Modeling a lesson:
Boy, this post will not come easy for me. We are trained to want perfection and elude that. Especially on social media. We want our children to be successful and for it to shine through, no mistake. I made a promise to share our journey, and in my IG bio it clearly states “...small, simple, and raw.” So I am here, doing just that... Today I eagerly set up my new “shadows” activity for S. In recent months she has discovered her shadow so I figured I would create an activity with her block animals featuring their shadows. She would have to match the shadow to the animal based on its shape, which most have a similar shape posing a greater challenge for her. I sat down with her, camera in tow to share with you all, and this is how it went {Click the first image}... This is the reality of a first introduction to a material. I praised when I rarely do. She was focused on the camera, not the activity. She matched the wrong pair, but if you watch you’ll notice she caught her mistake as she went on. Finally, she lost interest... cue the adorable smirk into the camera at the end. Was I disappointed? A little. Did I want her to keep trying? Yes. Did I make her come back and finish? No. I have learned that I need to follow her lead. Perhaps later today or tomorrow she will pick up this activity off the shelf and complete it. Perhaps she won’t. But when she is ready, I’ll be there to try again because that’s the raw, honest truth. Sometimes our efforts go unfulfilled or unnoticed, but to impose something upon our children that they don’t want (unless necessary, of course) is not respecting them. This is the promise I want to keep to my children...I promise that it will always be ok to not want or do something in the moment, to pretend with me. I promise to love you as you are. ❤️ In the end, S chose to work with a math material she found in our materials closet.
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The Montessori 3-Period Lesson is widely used when introducing new concepts through the use of classification cards, sandpaper letters, or sandpaper numbers.
Below you will find the explanation of how to introduce sandpaper letters. Please note that all 3 periods are not completed in one day. As with any concept, you move through each period when mastery has been achieved. It is important to not force the child. Follow their lead. If they are not interested, leave the lesson for another day. We want to provide a a calm, loving environment that builds and fosters success. Materials:
Instructions:
This process is repeated with subsequent groups of letters, until all lowercase letter sounds have been mastered. In a future post, I will share other activities that can be done with groups of letters to help reinforce the letter sound and build mastery. IF YOUR CHILD MAKES A MISTAKE IN ANY PERIOD LESSON: If at anytime your child makes a mistake when asked to show the letter or produce the sound, simply acknowledge the letter/sound they produced, then ask them to show the original letter you asked about, again. EX: I am showing the following cards: e b s Me: "Can you show me the "ssss" Child: Points to "b" Me: "You showed me "buh." Can you show me "sss?"" Child: Points to "s" Me: "Great, you showed me "sss"" We want to avoid saying things like "No, that is wrong" or "That is not "sss" that is "b."" because it discourages the child's efforts and does not foster an environment where it is ok to make mistakes. We want children to feel safe when learning, which is why we just acknowledge their effort and provide an opportunity to try again. |
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September 2020
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