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The
Language Area of the Classroom
from Parent Workshop Handouts While there are shelves in the classroom with specific language activities, such as the sandpaper letters, initial sound purses (or boxes), phonogram boxes, and initial, medial and teminal sound pictures, the whole classroom is the language environment. And we keep all forms or language alive in the classroom -- listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Listening is more than being able to hear. It is the ability to become involved in activities so that one can communciate effectively, can organize what they have heard, and can discriminate sounds from soft to loud. Listening skills are used for following directions, for organizing, and for sequencing. Speaking is more than communicating with one person, although that is very important. The children learn the skill of speaking in front of a large group. Show and tell is important for developing this skill. Writing begins with the child's first scribbles, as he learns that he can express himself on paper. The scribbles are refined to become recognizable picutes, and then the child learns how sounds and their symbols can also communicate to others. Reading begins the first time a child recognizes a pictue. But the single most important factor in a child learning to read is being read to by a significant adult. One of Maria Montessori's lasting contribution to early childhood education was her observation that children learn to write befoe they learn to read. Hence the exercises in language focus first on writing skills, then on reading. The sandpaper letters which are traced by the child with two fingers take advantage of the child's excellent tactile sense and his tenacious muscular memory. Each letter is presented to the child with the sound that the letter makes, not the name of the letter. This presentation will aid the child later in phonetic writing and reading. The child also traces each letter in a sand tray, exercising his coordination. Chalkboards are used for practicing letters even before pencils, as chalk is an easier medium for the child to control. The child uses the metal insets, tracing the frames and insets to attain control of a pencil, so that when he starts to write, he already has the motor skills to use a pencil. Later, the child is introduced to the moveable alphabet and exercises for practicing initial, medial, and terminal sounds in words. He willl begin using the moveable alphabet. And soon, he will be doing creative writing, and finally reading. At school and home, we help the children to develop a love for all forms of language by using language. We respond and talk to the children as the individuals they are. We are consistent in our language so that they can absorb the vocabulary and the patterns. And we engage in normal conversations with the children. At home, read a story to your child everyday. Being read to is the most important factor in a child's learning how to read. Repetition is key the the child's learning of language. Repeat stories. Reread books. Other Language Links |