In the elementary years, children begin to work with concurring grammar programs which present Key Experiences to renew their interest in the language area. Therefore, our language programs are designed to be first introduced by an adult, but also provide plenty of independent practice and extension works. At Alison’s Montessori, we offer all Montessori grammar programs with complete instructions to facilitate your experience as a guide. In this post, you will learn about our various language programs which are suitable for school and home settings.
Grammar Command Cards 6-9
Grammar Sentences 6-9 focuses on parts of speech (noun, article, adjective, verb, pronoun, adverb, preposition, and interjection). The material consists of a series of large and small labels containing words and sentences. Children are progressively offered mini-lessons, Key Experiences, to learn about various grammatical components of the English language. Gradually, they work their way through the material independently which leads to vocabulary enrichment and a deeper understanding of how words function in a sentence. While practicing with the written form of the words, they are also invited to manipulate representative objects. For example, a black wooden triangle is placed above the nouns as a visual representation. A red circle is placed above verbs which signifies energy, and motion. All the visuals provide instant feedback on sentence structure and repeated patterns. Grammar Sentences 6-9 provides sufficient work for an entire school year and is repeated over the next years.
Sentence Analysis 6-9 and 9-12
Sentence Analysis is introduced at the same time as Word Study which is around age 6. Children learn about the relationship between different parts of a sentence: subject, predicate, direct/indirect object, adverbial extensions, attributive extensions, and appositives. The work consists of a series of large pictures, Prepared Sentences, and workbooks to allow children to practice creative writing by creating their own sentences to analyze. The material can be used along with different wooden materials, Sentence Analysis Boxes, and Charts, which serve as manipulatives to demonstrate the relationship between the parts of a given sentence.
Word Study 6-9
Word Study is introduced at the same time as Mechanics of Writing and Sentence Analysis, starting at age 6. Just as its name says, it focuses on words and their smaller parts or on how words fit in categories of words. Word Study’s main components are Alphabetization, Synonymes, Antonymes, Classification, Compound Words, Contractions, Homophones, Homonyms, Homographs, Plurals, Possessives, Prefixes, and Suffixes.
Word Study is highly appreciated working with Word Study as it offers interesting ways to contrast words. Our sets of cards are also colorful and perfect designed for small hands to handle. The size of the words is generous and clearly printed on cardstock paper, which can be laminated and precut on demand. Words parts, such as prefixes and suffixes, are emphasized using red. Compound words are contrasted by using pictures. For instance, to illustrate a ponytail, children associate a picture of a ponytail with a pony and a tail. Children find these activities really funny! While studying parts of words, children also learn about the mechanics that make written communication smoother and more manageable using punctuation, which is described in the next section.
Mechanics of Writing 6-12
Mechanics of Writing is a crucial component of the English language. It teaches children the conventions of language such as punctuation (comma, period, quotation marks, etc.) but also other skills such as distinguishing phrases from sentences, what words are capitalized or abbreviated, or how to use appositives. The material is user-friendly and the activities are diverse. Children can further practice the skills they have acquired through the manipulatives using the reproducible worksheets we provide along with the card material. This provides reinforcement through contextualizing knowledge and is done at the child’s own pace.
Verb Conjugation 6-9 and 9-12
Verb Conjugation for Lower Elementary children consists of a series of 20 verbs which cover 10 regular verbs and 10 irregular verbs. Children use a timeline and concrete manipulatives representing a verb and a pronoun to understand concepts of time (past, present, future). After they understand these concepts visually, a set of cards is used to explain that pronouns can be singular if one individual is involved, or plural if many individuals are involved. In addition, they are the conventional layout for verb conjugation (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) which knowledge is important when studying any other languages. Children are usually unaware of the oddity of their own language. Therefore, when introduced to irregular verbs, they begin to become aware that some verbs are not simply formed by adding the suffix -ed at the end. This awareness is making their mind much more flexible and curious to know more about their own language.
Verb Conjugation is also available for Upper Elementary children who delve even more into conjugation by learning about active and passive voices, tenses, and moods. Using movable materials helps children visualize how language is organized. Children will become better writers by learning to be precise when using verbs.
You will find many more Montessori language programs and corresponding wooden materials to suit your learners’ needs. At Alison’s Montessori, we want to support the adult by providing complete Instructional Guides which will facilitate in presenting the lessons to the student. For our customers on a budget laminated and precut materials are optional. For more Montessori materials, visit our website at www.alisonsmontessori.com.
