How to Use Montessori Methods to Help Children Read Longer Phonetic Words

The Montessori Method keeps preschool kids interested in education by allowing them to choose their own way to learn. Lessons are usually introduced in a few different ways so children can learn in the manner they follow best. To teach long, phonetic words, Montessori schools have a few ways to introduce the sound and letter concepts to the students.

Instructions

1. Use phonetic-word cards. Montessori schools use phonetic cards to teach children the basic letter sounds that make up words. For longer phonetic words, the cards may have a word of five letters or more and an object matching the card to show to the children. Some schools use a phonetic-object box to keep the phonetic-word cards and their corresponding objects together.

2. Teach with phonetic-verb cards that correspond to a simple action the kids can perform. Make a game of the verb cards so that the children see the word spelled phonetically and can then act out the word physically. This correspondence between words and physical action is a powerful learning device for children who are learning how written words are related to real-world items and actions.

3. Make word labels that represent phonetic words. This is a way to ensure that the children see the phonetic words over and over again, making them better able to remember the longer phonetic words. Label everything in the room that is large enough to hold a label, and create the labels using only the easy-to-understand phonetic spellings.

4. Get a set of picture-and-word cards. These are cards with the phonetic words spelled on one card and a card that has a picture of the item that the children have to find. You can help children recognize longer phonetic words by showing them several picture cards and letting them sound out the letters themselves to figure out which card matches the word card.