Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Introducing the Montessori Movable Alphabet to the Preschool Student

NAMC montessori movable alphabet introducing to preschool student

I was so excited to be able to introduce Jordan to the Movable Alphabet, because he has wanted to for so long and it is wonderful to see that he is finally ready to be introduced to it. The look on his face as we carried the Movable Alphabet to a floor mat was priceless! Jordan eagerly sat down on the floor and removed the lid of the box, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Introducing the Montessori Movable Alphabet to the Preschool Student


I began taking out the letters one by one, while asking him to tell me the sound of each. He did so effortlessly, and was clearly ready to move on to the next step. I pulled a small cat figurine out of a small fabric bag and said to Jordan, “Let’s see if we can write the word cat.” I placed the cat on the floor mat and said, “What is the first sound you hear in the word cat?” He quickly responded by saying “c”, and then searched for the letter in the Movable Alphabet. Once he found it he placed it on the floor mat beside the little cat figurine.

I then asked, “What sound do you hear after the sound ‘c’?” He gave me a bit of a blank stare, so I provided a little assistance … I said the word, ‘cat’, but really emphasized the middle sound. Jordan heard the sound “a”, and removed it from the Movable Alphabet, placing it carefully beside the ‘c’. He then found the last "t" sound and placed it at the end of the word. I sounded out each of the sounds together, so that he could hear they did in fact make the word ‘cat.’

After that, I could tell he was starting to lose focus, so I suggested we put the work away and try a different word on another day. He then asked me the cutest question: “Teacher Bree, could we please leave “my word” on the floor mat, so that I can show my mommy when she comes to pick me up? She won’t believe her eyes that I sounded out the word by myself!” How could I say no to that? We left his work on the mat, and he showed his Mom with such pride when she came to pick him up.

This year long series looks at the experiences of teachers, parents, students, and Montessori education itself, as we follow a student through his first year at a Montessori Preschool. Montessori Insights and Reflections of a Preschool Child’s First Year is a collection of useful stories, tips, and information that have arisen from one real student's Montessori journey.

Bree — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Tuesday, March 1, 2011.

1 comments:

  1. Hi Tony! I'm pleased to hear that you found the post helpful. The Moveable Alphabet is such a wonderful teaching tool!

    ReplyDelete

Have questions or comments? Let us know what you thought about this article!

We appreciate feedback and love to discuss with our readers further.

NAMC Blog Inquiries Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Search the NAMC Montessori Teacher Training Blog

Are you interested in reading back through NAMC's blog articles from years gone by, or for more information on a specific topic?

Browse a select list of our most popular categories below; by clicking on one, you will see every article posted under that topic since 2007. You may also use the lower archive menu to select a year and month, displaying all blog posts in the chosen time frame.

If you are seeking a range of information on a certain topic or idea, try this search box for site-wide keyword results.

Choose From a List of Popular Article Topics

NAMC Montessori Series

Montessori Philosophy and Methodology

Montessori Classroom Management

The School Year

Montessori Materials

Montessori Curriculum

Montessori Infant/Toddler (0–3) Program

Montessori Early Childhood (3–6) Program

Montessori Elementary (6–12) Programs

What is Montessori?

Search Archives for Montessori Blog Posts by Date


Thank you to the NAMC Montessori community!

NAMC has been providing quality Montessori distance training and curriculum development to Montessorians around the globe for more than 25 years. Since beginning in 1996, we have grown to build a fantastic community of students, graduates, and schools in over 160 countries. We are grateful for your continued support and dedication to furthering the reach and success of the Montessori method.