Montessori Lesson Plans by Maitri Learning

Using your Vocabulary Cards I. Naturally Expose the Children to the New Vocabulary

Building verbal language skills is the fi rst step in the child’s road towards mastering language. The fi rst words a child needs to know are those most relevant to her. For example, her name, the names of the people and items in the home, the parts of her body, the names of her teacher & classmates, etc. Before using vocabulary cards, naturally expose the children to new vocabulary by regularly using it in conversations, by noticing the objects when you encounter them in daily life, and by reading books that feature the objects. This is your opportunity to bring the words to life for the child.

II. Practice the Vocabulary with the 3-Period Lesson Children can most easily internalize vocabulary when it is used in connection with the object/item itself. For this reason, it is best to use real things when teaching vocabulary. When they are not available, use photos that isolate the object being presented. Period 1: Place 3 or 4 photo cards on a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Touch and name the first card. Say, “This is a dog.” Repeat for all. Period 2: Move your hands away and say, “Show me the dog.” If s/he cannot or points to the wrong card, simply move back to period 1. Period 3: Point to a card and say, “What is this?” If the child does not say the name, simply move back to period 2. Depending on the child, you may get through all 3 periods in one lesson or you may need to repeat the first two periods over the course of several days before the child is ready to demonstrate mastery in period three. Keep in mind that it is during the second period that most learning takes place. Place your emphasis there.

III. Play I Spy

This simple game gives the child the opportunity to listen for and identify the sounds within words. As he learns to hear the components of a word, he develops phonetic awareness. He begins to understand that all of those words are made up of smaller components—of sounds. Once this happens, he can begin to link those individual sounds with their symbols-the letters of our alphabet. Lesson I: Gather a child or small group of children around you. Say, “I spy with my little eye, something in Kyra’s hand that starts with the sound ‘puh.’ Of course, Kyra is holding nothing but a pencil so her chance of succeeding, of figuring this out, is high. Continue to sound out the word, ‘Puh en ssss ull.’ Do this as much as you need to until one of the children hears it and says, ”pencil.” Continue for as long as the children are interested. The intent of this first lesson is to help children understand the mechanics of this game in a way that nearly guarantees their success...even though they may not yet be skilled at noticing the sounds within words. Lesson II: Walk about the room together and select 6 or 8 objects/photos to work with. This is one of your earliest opportunities to help the child see that she can find what she needs to work with in the room, that she is free to take what she needs to do her work. The first time you play, you want to choose objects/photos that have different initial sounds. Give her a few options if she needs them. (Once she gets the hang of it, it will not be a problem if she chooses objects with duplicate sounds.) Place each vocabulary card or object on the work space and encourage the child to say its name as you do so. (The child must know the name of each item before playing I Spy.) Say, “I spy with my little eye something on the rug that starts with ‘mmmm.’” Repeat the sound and then, unless the child points to it, point to the monkey and say “MMMM uuuhh nnnn kuh eeeee, MMMM uuuhh nnnn kuh eeeee.” Repeat this for the other objects. Encourage the children to take turns so that they immediately learn how to play the game without help. Lesson III: The same as Lesson II but spy the ending sound in the word. Say, “I spy with my little eye something that ends with the sound eeeee.” When you pronounce the word, carefully articulate all parts of the word as in Lesson II but emphasize the ending sound as in “mmmm uuuhh nnnn kuh EEEEE.” Lesson IV: The same as Lesson II but spy the middle sound in the word. Say, “I spy with my little eye something on the rug that has the middle sound uuuuhhhh.” When you pronounce the word, carefully articulate all parts of the word as in Lesson II but emphasize the middle sound as in “mmmm UUUHH g” ©2007 Maitri Learning, LLC Westhampton, MA USA. All rights reserved.

Using Matching Cards I. Naturally Expose the Children to the New Vocabulary

Before using the cards themselves, naturally expose the children to the new vocabulary by regularly using it in conversations, by observing the objects in their natural environments, by reading aloud books that feature the objects, and by using one-set of these cards in vocabulary building 3-period lessons. This is your opportunity to thoroughly internalize the terminology so that you can bring it to life for the child.

II. Practice the Vocabulary with the 3-Period Lesson

Use either the red-backed or blue-backed set of cards in a 3-period lesson. Period 1: Place 3 or 4 photo cards on a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Touch and name the first card. Say, “This is an ambulance.” Repeat for all. Period 2: Move your hands away and say, “Show me the ambulance.” If she cannot or points to the wrong card, simply move back to period 1. Period 3: Point to a card and say, “What is this?” If the child does not say the name, simply move back to period 2. Depending on the child, you may get through all 3 periods in one lesson or you may need to repeat the first two periods over the course of several days before the child is ready to demonstrate mastery in period three. Keep in mind that it is during the second period that most learning takes place. Place your emphasis there.

III. Matching the Cards

Depending on the abilities of the child(ren), you can begin with a subset of 6 pairs of cards or use the full set of 12 pairs. Also, you can keep the red- and blue-backed sets of cards in separate containers or mix them together in one container. If they are mixed, begin the exercise with the cards face down and sort by color into two piles. 1. Lay out the red set face-up in a column on the left side of your work area (make a second column for the rest of the red cards in the middle-right of your work area if you are using all 12 pairs). 2. Take the first blue-backed card and say, “Let’s see if these cards look the same as any of the ones here. Let’s see if they match.” Beginning at the top of the column, look for the match and place it just to the right of the matching card. 3. Free the child to continue (do more examples if you need to) and inspire him to repeat the work. You or another child can mix up the cards for him so he can start over. When you clean up, repeat the name of each object as you return it to the container.

IV. Sorting the Cards

Create a sorting game by using the red-backed cards from one topic (e.g., Transportation) and the blue-backed cards from a different topic (e.g., Pets). Mix the cards together and place them in a pile face up on the workspace. NOTE: While you will demonstrate how to sort the cards into traditional categories (e.g., transportation vs. pets), the children may find unique ways to sort the cards (e.g., by color or dimension). These alternative categories can be quite interesting and help show the child’s creativity. It is the sorting, the act of organizing items into groups, that is valuable to the child. Which groups those are is open to a world of possibilities! 1. Place a card in a column on the left side of the workspace. 2. Take the next card out and ask, “What is this?” Then place it on the left side if it is part of the first category or start a new column to the right side if it is part of the next category. Continue until you have at least two cards for each category lain out. 3. Ask the child to take the next card out, name it, and place it in the proper column. Free them to sort everything.

Lesson III: Place the Red-backed cards in one column and Match them to the Blue-backed cards

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Lesson IV: Mix the Red-backed cards from one packet with the Blue-backed cards from another packet and Sort into columns

Using your Phonetic Reading Cards!

Before you begin

Magic—it happens the moment a child reads his/her first word. It is the discovery that communication can occur through the right combination of those little printed characters called letters. This discovery is not something we as adults can make happen. It will occur on its own time table and for reasons that will remain mysterious. We can only prepare the child to make the discovery. What we can do is enrich the child’s vocabulary and then teach the child the sound of each letter in the alphabet, the shape of each letter, and the sequence of letters (from left to right). Using moveable letters (like the Montessori moveable alphabet or even refrigerator magnet letters), we can show them how to put sounds together to make words (e.g., sound out and spell c-a-t or k-a-t—spelling doesn’t count at this stage). Keep in mind that this process of building a word (encoding) is much easier than the process of reading a word (decoding) and, thus, should always come first. Once this preparation is complete, we wait. Introduce Level 1 of this material when you feel the child is ripe for the discovery. Introduce Levels 2, 3, and then 4 in order. Use the presentation below when introducing the earliest packets. Repeat it as you introduce each new packet only until the child is comfortable using the 3-part card format. At that point, s/he can be free to initiate new packets without a new presentation.

Reading the Cards

This activity can be done with one or several children. Begin by using the picture-only cards alone in a vocabulary lesson. The child must know all vocabulary before s/he will be able to succeed with this work. Obviously, the child must also know the sounds associated with each letter included in the cards (see note above on preparation for this work). 1. Find a clean workspace that is free from distractions. 2. Place the control cards upside-down on the workspace. 3. Place the picture-only cards right side up in a column on the left side of the workspace. 4. Say, “Look at each picture and tell me what it is.” Repeat the name carefully. 5. Say, “I’m going to write you a secret. I wonder if you can ﬁgure out what I want!” Write the name of one photo on a slip of paper. Formulate your letters carefully so they are easy for the children to identify (if you have taught them lowercase print letters, write in lowercase print; if they have learned cursive, write in cursive). Let them see you write. 6. Help them pronounce the word and place it below the corresponding picture on the workspace. Continue with all of the photos. 7. Say, “Close your eyes, I’m going to mix them up!” Mix the words (leave the pictures alone) and have the child match them again. Then, mix the pictures (leave the words alone). Finally, mix them both up. 8. Say, “What does this one say?” and help the child read and match. 9. After the child has done this a few times, you can introduce the control cards. Say, “Let me show you a way to check and see if you’re right!” Layout the control cards next to the matching pictures. Let the child discover his/her own errors and ﬁx them independently. If s/he can’t see the errors, s/he may not be ready for this work. Back-up and review the letter sounds/symbols. 10. Show him/her the printed word slips and say, “Next time you can do this work by yourself or with a friend. Just use these special printed slips.” Read the words together and match them to the pictures. 11. Say, “Let’s clean these up so nicely so they’ll be ready for us to use next time.” Help the child to clean the work up beautifully.

Notes • • • •

Always give the child the opportunity to repeat the work. You or another child can mix up the cards for him/her so she can start over. As the child masters each packet, introduce a new packet. Change the packets often enough to maintain the child’s interest. When s/he has read all of the packets in a level, try mixing the packets to increase the difﬁculty. When they have mastered the words in Level 4, introduce non-phonetic words via 3-Part Reading Cards. At the same time that the child is mastering phonetic reading, you can introduce puzzle/sight words via the 3-period lesson. (See www.maitrilearning.com for free downloads of puzzle words ready to print and put on your shelf.) If the child is also able to write letters, you may want to extend the phonetic reading card work by having him/her copy the words or write them from memory. (Either you or another child can read the words on each card to the child. The child then writes them down without looking. If the child wants to, s/he can check the work with the control cards.) Be careful not to stress accurate spellings too early (spelling doesn’t count before age 6)—this may lead to frustration and resistance to doing the work in the future.

Using your 3-Part Cards

Presenting the Vocabulary (using the 3-period lesson) Before doing the reading work, you want to make sure the children know the names of all of the objects pictured. The 3-Period lesson is an excellent way to teach vocabulary to a single child or a small group of children. Depending on the child, you may get through all 3 periods in one lesson or you may need to repeat the first two periods over the course of several days before the child is ready to demonstrate mastery in period three. Keep in mind that it is during the second period that most learning takes place. Place your emphasis there. Period 1: Place 3 or 4 photo-only cards on a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Touch and name the first card. Say, “This is an island.” Repeat for all. Period 2: Move your hands away and say, “Show me the island.” If s/he cannot or points to the wrong card, simply use your own hand to point to the correct card and repeat period 1. Continue to ask the child to “show you” the other photos. Keep it lively by asking them to put the cards in different locations. For children who need to move, use two tables on opposite sides of the room and instead of saying “show me” say “bring me.” You can teach children how to play the bring me game with each other. It is wonderful independent work. Have fun with it! Period 3: Point to a card and say, “What is this?” If the child does not say the name, give him/her a hint like the first sound of the word. Do whatever you can to help the child succeed! If s/he still cannot name the object, return to period 2. When the child grows confident with the vocabulary, have fun by mixing up the cards before asking the child to name them. Add an element of mystery by asking the child to close his/her eyes while you or some other children mix up the cards.

Reading the Cards These cards include phonetic and non-phonetic words. They should be used with children who are solid phonetic readers. Remember, it is better for the child to feel s/he is too smart for the work than that the work is too smart for him/her! At the same time, we work to individualize each child’s reading experience by offering new words that are just the right level of challenge. 1. Find a clean workspace that is free from distractions. 2. Place the control cards (which include the word and photo on one card) upside-down on the workspace. 3. Place the picture-only cards right side up in a column on the left side of the workspace. Say the name of each as you put it down. 4. Pick up a word-only card. Say, “Let’s see if we can match the pictures with these names.” Help them with a few (sound out each letter/phonogram) and then place the labels under the corresponding picture. 5. Say, “Now, let’s check and see if we were right!” Layout the control cards next to the matching pictures. Let the child discover his/her own errors and fix them independently. If s/he can’t see the errors, s/he may not be ready for this work.

Notes

 Always give the child the opportunity to repeat the work. You or another child can mix up the cards for him/her so she can start over.  Begin with the cards that the child is most familiar with (eg, cards with pictures of pets for a child who loves animals).  For fluent readers, you can extend this activity by inspiring him/her to copy the words or write them from memory. Either you or another child can read the words on each card to the child. The child then writes them down without looking. If the child wants to, s/he can check the work with the control cards. Be careful not to stress accurate spellings too early (spelling doesn’t count before age 6)—this may lead to frustration and resistance to doing the work in the future.

Using your Zoology/Natural World Cards Before you Begin

These activities can be done with one or several children. Remove the cards from the bag and place them in a beautiful basket on the child’s work shelves (leave the description of the group characteristics in the bag for storage; this is for your reference only). You will usually only have a few packets available/in baskets at a time. Proceed through these presentations in the following order.

Presenting the Vocabulary (using the 3-period lesson)

Begin by naturally exposing the children to the new vocabulary by regularly using it in conversations, by noticing the actual subjects in their natural environment, and by reading aloud books that feature the subjects. Then, use these cards in 3-period lessons. Period 1: Place 3 or 4 photo-only cards on a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Touch and name the first card. Say, “This is a tree, tree.” Repeat for all. Period 2: Move your hands away and say, “Show me the tree.” If s/he points to the wrong card, simply back up and repeat period 1. Continue to ask the child to “show you” the other photos. Keep it lively by asking him/her to put the cards in different locations. Have fun by mixing up the cards before asking the child to find them (the child may want to close his/her eyes while you or other children do this). Take your time with this period as this is where most learning occurs. Period 3: Point to a card and say, “What is this?” If the child does not say the name, say nothing and gently return to period 2. Children progress at different rates. Some children may proceed to this period on the same day the new vocabulary is presented. Some children will need many days of work in period 2 before they will succeed with period 3. There is no rush. Observe each child and follow him/her at his/her own pace.

Presenting Group Characteristics

Each packet includes a description of the main, distinguishing features of that group. Memorize this information before presenting this work to a child. You must be able to clearly state the characteristics of each group as you begin this work. 1. Find a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Place the cards upside-down on the workspace. 2. If you are presenting this information to younger, primary-aged children say, “Let’s learn about things that are living. We are living. This rug is not living. Living things eat, grow, move, and reproduce. Let’s look at some living things.” If you are presenting this information to older, elementary-aged children say, “Let’s learn about what it means to be living. We are living. We are alive. This table is not living. It is not alive. Living things consume food, excrete wastes, grow, move, reproduce, are irritable, and adjust to fit into their environment. Let’s look at some pictures of other living things.” 3. For younger children, review each photo and discuss what each living thing eats, how it grows, how it moves, and whether its young are born or hatched. For older children, review each photo and discuss what each living thing consumes and excretes, how it grows, how it moves, whether its young are born or hatched, how it displays irritability (responds to stimuli from its environment), and how it adjusts to fit into its environment.

Sorting the Photos

Create a sorting game by using the photo-only cards from two different packets (e.g., Plant Kingdom and Animal Kingdom). When you choose your packets, remember to start with packets of great contrast (eg, Living and Non-Living) and move to those of ﬁner detail (eg, invertebrates and vertebrates). 1. Mix the photo-only cards together and place them in a neat stack, face up on the workspace. 2. Take the first card and say, “This is a rabbit. A rabbit is an animal.” Place the card in a column on the left side of the workspace. Take the next card out and say, “This is moss. Moss is a plant.” Place the card in a column on the right side of the workspace. Continue to take out and name a few more cards. If it is an animal, place it in the animal column. If it is a plant, place it in the plant column. 3. Ask the child to take the next card out, name it, and place it in the proper column. When the child is finished with all the cards, admire his/her work: even if it is not perfect. Find something that was well done and notice it. This is an opportunity to inspire the child to repeat the work later. 4. When finished say, “Let’s put the tree away first.” Have the child place it in its container. Continue to put the cards away one at a time, naming each as you go.

Reading the Words

1. Find a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Place the control cards and word labels upside-down on the workspace. 2. Place the photo-only cards right side up in a column on the left side of the workspace. Say the name of each as you put it down. 3. Pick up a word only card. Say, “Let’s see if you can match the pictures with these names.” Help them with a few (sound out each letter/phonogram) and then place the labels under the corresponding picture. 4. Say, “Now, let’s check and see if we were right!” Layout the control cards next to the matching pictures. Let the child discover his/her own errors and fix them independently. If s/he can’t see the errors, s/he may not be ready for this work.

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Using your Foreign Language Cards Building Vocabulary

The best way for a young child to learn another language is to be immersed in it. If you or your teaching partner is fluent and the administration supports it, one adult should speak English exclusively and the other his/her native language exclusively. Over time, the children will thoroughly absorb the language being spoken. (This is common practice in bilingual locales such as Montreal, Canada). When this is not an option, we can teach a foreign language just as we teach children new vocabulary in our own language, via the 3-period lesson. And as with our first language, the children will grow to master the words only if they are given many opportunities to hear the words used properly and to use the words properly. As you work through the 3-period lesson, keep in mind that it is during the second period that most learning takes place. Place your emphasis there. Period 1: Place 3 or 4 photo-only cards on a clean workspace that is free from distractions. Touch and name the first card. Say, “This is un camion d’incendie.” Repeat for all. If you are able, speak only in the second language when doing foreign language work. For example, if teaching French, say, “C’est un camion d’incendie.” Period 2: Move your hands away and say, “Show me un camion d’incendie” or “Montres-moi un camion d’incendie.” If s/he cannot or points to the wrong card, simply use your own hand to point to the correct card and repeat period 1. Continue to ask the child to “show you” the other photos. Keep it lively by asking them to put the cards in different locations. For children who need to move, use two tables on opposite sides of the room and instead of saying “show me” say “bring me” or “portes-moi.” You can teach children how to play the bring me game with each other. It is wonderful independent work. Have fun with it! Period 3: Point to a card and say, “What is this?” or “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” If the child does not say the name, give him/her a hint like the first sound of the word. Do whatever you can to help the child succeed! If s/he still cannot name the object, return to period 2. When the child grows confident with the vocabulary, have fun by mixing up the cards before asking the child to name them. Add an element of mystery by asking the child to close his/her eyes while you or some other children mix up the cards.

Reading the Words

Phonetics (the sounds a certain symbol makes) differ from language to language. For some languages, like Spanish and French, the letters and their phonetic sounds are similar to English. For that reason, children who are solid readers in English can often make the leap to work through words in French and Spanish. Ideally, though, children will first be exposed to the foreign alphabet and the phonetic sounds associated with each letter. Once the vocabulary is known and the phonetics of the alphabet are presented, you can show the children how to read the 3-part cards. 1. Find a clean workspace that is free from distractions. 2. Place the control cards (which include the word and photo on one card) upside-down on the workspace. 3. Place the picture-only cards right side up in a column on the left side of the workspace. Say the name of each as you put it down. 4. Pick up a word-only card. Say, “Let’s see if we can match the pictures with these names.” Help them with a few (sound out each letter/phonogram) and then place the labels under the corresponding picture. 5. Say, “Now, let’s check and see if we were right!” Layout the control cards next to the matching pictures. Let the child discover his/her own errors and fix them independently. If s/he can’t see the errors, s/he may not be ready for this work.

Notes

• Always give the child the opportunity to repeat the work. You or another child can mix up the cards for him/her so she can start over. • Begin with the cards that the child is most familiar with (eg, the Transportation cards for a child who loves cars).

Using your Math Equations

Before you Begin

These equations are designed to be used with concrete manipulative materials such as the Montessori golden beads and/or the Montessori stamp game. For children who are able to write numbers legibly, offer them equation slips to write their own problems and solutions. They may like to paste the completed slip into a notebook (this creates a wonderful historical record of their progress). Each set of equations contains static (no borrowing/carrying) problems and dynamic (with borrowing/carrying) problems. Dynamic equations are marked with a star in the equation’s upper right-hand corner. Always begin with static problems. Work with these repeatedly until the operation’s concept (eg, addition means “put it all together beginning with the smallest things”) is completely clear. The initial focus is on the process rather than the accuracy of the results. If you discover one or two extra beads on the rug, discreetly hide them. (I would ﬁnd many of these in my pockets at the end of a day.) Don’t let a simple counting error distract the children from internalizing the concept at hand. Present the operations in the following order: (1) Addition (put it together); (2) Multiplication (put it together so many times); (3) Subtraction (take it away); and, (4) Division (take it away/share it out so many times). The procedure for all operations is the same: 1. Begin with static problems (no carrying/borrowing) 2. Explain and repeat the rules 3. Introduce the operation’s symbol When you are ready for dynamic problems, use the concrete materials to reinforce the process of making exchanges. For example, show the child clearly that 10 units are the same as one ten bar. Let the child experiment with making exchanges. Children often “discover” these equivalences for themselves—how wonderful!

Addition

Explain to the children that there are two basic rules for addition. Say, “Today we’re going to do some addition work. Addition means put it all together. What does addition mean?” Have the children repeat the first rule. Then, continue by saying, “We always start by putting together the smallest things first. What do we put together first?” Again, encourage the children to repeat the rule. Introduce the operation this way every time you do addition work in order to reinforce the concept. The first time you do addition, you may want to introduce the plus sign. To do this, say, “Addition is a long word. Instead of saying it every time, we like to draw this symbol.” Draw the plus sign on a slip of paper (preferably in red to stay with the color-coding). Then continue by saying, “This says addition. It means put it all together.” When you begin dynamic problems, review the first two rules as above and then add a new rule. Say, “Today, we have a special new rule to follow. When you get to 10, stop. What’s the rule?” Encourage repetition and have fun when they’re counting and reach 10—be dramatic about the stop

Multiplication

There are two basic rules for multiplication. Say, “Today we’re going to do some multiplication work. Multiplication means put the same thing together so many times. We always put the smallest things together ﬁrst.” Again, encourage the children to repeat the rules and introduce the symbol for multiplication as you did for addition.

Subtraction

There are two basic rules for subtraction. Say, “Today we’re going to do some subtraction work. Subtraction means take it away. We always start by taking away the smallest thing ﬁrst.” Again, encourage the children to repeat the rules and introduce the symbol for subtraction as you did for addition.

Short Division

There are three basic rules for short division. Say, “Today we’re going to do some division work. There are three things you need to know to do division. First, division means share it fair. What does it mean? Second, we always start sharing the biggest thing ﬁrst. What do we share ﬁrst? Third, the answer is what one person gets. What’s the answer?” Again, encourage the children to repeat the rules and introduce the symbol for division as you did for addition.

Long Division

Use green ribbons/skittles to represent one “person,” blue ones to represent ten “people,” and red to represent 100 “people.” First, review the rules for short division. Then, hand out the ribbons and explain what they mean. “You represent one person but you represent ten people. Imagine that you have 10 people in your family and they couldn’t be here today. So, you have to get enough for everyone. You’ll get 10 times more than everyone else.” Again, encourage the children to repeat the rules.