How do they teach reading at a Montessori school?

[lucky_mia]

Is it more of a whol language approach vs. a phonics approach? Is it neither or some combination of both? Is it direct instruction or more of a hands on figure it out on your own method. I tried to research it on the web and have not found what I am looking for.

Thanks for your help.

ETA: I am asking this question because I am a tutor and I am going to be working with a little girl entering second grade. Since it is summer break, I can't talk to her teachers about the methods they use at her school. Montessori education has worked very well for her except she seems to have a LD and is struggling with reading.

[nkm1968]

In Montessori 3-6 classrooms, the reading method is largely phonics based (they teach kids the sounds of letters instead of letter names, have them list words that have a certain sound in the beginning, middle or end of a word, they teach blending the sounds, etc). Although, children are usually not asked to read so much as write. And teachers and parents are supposed to promote whole language reading by reading only exceptional books (fiction, non fiction alike) out loud to children, and frequently.

By elementary, most kids are able to read at least at grade level, some are late bloomers and read later, some are early birds and read much earlier. But there is less stress on how fast and what level they are at, because it is a noncompetitive environment.

For the truly learning disabled child, many of the larger Montessori schools have a reading specialist (usually using a Wilson or Orton program) who can provide specialized instruction. Other Montessori schools actively resist labeling kids too early and providing too much help (see a book entitled "Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful" by Donna Bryant Goertz for more info regarding that philosophy). Regardless, most children who either are late bloomers or truly struggle with reading at least usually enjoy attending school, because there are so many choices for work that is easy or more interesting for them.

[lucky_mia]

Thank you - that was just what I was looking for. I am an Orton-Gillingham tutor and that will help me to help her. She does love school but her parents don't want to see that change as she struggles with reading.

[Lillianna]

bltn?

for what it's worth - I would like to answer the general question about how do they teach reading at a Montessori school:
there are three stages the child passes through. when she enters the toddler community or the Children's House, the child (age 2 or 3) begins the spoken language activities: songs, poems, fingerplays, conversations, enrichment of vocabulary and cultural stories. There are many activities in this area and for Montessori, this spoken language component is essential for solid progress in writing and reading.
The activites for reading begin with sound games and learning the phonetic sounds the letters make. Once the child is confident and familiar with these sounds (through a variety of activities), we move on to phonograms and puzzle words. Through the function of word and sentence analysis activities (from 5 years up) the child become a very fluent reader in what is commonly called a "Total Reading" method as opposed to a "phonics based" program.
If the indirect preparations are in place, if the child begins in Montessori at age 2 or 3 and if the Directress has a good understanding of the Montessori approach, the child will learn to read in an atmosphere of success.
This is a very simple overview of the method. In addition, the materials and activities for writing follow the same techniques: progress from simple to complex and isolate one difficulty at a time.

As to your specific questions: "Is it more of a whole language approach vs. a phonics approach? Is it neither or some combination of both? Is it direct instruction or more of a hands on figure it out on your own method." I would say, it is a combination. Folks in the Montessori community (at least for AMI) commonly refer to it as "Total Reading". Montessori is, in general, much more of a hands-on-figure-it-out-on-your-own method, but the reading activities (especially sandpaper letters) require a great deal of one on one direct instruction.

Good luck!

[sunshine's mama]

Originally Posted by Lillianna

bltn?

for what it's worth - I would like to answer the general question about how do they teach reading at a Montessori school:
there are three stages the child passes through. when she enters the toddler community or the Children's House, the child (age 2 or 3) begins the spoken language activities: songs, poems, fingerplays, conversations, enrichment of vocabulary and cultural stories. There are many activities in this area and for Montessori, this spoken language component is essential for solid progress in writing and reading.
The activites for reading begin with sound games and learning the phonetic sounds the letters make. Once the child is confident and familiar with these sounds (through a variety of activities), we move on to phonograms and puzzle words. Through the function of word and sentence analysis activities (from 5 years up) the child become a very fluent reader in what is commonly called a "Total Reading" method as opposed to a "phonics based" program.
If the indirect preparations are in place, if the child begins in Montessori at age 2 or 3 and if the Directress has a good understanding of the Montessori approach, the child will learn to read in an atmosphere of success.
This is a very simple overview of the method. In addition, the materials and activities for writing follow the same techniques: progress from simple to complex and isolate one difficulty at a time.

As to your specific questions: "Is it more of a whole language approach vs. a phonics approach? Is it neither or some combination of both? Is it direct instruction or more of a hands on figure it out on your own method." I would say, it is a combination. Folks in the Montessori community (at least for AMI) commonly refer to it as "Total Reading". Montessori is, in general, much more of a hands-on-figure-it-out-on-your-own method, but the reading activities (especially sandpaper letters) require a great deal of one on one direct instruction.

Good luck!

This is how it was when I was in Montessori School.....

Peggy, our reading teacher was fantastic and to this day (i am 32) remains one of my favorite teachers.

And it is in this way, I plan to teach my little girl to read.....