Language Arts

Maria Montessori’s approach starts with stories of how human beings first used language and why we study it. Language is the agreement between people that certain written or spoken words have a particular meeting. Language expresses the human tendency to explore. As human beings traveled, they needed to express their discoveries to others. They also needed a way to pass information to their children. Their language probably began as a series of gestures and body language; however, these can be misinterpreted. Our studies in language are a continuation of the work of these early human beings to become more precise in our communication with others.

Development of Language as Communication

Human beings developed language from gestures and sounds to a spoken form of language. We can only guess how it came to be; however, we do know that the development of culture depends upon language. Culture is dependent upon language. Words help us to form ideas, thoughts. In Montessori, we give children the names of objects so that they can use these concepts in their formulation of ideas from which they construct themselves.

Review of Language in the Montessori Preschool Experience

During the first six years of development, the child acquires language. Children who use language independently forge a link between their family and their culture. They can ask questions and to get answers and guidance.

The absorbent minds works effortlessly in the acquisition of language. However, they do need a suitable environment. So, in cases where the child is not spoken to, like the boy of Averon, the child does not develop speech. The mind needs language in order to connect thoughts to the environment.

In the primary class, the children are given language training stories, poems, self-expression, conversation, and enrichment of vocabulary. We give them more and more precise language. Everything has a name. All areas of information have nomenclature. The child is introduced to all areas of reading and writing.

Language in the Elementary

Language in the elementary is divided into two categories: Grammar and Language Expression. We go into detail with the elementary child, because details can be fun and help make our writing more interesting. There are many aspects of grammar and we relate them to the need for precision in our language. The child first encounters parts of speech in isolation with the introduction of colorful symbols for each part of speech. These symbols allow the analysis of sentences to be both colorful and easy.

We also tell them the great story of how we came to have written language. We have inherited a rich cultural language that has involved all of the people who have come before us. This heritage mandates that we, too, choose our words carefully. Teachers model both written and spoken language with precision and correctness. The children look at literature in much greater detail and variety. In essence we deliver an integrated and comprehensive educational package for language arts. The children as their skills develop use language to seek out new information on their own. For example, reading allows them to research while speaking allows them to ask questions of experts outside the classroom. We plan the lessons with children so that they are successful. To accomplish this, we focus upon one isolated skill at a time. There are discoveries that language is a human creation. Humans have used language to satisfy their basic human needs. Children explore how language has changed over time. Language is the vehicle by which people develop a personal moral code. Children will encounter the idea that you can use language can express good and evil. Language can be kind and healing or it can be cruel and damaging.

Using language is an important responsibility. Is your intention constructive or destructive? This is important so that people understand what you mean for them to understand. Think before you use language. This is an important idea. Language is the substance of our human experience and is a powerful vehicle of our ideas and search for solutions.

“Language is the most powerful instrument of human progress.”
-Maria Montessori, What You Should Know About Your Child, Kalakshetra , India , 1976, p. 39

“ . . . education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. . . . human teachers can only help the great work being done, as servants help the master.”
- Maria Montessori, Education for a New World, Kalakshetra , India , 1969, p. 3

Non-Fluent Readers

Phonetic reading and writing are taught in the Montessori preschool. However, if the child is not yet reading in the first grade the following program describes the Montessori approach to teaching reading. A non-fluent reader is defined as a person who is able to decode words, but have not yet become readers who read easily for either pleasure or information. This may be due to a limited vocabulary, so we offer purposeful activities to increase their vocabulary through geography, biology, and history.

For the non-fluent readers, they will be allowed time to read and be encouraged to do so. They will also have a wide variety of books available. If there is a delay beyond age 8, remedial reading will be given as part of the Individualized Education Plan. Remedial efforts will include skill building, as well as daily reading at school and at home.

Interpretive Reading

We assist the child come to a fuller understanding of literature. There are activities to help children do this, which include oral reading, silent reading, and interpretive reading. Interpretive reading can provide an incentive to reading for the beginning reader. It gives them a reason to read. Maria Montessori has a series of cards to help the child with their interpretive reading. The paragraphs are coded and have been taken from various forms of literature.

Series 1 through 7:

These are the interpretive reading cards. On each card is a sentence; read the sentence and then examine the sentence for any words that you do not understand. There is an isolation of difficulty that is similar to the more familiar Silent Reading Assessments (SRA’s) and work in a similar manner.

Activities to assist the child:

Alphabet: they will learn names and sounds of each of the letters

Phonetic Word Building : using an alphabet of moveable letters

Phonetic Reading : word families isolate sounds for review

Puzzle Words: introduce phonograms

Writing

It is possible to teach a group of people to write a technically sound paragraph; however, leading people to be able to write a vivid, gripping, masterful paragraph is something very different. The individual needs to be able to combine the technical aspects of writing with their own creativity. The difference in a person on the street and a Shakespeare is in the flavor that the great author can add. To help children develop their own writing style we take the same approach that we have taken with other subjects: we isolate the difficulty and separate the sub-skills. We create reasons to write. We build an environment where writing is an exciting activity. We support each other’s attempts to write well. Our goal is to release the child’s potentials. The potential to write creatively is in everybody. In the elementary classroom, the Montessori approach is to link the children to a variety of activities that will bind them to the activity of writing. Our aim is not to motivate; our aim is to provide models, examples, and the means to write. Our job in Montessori pedagogy is to take the natural interest of the child and to make materials that will follow the child’s interest or to spark the interest of the child with a story. “We are the firestarters.” Maria Montessori. The more igniters and the more fuel, the bigger the fire.

We do need to take into account societal demands. Our society demands that children are literate. We bring the skill of writing into the arena of communication. We give them a reason to write: letters of thanks, letters of inquiry, letters to share information, etc. We will offer many different styles of writing. There will be a variety of paper styles, pens, calligraphy, etc.

Spelling Strategies

Spelling is a composite of skills that require strategic study. Research today shows that children learn to spell words incidentally. That is, they learn while they are reading or encountering words in various ways. There is not a 100% correlation that good readers are good spellers; but the two are often related. Research indicates that spelling workbooks are ineffective. 30% of the content focuses upon spelling activities. 30% is often peripheral material. And only 10% of the words do they not already know how to spell. They already know 90% of the words found in most spelling workbooks. Despite this we will directly teach spelling; however, we define our objective as teaching spelling not just testing it.

The strategic teaching of spelling skills can be very effective. A lot of the research shows that visual memory skills are very important. Spelling rules are also very helpful and must be given to the child early. In Montessori classrooms, primary children encounter skills that support spelling. The moveable alphabet, puzzle words, and word studies all assist the child acquire spelling skills. In the elementary, we take special care that children see excellent examples of correct spelling. We also offer the following spelling strategies:

Etymology: Children will be given the roots of the words that they are trying to spell.

Word Studies: Children will be shown function and variety of prefixes and suffixes.

Dictionary: Will have a selection of dictionaries in the classroom.

Dictionary Skills: Children will be taught dictionary and research skills.

Spelling strategies are taught as part of all studies in the Montessori classroom. Each child will have his/her own personal dictionaries. They will add the words that they need as they complete writing activities in other subject areas. Special activities and holidays are occasions for new words to be added to their dictionaries.

In the elementary, the teacher will not correct the children’s spelling with a red pencil. If anyone holds the red pen, it will be the child. However, we will bring to the children’s attention that they need to work on spelling. Personal conferences with the child are the place where this will take place. The teacher will discuss with the child and develop a plan where they can improve their spelling. The child needs to take on their spelling as an activity that they are responsible for.

Spelling will be individualized. It will be words that the child needs. The climate of the classroom should be that misspelling can happen to anyone, but we are all working together to spell all of our words correctly. If you have a child that can spell pretty well, why would you want to have them continue to work on spelling? The core of this approach is centered on the child’s personal dictionaries and presenting strategies for how to spell words by rules or tips. We must be excellent role models of good spelling. Establish a community that supports spelling correctly. Children should help each other to spell correctly. Children will be reading and writing on a daily basis.

Literature

“Literature . . . is not so much a ‘subject’ to be studied, as a thing to be enjoyed. Nothing is more delightful than a good story well told. If it is so well told that every sentence is clear in itself and fits naturally into its place; if it is so well told that the characters in it become real to us; if it is so well told that we are keen to know how the story is coming out, and, at the end, we are moved to pleasure or sympathy or a feeling that we have lived with the people in it, then that story is the material of literature.”

Edmund Kemper Broadus

The Story of English Literature, Macmillan, 1943

Webster’s Dictionary calls literature writings having an excellence of form and expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest. So we can think of literature as an excellent story that is well written. The test for good literature is in its endurance.

Literature presents the child an image of what is, what was, or what could be. It engages the imagination. This is part of the attraction of literature to the six to twelve year old child. But literature also calls upon the emotions and moral sense. Literature is all packages in the form of an engaging and gripping story.

- Literature exposes children to good language, correct grammar, good construction, excellent expression, and different styles. This is an excellent model for children. It is a starting place for exploration and writing for the child.
- Literature is educational. It covers all areas of knowledge. History, art, mathematics, psychology, ethics, and other areas are all covered in literature. This is an attraction for the 6-12 year old child.
- Literature is something that children enjoy. At the same time, it brings the child into contact with new places, experiences, ideas, and situations. Literature allows children to come into contact with the thoughts of human beings who have existed throughout history.

Objectives for Literature Education

An important point made by Maria Montessori was that children need to be taught to read before they can take advantage of all that literature has to offer. Using literature to teach reading is not the best approach. At first children are concentrating on recognizing graphic symbols, not really reading for meaning through interpretation. She thinks of reading as having a number of stages.

- The first stage is mechanical reading—decoding the symbols. If all goes well, this occurs in the Casa in the 1st plane. The children are reading mechanically word by word, letter by letter. They are not interpreting the meaning.
- The second stage is interpretive reading. A simple form of this is in the Casa. There are short commands—Run and hop. The child reads them and interprets the message. This is further developed in the elementary with Grammar Boxes, Command Cards, and Interpretive Reading Cards. This is where true reading is starting to happen. It involves reading and understanding.
- The third stage is an expressive stage. The Interpretive Reading Cards are to bring this out. They can be read with understanding and performed as actions. They can also be read with understanding and performed as actions with expression. We move from the facts to the facts plus tempo, volume, emphasis, etc. The dry facts are brought to life. This is the point of understanding what the author had to say. This brings the authors voice to life.

Literature for the Elementary Child

Teachers and aides will read regularly, daily to children. Montessori observed that it was useful to allow the children to do something else while the teacher was reading—crocheting, knitting, drawing, etc. Some children could focus on the reading intently. Others couldn’t, so giving them other work to do kept them active and allowed literature to be peripherally introduced. The choice of subject matter in the literature and the manner in which the selection was read was crucial to the success piquing the interest of the children. Reading aloud is something that should be practiced. Insofar as choices to make, Montessori noticed that children enjoyed historically based literature. She talked about using travel stories to introduce geography. Insect and animal stories can lead to a study of natural history. Montessori recommended that the teacher use literature to introduce children to varied subjects. Also literature based on lives of people is attractive to 6 to 12 year old children. They also enjoy the stories of real life heroes.

In general, the Montessori elementary teacher will assist the children when they are searching for a book to read and help them match their reading skill level with their interests. Ultimately, the child will decide. We need to recognize that children browse books as they are choosing. Parents will be enlisted to support this effort. They can model good reading habits. Parents should also read aloud to their children throughout their childhood – even after they can easily read for themselves. They can take the children to the library regularly. Both teachers and parents need to be involved in this.

We will have numerous examples of literature available for the children to read. The assistance of Washoe County District librarians will be appreciated to have a well-rounded school library. The following list is a compilation of the styles that the children will read and discuss:

- Poetry
- Myths and Legends
- Fairy Tales
- Children’s Fantasy
- Children’s Fiction
- Science Fiction
- Mysteries
- Animal Stories
- Fiction based on reality
- Biographies
- Historical Novels
- Factual Books, Reference Books
- Picture Books
- Plays
- Magazines

Composition/Research/Report Writing

The children’s independent work will include research and writing about their own areas of interest. This study begins with the introduction of a composition, which is simply an expanded paragraph. There should be a topic paragraph and subsequent major and minor details in the following paragraphs. There should be a concluding paragraph.

The children will be shown how to provide smooth the transitions between the paragraphs. These are words like next, finally, secondly, etc. There are also words of place like there, there are also words like however, summary word: in conclusion. When children are writing compositions, they tend to have two problems. The first is what will I write about? The other problem is order, in what order should I put this? There are two ideas here.

Brainstorming:

There are some rules that are important.

1. All ideas are okay! No matter how strange or unusual.
2. We don’t criticize any ideas. We don’t say that is a horrible idea. Sometimes an idea that seems unusual has a really super idea in it if you think about it for a bit. Use the example of the child who thought of a vehicle that carries its road with it (a caterpillar).
3. We can piggyback ideas. It isn’t copying; it is just taking someone else’s idea a bit further or in a bit different direction.

Concept Mapping:

So if we think about a topic now we can also think about things that are related to it. Encourage the children to think of many things. This will help us write our composition about the beach. We use different colors to help organize the writing’s paragraphs or parts.

Taking Notes: Reports and research are expository parts of writing. Reports are more limited in scope. They pave the way for more complex research. A report restricts itself to one aspect of a topic, e.g. my stamp collection, and the final outcome is limited as well. It can be a small booklet or a series of charts. Reports tend to be drawn from one source like the child’s experience or from one book. Research addresses numerous aspects of the topic. It is generally based upon numerous sources of the topic, which may include the author’s opinion. The final outcome of research is the inclusion of different media, videos, graphs, written report, and so forth. Research writing represents the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy, synthesis, and represents the most important aspect of the Montessori language.

Children will be taught note-taking skills.

- Paraphrasing - writing in your own words.
- Interpreting - listing key words
- Summarizing - telling briefly what it’s all about.
- Write the details of your source as a heading. (Book name, author etc.)
- In the center section, take notes in sentence fragments or phrases. Note the page from which the note was taken.
- Underline the major ideas (main thoughts of speaker or writer) twice.
- Underline the supporting details (facts which explain major ideas) once.
- List key words from underlined ideas/details in left hand margin.

Writing the Report

The children will be assisted with report writing skills. They will learn to limit topics so that the report has a focus that is manageable.

Research

Research skills will include use of library, classroom books, and the Internet.

Prodecures for Preparing Reports and Research Papers

1. Choose a topic that interests you. Limit the topic.

2. List what you already know about the topic.

3. List what you would like to know about the topic.

4. Do some preliminary reading on the topic you have chosen.

5. Choose a specific aspect of the topic to research. Write a purpose statement.

6. Write a preliminary outline of the specific topic to guide your research.

7. Gather research materials using reference and cross-reference techniques. Resources include: Catalogs, Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, Encyclopedias, Special Dictionaries, Atlases, Almanacs, Biographical Dictionaries, Magazines.

8. Take notes on index cards following the required format.

9. Read through your note cards and sort them, eliminating those you don’t need.

10. Make a final outline based on your notes. This will guide the writing of the report.

11. Do more research if necessary.

12. Write your rough draft.

13. Revise your rough draft.

14. Write a final copy of the report.

15. Write your bibliography.

16. PROOFREAD!

GRAMMAR

The parts of speech are taught individually. Children use Montessori grammar boxes for experience with each of the parts of speech. Sentence analysis begins with simple sentences and uses the Arrow material to show function and relationship of word phrases and clauses. Children progress to the analysis of very complex sentences. Please refer to expanded lesson plans for more detail. This is a specific procedure found only in Montessori. Although sentence analysis is not as common in elementary school as it once was, the Montessori approach is colorful and entertaining. It encourages children to explore the formation of sentence structure in a manner that aids their own writing Phrases and clauses are analyzed for their function of the modification and are used to glean additional meaning from the authors choice of words. Following is an example of a simple sentence that has been analyzed using Montessori materials.

SentenceAnalysis:

EX: The child who can choose his own work will work with greater energy and devotion.

THE MONTESSORI SYLLABUS FOR LANGUAGE

Great Story for Language “The Story of Our Alphabet

The Great Story for Language: “The Story of Our Alphabet

Notes on the presentation

Word Study

Notes on Word Study

Suffixes

Prefixes

Compound Words

Word Families

Suffixes, Classified

Parts of Speech, Grammar Boxes and Associated Activities

Notes on Grammar Boxes, purpose, description, questions, grammar symbols

The Noun

Introduction

Making Booklets

Singular/Plural

Masculine/Feminine

Classification:

Proper/Common, Collective, Concrete/Abstract, Work Chart

The Article

Grammar Box

Definite/Indefinite

The Adjective

Grammar Box

Impressionistic Chart of the Noun Family

Command Cards

Classification

Positive, Comparative, Superlative

Transposition

The Verb

Grammar Box

Command Cards

Tense of the Verb (present, past, future, perfect tenses)

Transposition

The Preposition

Grammar Box

Command Cards

Transposition

The Adverb

Grammar Box

Command Cards

Transposition

The Pronoun

Grammar Box

Command Cards

Impressionistic Chart

Declension: Subjective, Objective, Possessive

The Conjunction

Grammar Box

Command Cards

Transposition

The Interjection

Grammar Box

Classified Interjection

Further Work with the Verb

Tense

Present, Past, and Future

Perfect forms

Progressive Tenses

Mood

Indicative

Imperative

Subjunctive

Voice

Active voice and passive voice

Change from active to passive and from passive to active

Verbals

Gerund

Participle

Infinitive

Verb Conjugation Layout

Verb conjugation of verb – love
Verb conjugation of verb – be
Verb conjugation of verb – have

Logical Analysis

Introduction

Purpose of grammar work

Definitions

Simple Sentence

Description of Materials

Notes on Grammar Work

List of prototypical Simple Sentences

Simple Sentence

Direct Object

Indirect Object

Adverbial Modifiers

Attributive

Appositive

Compound Subject

Compound Predicate

Elliptical Construction

Inverted Order

Verb Phrase: Emphatic, Modal, Negation

Personal Pronouns

A Long Simple Sentence

Transitive/Intransitive Verb

Reflexive Verb

Linking Verb

Using Chart A: Analysis of Simple Sentences

Noun of Direct Address

Analysis of Compound Sentences (Action Verb, Linking Verb, or Both)

Description of Materials

Using letter squares

Compound Sentence Analysis

Coordinating Conjunctions

Correlative Conjunctions

Analysis of Complex Sentences (Action Verb, Linking Verb, or Both)

Chart B

Description of Materials

Prototypical Sentences

Adjective Clause (relative pronoun)

Adverbial Clause (Subordinating Conjunction)

Direct Object Clause

Indirect Object Clause

Subject Clause

Chart B

Compound/Complex Sentences

Dependency Circles I, II, III, IV, V

Writing on paper

Chart D

Sample Sentences for Chart D

History of Language

History of Written Language

Introduction

Pre-alphabetic systems

Ideographs

Other methods of Communicating in Signs

Mesopotamia

Ancient Egypt – Hieroglyphics

The Phoenicians

The Greeks

The Romans

After the Romans

Printing

Reference List

History of Spoken Language

Story of our Language

The History of our Language

The Story of English

Literature

Definition

Why Present Literature:

Maria Montessori on Literature

How Do We Present Literature

What Literature Do We Present

Literature for Enjoyment and Historical Study

Making Timelines

Book Lists

Style

Definition

Why Study

How is Style Presented

Enrichment of Vocabulary

Use of grammar boxes in relation to style

Use of grammar boxes with logical analysis in relation to style

Grammar Symbols Used with own writing

Grammar symbols used with other’s writing