According to The Absorbent Mind, Maria Montessori believed that “language is an instrument of collective thought." She goes on to explain that the only thing that gives sense to the sounds we associate with objects “is the fact that men have agreed to give them a particular meaning...They are expressions of agreement between the members of a human group...Other groups may agree on quite different sets of sounds to convey the same idea...Words are bonds between men...Language, we may say, grows with human thought.”
The child “absorbs” language as he is spoken to, imitates what he hears to make similar sounds. Dr. Montessori found that children pass through several sensitive periods during their first six years of life. During each of these periods the child has an intense interest and is more responsive and able to learn specific skills more easily. One such sensitive period is for language and without language stimulation at this time, deficits can occur.
How a child learns to speak and understand the spoken word is still somewhat of a mystery. However, as Montessori observed, barring certain complications, a child will almost certainly learn to speak if he or she is exposed to language early in life. As stated in The Absorbent Mind, this process develops naturally, “following fixed laws which are the same in all children…(they all) pass through a period in which they can only pronounce syllables; then they pronounce whole words, and, finally, they use to perfection all the rules of syntax and grammar.”
To support this development, in our classrooms we offer rich oral language experiences and model logical and proper articulation. We provide opportunities for children to practice their expanding vocabulary and use language in all areas of the room from asking for a snack, to counting out loud, and singing songs, or playing sound games such as “I Spy.” In the Sensorial area materials such as sound cylinders and the Montessori bells help to hone a child’s auditory discrimination. The early oral language learning activities, such as rhyming objects and sound bingo further train the ear.
Reading and writing require more instruction and an increased effort by the child to acquire these skills. Each child needs to practice the vocabulary they learn by hearing and speaking new words. The teacher will often use the 3-Period Lesson to introduce new vocabulary.
- The first period introduces the name of an object to the child, i.e. we say “This is a chair, chair,” as we touch it.
- For the second period, we ask a child to identify the objects we have named by asking questions such as “Can you point to the chair? Can you stand next to the chair? Can you move the chair?”
- For the third and final period, we ask the child to name the object. While pointing to the chair, we ask “what is this?” This is the most challenging since they need to find the word that identifies the object with only a visual cue. These lessons are also used to learn individual sounds as well.
With a growing vocabulary, children next build upon phonemic awareness by learning sounds and the alphabetical symbols that correspond to those sounds. In our classrooms we use the Montessori Sandpaper Letters to introduce the sounds and the forms of the letters by tracing them. Once they can hear sounds in words, children use the Moveable Alphabet, to put those sounds together to create words. In many instances, the children in our classrooms are writing words and phrases with these letters before they can even use a pencil to form letters. Having the ability to put down their own thoughts for others to see can be a powerful motivation for children. The other pre-writing materials build hand strength and help to develop proper grip for letter formation. We have incorporated the Handwriting Without Program into our curriculum to enhance the multi-sensorial approach to handwriting.
Once they have mastered these sounds and symbols and can put them together to form words that express their thoughts, children begin to decode by blending the sounds of the letters they see. To support their growing desire to read, we offer more phonetic words to read. We introduce them to phonograms and digraphs and the ever mysterious “sight” words that do not follow any of the phonemic rules. The children use this knowledge to expand in the writing as well. At the same time, we continue to read to them, emphasizing different voices and inflection for various characters. We listen for rhyming words in our stories. We discuss characters, setting, ask what they think might happen next and model making connections to our lives or other stories. These interactions build a child’s comprehension of the story, helping them to not only decode what is written on a page but to understand the meaning of those words.
The prepared environment of the Montessori classroom helps the development of language by immersing the child in all forms of language—language that is heard, spoken, written and read.
If you are interested in learning more about the materials we use to support language development in our classrooms, please attend our upcoming workshop, “Early Literacy," tomorrow, March 2, 2017 beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the library. Register here.
