Learning to Read in the Montessori Classroom
When will my child read?
This is a very common question lately as families become
more concerned with their children meeting milestones and the high expectations
of today’s current educational climate. Recent research has most schools
flocking to the Science of Reading approach, focusing on phonemic awareness with
explicit, systematic practice of phonological skills and an equal focus on
background knowledge and its importance for comprehension and understanding.
Seem overwhelming? The good news is that the Montessori
approach to language development has been doing this for over 100 years! And it
works! But only when the child is ready and given the correct, developmentally
appropriate lessons at their most sensitive period for absorbing this critical knowledge.
So how do we know when a child is ready? It starts early…and
with a lot of observation, skills assessment and practice. The Montessori
environment is full of rich, diverse and sensorially significant language
experiences and content. The children are exposed to an extensive and vast vocabulary,
poetry, songs, stories and movement activities that all play a part in early language
development. By engaging children early with simple, but fun, oral language
activities that incorporate initial sounds, rhyming, sequencing and syllables,
we are teaching them early about the cadence of language and defining what
sounds are and that sounds make words, that words make sentences and that sentences
tell stories or give us information. This all happens before we even talk about
what a “letter” is or what it looks and sounds like!
Through very tactile and hands-on activities, the young
child is eventually introduced to letter forms and their corresponding sound
and how they all work together to make words. This is a huge leap for the young
child and takes a lot of systematic and explicit practice. While it is an
exciting time, it should not be rushed, and a child could spend several years
mastering these skills. We must be patient and understand that while they are able
to read simple phonetic words one day, they may not be able to on the next. The
child will not master these skills until their brain makes the proper
connections and orthographic mapping takes place. Recent research on childhood brain development
is fascinating. Checkit out!
So, what is the age that a child should be reading? This is
different FOR EVERY CHILD. As a culture, we are pushing reading fluency earlier
and earlier and it simply is not developmentally appropriate for young
children. Most children may not be ready to practice reading until age 6 or so.
The groundwork and foundation of all of the oral language and phonemic awareness
activities must be strong and secure before we expect to introduce text to a
child and expect them to retain the value of that content. If pushed too hard
too soon, your child will avoid reading and have a negative response to
language activities. We want our children to love reading and harness the power
of the written word for themselves!
We all know the value of strong reading skills and how they
enrich lives and shape minds. But you may wonder what you can do as a parent or caregiver to
aid in this development at such a crucial time. Thankfully, the internet is full
of resources and examples of how to incorporate language activities into your
daily life. The following are some links to a few of our favorites!
https://www.readingrockets.org/literacy-home
https://www.beginlearning.com/parent-resources/phonemic-awareness-activities/
Your child's Montessori guide is an excellent resource, so use
them! If you truly understand where your child is in their language development
journey, you will be better able to assess appropriate activities and books for
them. You may even learn a few things about reading yourself!
Most importantly, have fun! If you are excited and positive about
reading, your child will be too!
Some resources to learn more about the Science of Reading
and the Montessori Language Curriculum:
https://improvingliteracy.org/brief/science-reading-basics/index.html
https://www.in.gov/doe/files/3-science-reading.pdf
https://www.trilliummontessori.org/montessori-language/
https://www.maitrilearning.com/pages/language-development-the-big-picture
