound, spelling, and formation of ever larger words and their combination into sentences, abstract ideas are introduced to help create a richer understanding of language. In this section, the type of word helps to clarify the intention of language and articulation. Concepts like noun, verb, adverb, and conjunction are introduced to help students formulate sentences of their own creation. It is quite rare for students to progress this far into the curriculum in the primary classroom, but for students that have a knack for understanding the structure of language, this is an inevitable next step.

Parts of Speech

In this final section of the advanced primary curriculum, students are invited to finalize their understanding of the structure and meaning of language modifiers. Concepts like pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions are introduced through storytelling and group exercises. Students are invited to create stories through booklets of their own, while analyzing their usage of language modifiers and punctuation. Symbols are used along with the movable alphabet to correct or modify sentences, to reinforce earlier lessons.