Reading and Writing

Language Arts Curriculum for Homeschoolers

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Curriculum, Homeschool, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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 outloud, 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 a 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 copywork/dictation passages
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and literary device notes
A writing activity
Nine discussion questions

Poetry Resources for Your Homeschool

Homeschool Resources

Must Have Materials to Teach Montessori Grammar

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori Lessons, Outdoor Education Tagged With: Grammar, Homeschool, Language Lesson, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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

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.

Download my Montessori Grammar Pack!

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

Ridiculously Effective Montessori Grammar Activities

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori Lessons Tagged With: Grammar, Homeschool, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Grammar is fun! Montessori Grammar is even better! Inside you'll find awesome Montessori Grammar activities the kids are sure to love.

My six year old continues to be interested in parts of speech. Most recently he is set on coming up with as many homophones as possible. The activity is not only fun but he works hard to test various word pairs, then uses the words in a sentence. English is a tough language to learn. Homophones are just one example!

To help my son out, I created homophone cards using real images. He enjoyed matching up the cards. That part was quite simple for him. I encouraged him to write out the words. He took it a step beyond writing the words by illustrating the words. Here are a few materials I've created to help my children with learning Parts of Speech.

The materials I have created so far are in this bundle in my SHOP and in Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Montessori Grammar Activity: Noun Sorting

I like this noun sorting exercise because you can prepare the work for a wide age range. My 4.5 year old really enjoyed this work and added his own flare to it by seeking out objects to also sort into Person, Place, and Thing. My 6-year-old appreciated and understood the fact that a noun is what grounds the sentence, it is the meat of the sentence. Seeking out nouns around our home (“Going on a Noun Hunt” as my boys called it) was equally as fun for them. Who knew learning Parts of Speech could be so entertaining to them! I used these Noun Sorting Cards available in my TPT store and my SHOP.

Montessori Grammar Activity: Preposition

Kids have so much fun with prepositions. I personally love this Part of Speech because you can get bodies moving and be creative! These preposition cards are simple and can be used with props to help children really understand the lesson. Check out the full lesson in this grammar post.

Montessori Grammar Activity: Article, Adjective, Noun Cards

My son enjoyed matching these grammar cards to the images. Next stop is adding a verb and having him create the grammar symbol pattern to match the phrases. I created these grammar phrase cards with a nature theme.

For all these Montessori grammar materials plus a whole lot more (including lots of freebies), check out my SHOP and my Teachers Pay Teacher store!

Best,
Marnie

How to Encourage Montessori Writing Development

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori Lessons Tagged With: Reading and Writing, Shelf Work This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Montessori's approach to language development is fascinating, intriguing, and, well, effective. If you are looking for insight into Montessori writing development, you have landed in the right place. Welcome. I am going to introduce you to one of the tools to effectively learn how to teach kids to write.

“Genius is eternal patience.” ~ Michelangelo

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Montessori Outlet. All opinions are 100% mine.

Montessori metal insets are one of my all-time favorite Montessori materials. They are by far the most effective I have come across in teaching my son hand coordination to prepare him for writing.

The insets come in the shapes of a square, triangle, circle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, pentagon, curvilinear triangle, and quatrefoil. They present the child with a wide variety of hand movements to enhance work on control and steadiness while writing left to right. The child will also eventually learn to make a continuous stroke.

Montessori's Metal Insets Teach Kids to Write

The best part is that the insets work on a wide variety of skills. This work primarily focuses on the development of Montessori writing skills, of course. In addition to that, art and math skills are also inherent to the metal inserts as children are making designs and patterns with the shapes. By the way, the insets are the same size as the shapes found in the geometric cabinet.

Keep in mind, though, that the work with metal insets should not be rushed by the adult or the child.

How to Teach Kids to Write with Metal Insets

There are fairly specific presentations with Montessori metal insets. Here is the approach I took with my son, along with some variations.

Introduce the Metal Insets

Present each inset to the child, picking up the inset with a three finger grip, tracing the insets with the dominant index finger, then returning the inset to its template. If the child wants to continue that day, great. If not, put the work aside for another presentation.

Trace the Metal Insets with a Pencil

The next time I brought the insets out, I introduced the tracing paper and colored pencils. We worked slowly together tracing most of the shapes. The work is meant to be done slowly, so when you introduce the work to your child be sure to emphasize that slowness and steadiness. Tracing gives the child an opportunity to learn how to grip and guide a pencil, and feel the pressure on the pencil while writing.

How to Teach Kids to Write – Metal Inset Extensions

Children can make designs on their own.
Present simple designs and ask the child to identify the shapes used to make the design.
Prepare a few simple designs and ask the child to reproduce the design.

My favorite part of this work is the use of the metal insets and colored pencils to create beautiful designs. This part of the work comes after a child has worked with the insets for a bit.

Metal Insets Deliver Results

The wait and work are worth it. When my son was 3.5 years old, he was deep into the sensitive period for reading and writing. Observing him was beautiful. Watching him unfold into his magical self-has always been inspiring and motivating.

I remember thinking when he was about 2.5 years old: “I must be doing something wrong,” because he wasn't interested in my presentations or the materials. He needed to be ready. Patience is truly a virtue, my friends, please keep that in mind on your Montessori journey.

Where are your children or students in their Montessori writing development? What do you think of these metal insets?

Thank you for reading today. I hope that you found this post helpful to you in your Montessori journey.

Warmly,
Marnie

A note about our Sponsor, Montessori Outlet:

Montessori Outlet offers premium quality at outlet prices. Old traditions meet new technology is a key message that resonates with me. They use authentic Nienhuis blueprints to produce affordable Montessori materials for classrooms and home learning environments. I am proud to be partnering with them. Definitely check out their line of Montessori products. They offer great deals on shipping too. You will be happy that you spent the time.

Please take the time to visit Montessori Outlet to browse their affordable Montessori products for your school, classroom or home school. I have been extraordinarily pleased with the selection and quality of materials. The customer service is also top notch.

Easy to Put Together Montessori Pre-Reading Lessons

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori, Montessori Lessons Tagged With: Language Lesson, Pre-Reading, Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Children begin learning to read and write long before they pick up a book or a pencil. If a child is ready to start her language development journey, these Montessori pre-reading activities are a good starting point. There is nothing more beautiful to observe a child enter her period of sensitivity for language.

As the guide, create the environment and step back to watch the process unfold before your eyes. Below are five Montessori Pre-Reading Lessons to start your journey. These Montessori language are a great way to warm the child's logic, problem-solving, focus, and concentration skills.

Montessori Pre-Reading Lessons

Montessori Pre-Reading Does Not Belong

Children enjoy the Montessori Does Not Belong activity. You can make this activity as straightforward or complicated as you would like to by making the differences more or less subtle. Making cards is easy to keep the child's interest. I made a set of “Does Not Belong” cards using real images if you would like to take a look at them.

Montessori Pre-Reading Category Classification

This activity involves sorting images into categories. Like the “Does Not Belong” activity, you can make the Classification by Category lesson as easy or difficult as possible, adjusting for the child. This activity is also a fun way to integrate the concrete material into the child's learning with figurines. I choose to use real images in my classification categories. Children relate better to real images and are more likely to respond to the activity, in my experience. A set of Montessori Classification Cards is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store if you'd like a fresh set!

Montessori Pre-Reading Nomenclature Cards

This pre-reading Montessori language activity involves simple nomenclature cards. The work can be done with image-to-image with the label, or image with a label to image and the to label.

Children match the image and then the labels to the image.

They work from left to right, preparing the child for reading and writing.

These cards can be as creative as you need them to be. You can create cards specific to a child. For example, if a child likes sports, or insects, or the human body, you can create nomenclature cards specific for a unit or a child.

Montessori Pre-Reading Look Alike Matching

This lesson works a child's logic skills as he closely compares and contrasts the images to make a match. The child develops language with these types of activities, as he works from left to right, preparing him for reading and writing.

Here is a set of Look-Alike Matching cards using real images that I created for my teaching.

Montessori Pre-Reading Story Sequence

I adore Story Sequence cards. You can create these cards to apply to a simple act in daily life, like giving a hug. You can also apply these cards to science with the life cycle, or even a story from a child's favorite book.

Children put the cards in order, working their reading comprehension early on in their journey to reading.

Do you have any favorite Montessori pre-reading lessons to share?

Marnie

The Ultimate List of Montessori Language Resources and Recommendations

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Montessori in the Classroom Tagged With: Reading and Writing This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Welcome to your one stop Montessori language resources shop! This post highlights my go to Montessori language resources, also known as my top Montessori language recommendations. In this post, I will point you to the myriad of posts I've covered on Montessori language and resources to bolster your current classroom or homeschool, or to begin your rocking Montessori language resources shelves!

Montessori Language Resources

Object Boxes from Montessori Services
Montessori Lower and Capital Case Sandpaper Letters w/ Boxes
Safari Toobs
Japanese Erasers
Small Chalkboard
Language downloads from Montessori Printshop
Metal Insets and Metal Inset Tray
Letter Formation: Tracing Guide
Montessori: Letter Work
Montessori Small Wooden Movable Alphabet with Box (Red & Blue, 5mm thick)
Pin Punching Set
Pin Poking downloads from Montessori Printshop
Ideas for Montessori Organizing from Trillium Montessori
Useful Montessori Books
Storing Language Materials

Montessori Language Materials

Pre-Reading Materials

Over 30 pages of 5 traditional Over 30 pages of 5 traditional Montessori Pre-Reading Lesson Materials that will easily get you started in your home or new classroom, or freshen up your current classroom work.

INCLUDES 5 MONTESSORI PRE-READING LESSON MATERIALS:

Montessori Small to Large Matching
Montessori Tracing Guide
Montessori Does Not Belong
Montessori Classification by Category
Montessori Look Alike Matching

Pink Series Materials

50+ Pages of Montessori Pink Series Language Activities

Terrific Value! Don't miss out on this set of Montessori Pink Series Bundle includes over 50 pages to accompany traditional Montessori Early Childhood works.

This set includes:

Fill in the blank beginning sound
Draw a line to the beginning sound
Mark the appropriate beginning sound
3 Letter Short Vowel Word Images & Labels
Short Vowel Word Lists
Short Vowel Word Phrases
Word Image Match

Blue Series Materials

This AMAZING bundle includes six beautiful sets (40 pages) of materials for your classroom. Download today!

Sets include preparation guidance. Purchase of the bundle includes lifetime access to updates.

This bundle includes:

Montessori Blue Level Consonant Digraph Word Lists
Montessori Blue Level Blends & Image Punch Cards
Montessori Blue Level Word Labels & Image Cards
Compound Word Puzzle Cards
Consonant Digraph Word Labels & Images Activity
Consonant Digraph Activity

Grammar Materials

This set includes over 25 PAGES of printable Montessori Grammar cards including:

Noun Sorting Cards
Proposition Cards
Article, Adjective, Noun Cards
Homophone Cards

Montessori 3 Part Cards

This Bundle includes 38 sets of Montessori 3 Part Cards. Nearly 100 pages of real images & unique topics to bring into the home or classroom.

Look forward to this post being updated often! Bookmark it for future reference!

Marnie