Short Vowel Lesson: Early Childhood Montessori Language

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Do your students know their short vowels? Work on developing phonemic awareness with this fun Montessori language activity that will help children learn the sounds associated with each letter.

Set out objects and word labels containing only short vowel sounds to explore in an independent or group setting. Allow your students to engage with images and objects as they build phonetic knowledge, develop sound-symbol relationships, and practice reading!

The Montessori Pink Level focuses on short vowel word reading, building, and writing. There are two main things I really believe in 1) presenting REAL images to children as noted in a recent post and 2) presenting concrete objects, especially for the younger children.

Short Vowel Word Labels & Objects

I love Safari Toobs and Japanese erasers. Montessori Services also has outstanding object packages for early childhood language learning. So, I really enjoy this lesson at home or in the classroom.

Materials for Short Vowel Word Activity

Short a word objects
Labels (use Century Gothic font if you're creating your own.
A basket or container for the objects and word labels
A work rug or table

Montessori CVC Short Vowel Lesson – Begin with Short A Words

Invite the child to do the work. Go to the shelf with the child. Bring the container with the short /a/ IMAGES and word labels to the work rug. Begin with short /a/ words.
Remove the objects, one at a time, from the container, naming each object as you place the objects in a vertical column. Have the child name each object.

Select a word label. Make the first sound of the word, then the second and final sounds. Blend the sounds together to make the word. Scan the objects with the word label & place the word label next to the appropriate object.

Continue with this approach, isolating each sound in the word.

short vowel lesson pink level object to label match

When the child has matched all the word labels to the objects, remove the objects and have the child read each word out loud.
Return materials to the container. Return to shelf.