Montessori Curriculum

An Overview of the Montessori Curriculum

This content provides an overview of the Montessori method including the Montessori sequence of lessons and lessons for the Montessori areas of the classroom. Lessons include Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Geography, History, Art, & Peace.

Check out the Montessori Curriculum Below!

Montessori Sensorial Lesson: Geometric Cabinet

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Sensorial, Sensorial Lesson This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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The Geometric Cabinet is within Visual Sense of Sensorial. It is the last section of lessons for Sensorial preparing children for math.

Geometric Cabinet – Presentation Tray

Age:

2.5 to 5.5 years

Materials:

A wooden tray section into 6 wood squares. Three of the squares contain insets, one each of triangle, circle, and square.

Prerequisites:

Previous sensorial materials

Presentation I:

Invite the child to the work. Say to the child: “This is the presentation tray of the geometry cabinet.”
Show the child how to grasp the knobs with a 3-finger grip to slowly and only slightly move the drawer from the cabinet
Show the child how to inch the tray out with hands on either side until halfway open, then how to grasp the drawer in the middle, thumbs on top and fingers underneath
After gently placing tray on the rug, use 3-finger grip of the dominant hand to grasp the knob of each shape and move them below the drawer.
Pick up triangle inset with sub-dominant hand and, with the painted side facing child and you, trace the triangle inset with index and middle fingers of the dominant hand.
Trace the template and then say: “This is a triangle, would you like to trace the triangle? Can you say triangle?”
Replace the triangle to its blank space and complete the three-period lesson: “Please show me the triangle.”
Ask the child to put the insets back into their respective templates. Demonstrate how to properly replace the inset by slowly bringing the edge closest to you and child entering the template first: “Can you put away the circle? Can you put away the square? Can you put away the triangle?”
Carry the drawer back to the geometry cabinet. Show the child how to catch the drawer on its track and then slide the drawer into place.

Control of Error:

Inset doesn't fit
Placing the shapes into the templates properly without sound or damage
Teacher

Points of Interest:

Tracing the inset
Putting the insets back into the templates
Practice with 3 finger grip
The textures and qualities of the shape
Placing the insets back into the template corner first and gently
Opening the lid of the tray
Removing the drawer from the cabinet and seeing what is inside the drawer

Aims:

Introduction to geometry
Preparation for writing
Preparation for metal insets
Knowledge and ability to identify shapes within the environment

Language:

triangle, square, circle, template, inset, geometry cabinet, tray, drawer, knob

Geometric Cabinet – The Drawers

Age:

2.5 to 6 years old

Materials:

Wooden cabinet with 6 drawers. Each drawer has six squares. Each square has an inset of a geometric plane figure. The insets are dark blue in wooden templates. Each inset has a knob in the center to lift the inset out from the template.

Drawer 1 Six circles decreasing in diameter from 10 – 5 cm. Inset 1 (top left-hand corner) is the largest circle. Inset 6 (bottom right-hand corner) is the smallest circle.

Drawer 2 Six rectangles, one of which is a square. All rectangles have the same base but vary in height. Inset 1 (top left-hand corner) is the largest rectangle. Inset 6 (bottom right-hand corner) is the smallest rectangle.

Drawer 3 Six triangles of various angles or length of their sides. From 1 to 6 going clockwise from top left-hand corner to bottom right-hand corner, included in this drawer is isosceles right triangle, isosceles acute triangle, isosceles obtuse triangle, isosceles right triangle

Drawer 4 Contains six polygons which have a flat side for a base. From 1 to 6 going clockwise from top left included in this drawer are pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon.

Drawer 5 Contain four quadrilaterals including a rhombus, a blank one, a trapezium, a parallelogram, a blank one, and a right angle trapezium.

Drawer 6 Contains six irregular figures including an oval, a blank space, a curvilinear triangle, an ellipse, an equilateral triangle, and a quatrefoil.

Prerequisites: Presentation Tray

Aims:

Names of plane geometry shapes
Visual discrimination of size & shape
Concentration
One to One Correspondence
Hand-eye coordination
Preparation for writing & math

Geometric Cabinet with Cards

Age: 4 to 7 years old

Materials:

A geometry cabinet, a set of cards with the shapes of the geometry cabinet drawn and colored in; another set of cards with the outlines of the shapes heavily outlined; a third set of cards with the shapes thinly outlined. The progression of introduction is: the filled in cards, the thick outline cards, and the thin outline cards.

Prerequisites:

Basic practical life exercises using the 3 finger grip

Presentation:

The presentation for the circle drawer will be described. The other drawers are presented in order, in exactly the same way. Remove all solid, thick, and thin circle cards from their box to prepare for this presentation.

Invite the child to see some new work with the geometry cabinet. Have the child bring the circle drawer, and you carry the cards. Ask the child to remove the insets and form a straight horizontal line. Then remove the templates and put them above the insets.
“These are the geometry cabinet cards for the circle drawer.” Lay the solid circle cards out randomly below the insets.
Invite the child to put the cards in order. Pick up circle one and put it on its card. Continue with the remaining insets.
“Can you see any blue on the card? Would you like to check the rest of them?”
When all cards are checked, have the child put the insets back into the templates in order, then put the templates back into the drawer in order, and finally the circles back into the templates OR Ask the child if he would like to see another set of cards.
Hand the child a set of thick lined cards and ask her to put them in order. Check the order by placing the circle on its thick outline card.
Do the first few and then ask the child to complete.
The circles can be returned to the templates at this point, the templates to the drawer and the insets to the templates

OR the work can move ahead as follows:

Randomize both sets of cards and let the child put them back in order
Then, randomize both sets of cards and the insets and let the child put them back in order
Finally, randomize both sets of cards, insets, and templates and let the child put them back in order
Show the child how to match templates to the cards
Give the child a set of thin line cards to sort; when all three sets of cards are in order, check each all the way through with the corresponding inset and leave the inset on the thin line cards which form the bottom row

Control of Error:

No blue or red showing around insets when placed on top.
The last card doesn't match.

Points of Interest:

The layout of cards
Inset fits on top of each of the three kinds of cards.
No colors showing around the edges of the insets.
Fitting templates over the solid cards.

Aims:

Visual discrimination of shape.
Small muscle and eye/hand coordination.
Develop increasingly abstract concepts of plane figures.
One to one relationships.

Language:

Name of shape, thin outline, thick outline, filled-in.

Looking for extensions? Check out this post on sensorial variations & extensions!

Marnie

Continent Maps Learning Resources & Ideas for Preschoolers

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Curriculum Tagged With: Geography This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Montessori geography is a beautiful piece of the Montessori learning environment. Moving from concrete to abstract children get their hands on sandpaper globes, landform materials, a world map puzzle, and continent maps. There is a lot of fun and learning to be had in this area. I have to say map work is one of my favorites areas of Montessori learning.

One of the coolest parts of Montessori geography are the variations that come with the continent maps, for example. Even the youngest children in the classroom have the opportunity to trace, pin poke, cut, and sew maps and globes using the continent maps. By the way, a fantastic early continent learning is Montessori Map Work by Bobby and June George.

Montessori Map Work

How to Teach Montessori Geography – Puzzle Maps Lesson

Introduce the world puzzle map
Introduce the World Map by bringing the continent globe to the work area.
“This is the earth. It is a sphere. A globe is a way for us to show the places on Earth.”
Bring the world map to the work area.
“Maps are another way to show the places on Earth. Maps are flat, though, not spheres, like globes. This is a map of the world.”
Point out the matching continents: “This is North America. And this is North America.”
Continue with the remaining continents.
Pull out each continent carefully and intentionally using the three-finger grip.
Place randomly on the work mat.
Pick up a continent piece and find its place.
Give the child a turn to put the puzzle together in the template or on the work mat.

Presenting the remaining puzzle maps

Present each puzzle map in the same way. Introduce first as a sensory experience and then introduce the names of the countries.

Puzzle Maps Activity

Create a Continents Booklet

Use the world map to trace and create their own continent/country booklet from the map.

Continent Booklet Materials:

The world map or a continent map
A clear plastic circle the same size as the hemisphere on the map
Small sheets of paper
Colored pencils
Take the map to the floor.
Demonstrate how the child can use the piece of the puzzle to trace an outline of the continents.
Encourage the child to continue tracing the outlines and coloring in the outlines of the continents
Make a continent/country booklet

Trace a Continent

The world map or a continent map
A clear plastic circle the same size as the hemisphere on the map
Large sheet of paper
Colored pencils
Take the map to the floor.
Demonstrate again how the child can use the piece of the puzzle to trace an outline of the continents.
Encourage the child to continue tracing the outlines and coloring in the outlines of the continents in the format of the larger map.
Use control maps & tracing paper to create beautiful maps

Additional Resources

5 Lessons You Need to Know Using the Moveable Alphabet

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Curriculum Tagged With: Language Lesson, Pink Series This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Montessori's Moveable Alphabet is an exciting transition for many young children. Thus far in the Montessori Language sequence of lessons, children have progressed using the sandpaper letters only. Once the guide presents the moveable alphabet, the children are eager to continue the learning.

Below are the Montessori lessons that use the moveable alphabet. The first lesson listed below is actually the fourth lesson in the pink series sequence of lessons.

What is the Montessori Moveable Alphabet?

In brief, a moveable alphabet is a tool used in a Montessori learning environment to teach reading, spelling, and writing. It is a wooden box containing 26 wooden letters. Vowels are in blue and consonants are in red.

Using the Moveable Alphabet with Montessori Language Lessons

Introduction to the Movable Alphabet
Association of the Movable Alphabet and the Sandpaper Letters
Short Vowel Word Building: Movable Alphabet and Sandpaper Letters
Movable Alphabet: Short Vowel Words with Objects
Movable Alphabet: Short Vowel Words with Pictures

#1 – Introduction to the Moveable Alphabet

Typically the child is 3.5 years old or older when she starts using and learning with the moveable alphabet. You know she is ready because she can recognize 3-4 consonant sounds and one vowel sound.

The goals of this lesson are to familiarize the child with movable alphabet, to teach care of the work by being careful with the letters, and by organizing & straightening letters in the box.

Present the Moveable Alphabet with this approach:

Invite the child to do the work.
Go to the shelf and carry movable alphabet to rug area.
Give a name to the apparatus.
Describe the contents within the wooden box.
Let child familiarize themselves with it.
Demonstrate how to straighten letters in the box in order to see them clearly; stacking same letters together in each compartment.
Remove one or more letters and then return to the box.
Use scanning, left to right.
Return letters to proper compartments and put back on the shelf.

The child will likely be interested in the myriad of letters available to her hands. The blue and red colors will engage her, too. She will begin to identify sounds to match the letters. The child may also be interested in how the letters fit into the box's compartments so neatly (a control of error).

#2 – Association of the Movable Alphabet and the Sandpaper Letters

The next lesson in the sequence is associating this new tool, the moveable alphabet, with familiar material, the sandpaper letters. The age, readiness, and goals of this lesson are the same as when introducing the moveable alphabet. Similarly, age 3.5 years old or older, having the ability to recognize 3-4 consonant sounds and one vowel sound, and preparation for reading, writing, and spelling. Finally, for this presentation, you need only a mat, the sandpaper letters, and the moveable alphabet.

Associating the Moveable Alphabet with Sandpaper Letters

Associate the Moveable Alphabet to the Sandpaper Letters with this approach:

Invite child.
Unroll rug if to be used.
Choose a sandpaper letter.
Find the same letter from the moveable alphabet (or can remove a few to match sandpaper letters).
Place on or under the sandpaper letter.
Continue depending on the child's interest.
Return letters to movable alphabet box.
Use scanning, left to right.

The child will be interested in matching the letters. The control of error is that the letters don't match.

Related Read: Montessori Pink Series Word Lists

#3 – Movable Alphabet and Sandpaper Letters – Short Vowel Word Building

Once the guide introduces the moveable alphabet and associates the moveable alphabet with the sandpaper letters, the child is likely a bit older, about 4 years old or so, with the same prerequisites. The goals of this next lesson focus on order, concentration, coordination, independence, self-esteem, and preparation for writing, reading, and spelling.

Build Short Vowel Words with the Moveable Alphabet & Sandpaper Letters with this approach:

Bring the sandpaper letters to the rugs
Begin with the consonant sounds and vowel sound the child knows, for example: (c, s, m, t, a)
Form a word the child has previously read, such as “mat,” with the Sandpaper Letters.
Introduce the Large Moveable Alphabet to the child.
Show the child how to scan box left to right, top to bottom with the index finger to find letters.
Ask the child to find the corresponding letters in the Moveable Alphabet.
Show the child how to arrange the letters of the Movable Alphabet to form the word “mat.”
Ask the child to read the word he has formed.
Continue with other words, such as: “cat,” “sat,” “rat.”
Show the child how to return letters to proper compartments.

The child will be interested in the different colors of vowels and consonants, the sounds, blending the sounds and letters, the colors of the vowels and consonants, and fitting the letters into the respective compartments.

#4 – Movable Alphabet: Short Vowel Words with Objects

When the child is ready to move on from short vowel word building, she will tackle the next lesson on the pink series sequence. The child will create short vowel words and match objects to the words.

For this lesson you need the following materials:

Red & blue pencils (for writing on labels if the child is ready)
Movable Alphabet and objects whose names are phonetic, rug, work board, paper slips
Containers of objects having the short vowel sound and the CVC pattern:

- /a/: bag, can, cap, cat, fan, pan
- /e/: bed, hen, jet, peg, pen, web
- /i/: bib, kid, lid, pig, pin, wig
- /o/: dog, fox, log, mop, pop, top, pod
- /u/: bud, bus, cup, gum, jug, tub

Similar aims as the prior lessons including:

To begin forming and reading three letter short vowel phonetic words
Order
Concentration
Coordination
Independence
Self-esteem
Analyze sounds in words
Word building
Preparation for reading
Builds vocabulary

Match Short Vowel Words to Objects with this approach:

Invite the child to work with the short vowel objects and the Moveable Alphabet.
Show the child where the short vowel objects and the Moveable Alphabet are located on the shelf.
Unroll rug
Select the container with the short /a/ objects and the Moveable Alphabet and carry them to the rug.
Name each object.
Child repeats the name of each object.
Place the container of objects (/a/: bag, can, cap, cat, fan, pan) to the upper left of the rug in a vertical column.
Place the box of Moveable Alphabet letters to the right of the container of objects.
Name the object: “rug”.

Make the first sound of the object while pointing to each letter in the Moveable Alphabet box to locate the letter that represents the sound and place on the rug.
Continue method, isolating each sound from word.
Point to the object and name the object.
Point and move the finger from left to right under the word and read the word emphasizing the sounds of the word.
Continue with the second object: bat.
Continue the process as long as the child remains interested and focused.
When words are formed, have the child read each word out loud.
Remember not to correct any misspelled words.
When ready to return the material to the shelf, begin with the object at the left. Name the object and return to container.
Read the word and return each letter to the appropriate compartment.
Return the objects and Moveable Alphabet to the shelf.

The child will be interested in exploring the objects, placing the letters in a row to make a word, the colors, the sounds, associating the sound and the letter, reading the words, reading the written words, and writing the words.

#5 – Moveable Alphabet with Short Vowel Words & Pictures

Once the child masters matching the objects to short vowel words built with the moveable alphabet, he is ready to move a bit more abstract. In this lesson, the child will build short vowel words with the moveable alphabet and match pictures (instead of objects) to the words.

Materials needed for this lesson include:

Movable Alphabet and pictures whose names pencils (red and blue) are phonetic, rug, work board, paper slips,
Containers of pictures having the short vowel sound and the pattern consonant/vowel/consonant:
- /a/: bag, can, cap, cat, fan, pan, gas, ham, jam, rag, rat, tag
- /e/: bed, hen, jet, peg, pen, web, keg, leg, men, red, ten, hem
- /i/: bib, kid, lid, pig, pin, wig, fig, fin, hip, rib, tin, lip
- /o/: dog, fox, log, mop, pod, top, cob, cot, hog, rod
- /u/: bud, bus, cup, gum, jug, tub, bun, mud, pup, rug, sun, bug

The goals for this lesson include:

To begin forming and reading three letter short vowel phonetic words.
Order, concentration, coordination, independence
Self-esteem
Analyze sounds in words
Word building
Preparation for reading
Builds vocabulary

Match Short Vowel Words to Pictures with this approach:

Invite the child to work with the short vowel pictures and the Moveable Alphabet.
Show the child where the short vowel pictures and the Moveable Alphabet are located on the shelf.
Unroll rug
Select the container with the short /a/ pictures and the Moveable Alphabet and carry them to the rug.
Place the container of pictures (/a/: bag, can, cap, cat, fan, pan) to the upper left of the rug in a vertical column.
Place the box of Movable Alphabet letters to the right of the container of pictures.
Name the picture: cat.
Make the first sound of the picture while pointing to each letter in the Moveable Alphabet box to locate the letter that represents the sound and place on the rug.
Continue method, isolating each sound from the word.
“C”, scan, remove the letter from box and place on the rug.
“a”, scan, remove the letter from box and place on the rug. Place the letter to the right of the first letter.
“t”, scan, remove the letter from box and place on the rug. Place the letter to the right of the second letter. Note: Letters can be pre-selected and laid randomly on the bottom of the rug.
Point to the picture and name the picture.
Point and move the finger from left to right under the word and read the word emphasizing the sounds of the word.
Continue with the second picture: can.
Continue the process as long as the child remains interested and focused.
When ready to return the material to the shelf, begin with the object at the left. Name the object and return to container.
Read the word and return each letter to the appropriate compartment.
Return the objects and Moveable Alphabet to the shelf.

Resources Used in these Moveable Alphabet Lessons

Language Arts Curriculum for Homeschoolers

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Activities, Curriculum Tagged With: Homeschool, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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I am always seeking out ways to help my kids with reading and writing without boring them to pieces. If you're searching for a Language Arts Curriculum for your homeschool or your classroom, I found a gem!

Recently we quite out of nowhere began to homeschool our 8 year old son. There are many reasons why this change happened in our family, which I will describe in a future blog post.

For now, I have to describe this amazing language arts program for homeschool but also for any parent wanting to supplement at home.

Language Arts Curriculum for Homeschoolers

Honestly, we've always wanted to homeschool and hope that our other two children will follow in his steps. In fact, I have done my research and vetted materials and curriculum.

Related Post: Montessori Homeschool Curriculum

In my scramble (yes, scramble) to get a homeschool plan together, I jotted down the topics we needed and wanted to cover and pulled resources from my back pocket to meet the requirements.

My Favorite Language Arts Curriculum

One particular Language Arts resource I am thrilled about is called Brave Writer.

Why I Love the Brave Writer Language Program

Here are a few reasons why I am so impressed by the material:

Virtual book clubs covering a wide range of abilities and development stages where kids go online to interact with each other and a teacher
Poetry Teatime is a weekly event – in our case on Tuesdays – where we drink tea, read poetry out loud, and discuss the poetry. The discussion part might seem daunting but the discussion happens quite naturally. You'll see.
On Wednesday afternoons we have a movie discussion club. Similar to poetry tea time, you watch a movie from a selected list of high-quality movies and discuss online with a teacher and other children. The teachers direct the conversations and respond to the kids' answers.
We also do a lot of free form writing based on an image we capture in nature, a poem, and so on.

Partnership is a big theme with Brave Writer. As the adult in your child's homeschool, modeling and partnering with your child and his learning is key to success.

The Partnership Writing Program guides you to make this happen in your homeschool. There are 4 separate guides beginning at 5-years-old and ending at 18. We purchased the Partnership Writing Bundle, which includes Writer's Jungle, Partnership Writing, and The Arrow.

The Writer's Jungle introduces and teaches a process of writing for both you and the child beginning with reading great books and poetry, developing acumen with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, observing detail, discovering and massaging writing voices, and learning how to revise writing.

The second piece of the Writer's Jungle is my favorite because it is full of fun with word games, journaling, and reading lists. This part supplements the foundation introduced in the first section.

I can't possibly say it better than the creator of the program. Here are her words:

The missing ingredient in writing curricula isn't how to structure a paragraph (information that can be readily found on the Internet). You don't need more facts about topic sentences or how to use libraries. Grammar and spelling are not the key components in writing, either, much to the chagrin of some English teachers.
Writing is first and foremost about writers—people with ideas, thoughts, and insights they want to share. Readers are cultivated by risky writing—writing that hooks, fascinates, speaks, surprises, enlivens, and tells the truth. How do you help your kids reach inside and find those kinds of words? That's what Brave Writer is all about and that's what The Writer's Jungle is designed to help you do.

The Arrow is also part of the bundle. Think of the arrow as a monthly injection into your homeschooling and learning at home.

It is a virtual book club (we're reading this book this month) and each guide includes the following:

Four copy work/dictation passages
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and literary device notes
A writing activity
Nine discussion questions

Poetry Resources for Your Homeschool

Homeschool Resources

You might be interested in A Few Thoughts on Language Development

How Montessori Teaches Math – Ten Board Lesson

By Marnie Craycroft 2 Comments Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori Tagged With: Math Lesson, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Let's take a detailed look into teaching math using the Montessori Ten Board.

The Ten Boards are found within Linear Counting and come after the Montessori Teens Board lesson in the Montessori Math sequence.

You can purchase a reasonably priced set on Amazon.

Montessori Ten Board Lesson

Presentation I – Introduction to Quantity

Ask the child: “Do you remember what this is? Yes it is ten.” Slide the bar to the left of the mat.

Place 2 ten bars side by side in the middle: “What do we have here? Yes, two tens. Two tens are twenty. This is ten and this is twenty.” Slide the bars over near the ten bar leaving a slight space between them.

Lay 3 ten bars in front of you: “ten, twenty and thirty. Three tens make thirty.” Slight over to the right of twenty.

Review the names with a 3 period lesson.

Introduce the rest of the quantities in this manner decreasing repetition of the early quantities as the child retains them. Involve the child more and more: “What do you think we should get out next? Can you count that out?”

Play mix up and hiding games to reinforce and make the work fun.

Presentation II – Introduction to Symbols with Ten Boards

Invite the child to learn the symbols for tens. Spread the mat and boards in the same manner as the teen boards.

Be seated on one side with the child seated on the other.

Point to ten: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is ten.”

Point to 20: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is 20. Can you say 20?”

Point to 30: “Do you remember what this is? Yes, it is 30. Can you say 30?”

Complete a three period lesson on each symbol.

Continue introducing symbols and reviewing old ones. Check the child’s knowledge of the symbols. No need to give a lesson if the child already knows the symbol. Proceed to associate quantity when the child is ready.

Presentation III – Association of Quantity and Symbol

Invite child, spread out the mat and set out boards. Place bead bars at the upper left.

Ask the child to read the top numeral and to place a ten bar next to it. Continue placing quantities and reading quantities.

Try to have the child do most of the work. To reinforce, mix up the ten bars and have the child reorder.

Presentation IV – Counting to 99

Invite child to learn how to count to 99.

Spread mat, get materials and arrange as in previous presentations.

Put a ten bar to the left of the ten: “This is ten.”

Place the ten bar next to ten on the board.

Put one bead beside the ten bar: “This is eleven. Will you count with me?” Slide the numeral one over the zero: “This is how we write eleven.”

Place a second unit under the 1st: “This is twelve. Let’s count to twelve.”

Slide the numeral two over the zero: “This is how we write twelve.”

Place a third unit under the 2nd: “This is thirteen. Let’s count to thirteen.”

Slide the numeral three over the zero: “This is how we write thirteen.”

Continue adding units and changing symbol.

The child should take over at some point.

When you get to 19, ask the child what comes next: “Twenty comes next.”

Pick up the units and place them in their container. Place another ten bar to the right of the first ten bar, touching it: “This is twenty. This is how we write twenty.”

Place a unit next to the right of the tens: “This is twenty-one.”

Continue in this manner up to 99. This may take a few days. Allow the child to take breaks.

Additional Resources

Ten and Teen Board Extension Sheets from Montessori Printshop
Montessori Teen & Ten Boards Set from Amazon

Must Have Materials to Teach Montessori Grammar

By Marnie Craycroft Leave a Comment Filed Under: Curriculum, Montessori, Outdoor Education Tagged With: Grammar, Homeschool, Language Lesson, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Montessori Grammar is fun to do with kids, and noun sorting cards are a must have when you do so! When my son was almost six years old, he was extremely interested in parts of speech. He asked a lot about what certain words mean and why these words belong in a particular sentence. It was a great time to teach him and his younger brother more about nouns with Montessori grammar lessons.

I began by reminding my sons that nouns are the meat of the sentence; that nouns are what ground the sentence. Yes, I know it sounds dramatic, but it makes sense to kids. Then we went on a NOUN Hunt in our environment. We went outside and had a lot of fun collecting objects and even moved into adjectives as we described the collected objects. Once we got inside, the boys were ready to focus on a work. So, I pulled out our Noun Cards and let them at it.

So, we began with the sorting cards. I created cards with REAL images that I believe relate to my children and their lives. The lesson is fairly simple. Print out these noun sorting cards, cut them out, and laminate the cards. Invite the child to do the work, perhaps with the use of objects. My sons fetched our police person figurine, for example, during this exercise. Many children respond well to concrete.

Montessori Grammar Lesson with Noun Sorting Cards

The Montessori Grammar Noun Sorting lesson is straightforward.

Invite the child
Lay out the labels – Person, Place, Thing – saying the name on the label as you place it on the mat.
Remind the child of the definition of a Noun
Go through the cards and sorting the cards as you name the image.
Most likely the child will take over the lesson.

Grammar Lesson Extensions & Resources

Encourage her to point out nouns in the environment
Go on a noun hunt either simply by identifying or by collecting objects
Grab a magazine and scissors. Invite the child to identify, cut out, and sort by pasting the images onto a piece of paper.
Gather objects to sort into Person, Place, and Thing. Safari Toobs are a great source for these objects. Also, Montessori Services has a ton of objects to use in language lessons
Ridiculously Effective Montessori Grammar Activities
Must-Have Materials to Teach Montessori Grammar
Download my Montessori Grammar Pack!

How do you use noun sorting cards in your Montessori grammar presentations?