The Science of Reading and Montessori: A Complete Guide

What is the Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading (SOR) is a large body of research from cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience that identifies precisely what children need to become fluent readers: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. At Maitri Learning, we integrate this literacy research with the neuroscience of learning — because knowing what to teach is only half the picture. How you teach matters just as much. This page explains what the Science of Reading actually requires, where most programs fall short, and how Maitri materials address all of it. 

At what age should Science of Reading instruction begin?

Literacy development begins at birth, with a child's first relationships. It is initially through those relationships that a child learns to speak their home language. Before preschool, we should offer all children rich oral language environments that include conversations, stories, music, poetry, songs, read-alouds, and more. 

Around age 2.5, children become interested in letters. At this time, we follow their interest by playing sound games and connecting those sounds with letters/digraphs. Developing vocabulary continues at the same time and, in fact, never ends! Once children have learned their letter-sounds, the rest of the program can begin. 

Does Montessori align with the Science of Reading?

When it's done well, the answer is yes! However, many Montessori teacher preparation programs are not yet aligned with SOR research. One of the missions of Maitri Learning is to get evidence-based practices into the hands of teachers and teacher educators.

Why do some SOR programs fall short?

Many programs that claim to be based in the Science of Reading oversimplify this transdisciplinary body of evidence into literacy-specific findings. That view is incomplete and often misses key elements by:

• Overemphasizing rote phonics instruction, which can be disengaging.
• Neglecting preschool (when children are naturally curious about language and letters).
• Ignoring the importance of hands-on, play-based learning experiences.
• Overlooking the importance of emotions, relationships, student-interests, and choice in learning.
• Prioritizing a rigid scope and sequence over the natural curiosity and intrinsic motivation of a student (for more detail on the challenges of rigid structured literacy approaches see Compton-Lilly, et al., 2020)
• De-prioritizing the development of student agency and self-efficacy.

The Maitri Learning® Difference

At Maitri Learning, our educational framework is based on a deep understanding of both literacy research and the neuroscience of learning. This allows us to offer a comprehensive approach to reading development that:

• Is grounded in literacy research
• Integrates key elements from the neuroscience of learning
• Implements unique practices that honor human development

No more busy work! Use your time to meaningfully engage with your students. We use self-monitoring to help students naturally spiral their learning, revisiting work as they need to on the road to mastery. We do not recommend sound walls or worksheets or scripted lessons.

Integrating the Neuroscience of Learning

While literacy research tells us what to teach, the Neuroscience of Learning guides us in how to teach it. (You can learn more about this in our blog post on the New Neuroscience of Learning but I'll provide a high-level summary here.)

Immordino-Yang et al. (2023) identified five fundamental developmental factors that shape all human learning. In brief, we are all unique (and don't follow the same learning path); our emotions, physical experiences and relationships are inseparable parts of learning; and experience matters.

What does that mean for education and development? Foremost, our brains develop and adapt throughout our lives and that development is dramatically influenced by relationships and emotions. Positive relationships, emotional connections, and a sense of agency create physiological changes that enhance learning, while stress and disconnection inhibit it. If our programs don't consider these aspects of human development, how can we expect to achieve our desired results?

These ideas resonate with educators and have radical implications for how we teach. They tell us that teaching should move away from being teacher-centric. They show us that instruction should adapt so it can match assigned work with student interests. They clarify that our teaching materials themselves should provide a control of error so that students can find and correct their own mistakes. We can prepare our learning environments so they are rich with modes of activities that connect with student interests, are inherently self-correcting, and encourage peer study and engagement. 

Unique Maitri Learning Montessori Practices that Honor Human Development

Neurodevelopmental Element	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Human-centered: focus on whole student and educator	✓	X
Honors student-interests	✓	some
Emphasizes independence and self-efficacy	✓	X
Seamlessly incorporates self-assessment and self-correcting materials	✓	X
Supports memorization through interests (not rote memorization)	✓	X
Integrates phonics and comprehension	✓	some
Support for diverse learners	✓	some

 

Human-Centered Design: We focus on the whole student and educator, creating materials that are not only effective for literacy development but also supporting emotional growth, positive relationships, and well-being. Our neuroscience-informed activities bring the joy back into teaching for students and educators.

Honoring Student-Interests: We teach vocabulary, background knowledge, letter sounds and more by connecting those lessons with what interests each student, thus promoting their intrinsic motivation to learn. 

Emphasis on Independence and Self-Efficacy: Our materials, like self-correcting 3-part cards, foster independence, allowing students to learn at their own pace and develop strong self-monitoring skills. By providing opportunities for children to make meaningful choices, realize the results of those choices, and make connections to the broader world, our materials promote the development of self-efficacy and a developing sense of agency (knowing that their decisions and ideas matter).

Seamlessly incorporates self-assessment and self-correcting materials: Nurturing development means teaching students how to take charge of their learning. We build self-assessments into our learning program so that students understand what they've already learned and what comes next. This helps them advocate for their learning and keeps them on a path towards mastery. We also design self-correcting materials so that students can identify what they know, what they don't, and fix their own errors. 

Beyond Rote Memorization: Unlike programs that overemphasize rote learning, our activities provide a dynamic and engaging learning environment with a light-attitude towards error. We understand that errors are a normal part of learning; they are not cause for alarm but guide where we need to focus.

Integrated Phonics and Comprehension: We understand that learning to read and reading to learn should be done simultaneously from the earliest years (Ross, 2024). We do not separate the teaching of phonics and comprehension.

Support for Diverse Learners: Our approach is designed to be effective for all students, including those with learning differences like dyslexia. The systematic approach provides necessary structure, while student-guided learning creates a flexible environment where everyone can thrive.

Grounded in Literacy Research

Our materials are designed with the essential balance between word recognition (phonics) and language comprehension in mind. They integrate key findings from literacy models like the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1985; Hoover & Tunmer, 2022), Scarborough's Reading Rope (Scarborough, Neuman, & Dickinson, 2001), and the Dwyer system (Dwyer, 2004). Here's how we incorporate the fundamental learning elements outlined in the Science of Reading as compared with other systems.

Vocabulary & Spoken Language

Speaking and listening is the core of all language learning. We can support this through natural and explicit activities that help build relationships, self-agency, and word knowledge all at the same time. As shown in the following table, Maitri addresses vocabulary development through interest-driven, play-based activities that include explicit instruction and hands-on activities; things other programs often miss.

Vocabulary & Oral Language	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Play-based vocabulary & oral language development with word games (like categories and charades)	✓	some
Explicit prompts and motives for conversation	✓	some
Explicit vocabulary lessons via 3-period lesson games	✓	X
Classification, matching, & sorting activities (to develop gist)	✓	some
Develops background knowledge through fine art, geography, and science	✓	X
Explicitly builds vocabulary based on student interests	✓	X
Emphasis on student conversation and storytelling	✓	some
Flexibility for individualized learning paths	✓	some

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Vocabulary & Oral Language

Phonological Awareness 

We can't learn to read if we can't recognize the larger (like syllables) and smaller (phonemic awareness) sound units of our language. Our system targets phonological awareness in multiple ways to support all learners. The following table identifies how Maitri uses music, sound games, sound segmentation, and sound awareness to meet the unique developmental needs of each child. 

Phonological Awareness	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Music & rhythm focused games for syllable awareness	✓	some
Play-based sound games for beginning sounds	✓	✓
Play-based sound games for middle sounds and ending sounds	✓	X
Activities for sound segmentation	✓	some
Progressive development of sound awareness	✓	some
Flexibility for individualized learning paths	✓	X

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Phonological Awareness

 

Phonics

Phonics is more than just reading words that follow the phonetic code. It is much larger and can be divided into: 1. Letter-sound knowledge 2. Writing (Encoding) 3. Reading (Decoding) Our system explicitly targets all three of these domains with varied and engaging activities. We also recognize that encoding precedes decoding; it is easier to build words using a code than it is to decipher them.

Phonics: Letter-Sound Knowledge	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Explicit instruction in letter-sound relationships	✓	✓
Explicit instruction in digraph-sound-relationships (digraphs from the start)	✓	X
Materials targeted for the needs of different ages/stages	✓	some
Phonics: Writing (Encoding)
Writing/building within a code precedes reading (cracking a code)	✓	X
Sequential activities that progress based on student abilities/pace	✓	some
Phonetic spellings encouraged as an essential developmental step	✓	X
Systematic spelling instruction based on classifications of spelling variations	✓	some
Phonics: Reading (Decoding)
Self-correcting materials so students can find and fix their mistakes	✓	X
Focus on word-level reading to build confidence and an internal lexicon	✓	X
Integrated comprehension activities (rather than isolated practice)	✓	some
Flexibility for individualized learning paths	✓	X

 

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Phonics

Fluency & Reading Comprehension

Our activities integrate fluency and comprehension throughout reading activities. Play-based repetition and student interests drive this process. Teaching intentionally connects learning with existing knowledge from day one. We recognize that young children have a unique ability to acquire even advanced vocabulary when they develop an interest in it. As such, a core tenet of our system is developing background knowledge so that comprehension naturally evolves.

The Maitri system also explicitly targets spelling in an explicit yet logical way. The following table identifies how Maitri vs. other systems support fluency and comprehension through inspired repetition, transitional materials, integrating reading and comprehension, and multi-sensory approaches.

Fluency	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Activities that inspire repetition	✓	some
Using the same materials (like alphabets) in progressively more challenging ways	✓	X
Materials that transition from decoding to automaticity	✓	some
Integrating reading with comprehension activities	✓	some
Combining visual, tactile, and auditory components for a multi-sensory approach	✓	some

Reading Comprehension	Maitri Learning	Other Systems
Self-correcting materials so students can find and fix their mistakes	✓	X
Connecting activities to student interests and pre-existing knowledge	✓	some
Integrating vocabulary and meaning	✓	some
Play-based activities to teach grammar/word function	✓	some
Self-correcting materials for studying antonyms, homonyms, contractions, and more	✓	X
Flexibility for individualized learning paths	✓	X

 

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Reading Fluency

 

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Spelling Fluency

 

Key Maitri Montessori materials that support Reading Comprehension

 

At Maitri Learning, we integrate all five of these Science of Reading components with neuroscience principles. Every aspect of our learning materials emphasize student agency, emotional engagement, and hands-on learning rather than rote instruction. (If you'd like to go deeper into how our activities align with the Science of Reading, we recommend the book Powerful Literacy in the Montessori Classroom written by Susan Zoll, Natasha Feinberg, and Laura Saylor.)

Understanding where each learner is along the literacy continuum is essential for good teaching. Our lessons include explicit pre-requisite activities and purposes aligned with the science of reading. We also include accommodations and remedial activities for key lessons to help teachers support all students. Teachers are guided on what to look for to recognize that students are progressing.

Maitri Learning and the Science of Reading: The Bottom Line

Children learn to read when instruction honors both the mechanics of reading and the human beings doing the learning. The Science of Reading tells us what to teach. The neuroscience of learning tells us how to teach. Maitri Montessori materials work because we take both seriously.

Most programs that claim alignment with the Science of Reading focus narrowly on phonics instruction and call it done. That's necessary but not sufficient. A child who is stressed, disengaged, or stripped of agency will not learn to read as well as a child who is curious, confident, and working on something that matters to them. This is why Maitri materials are designed around student interests, self-correction, and choice, not scripts and worksheets.

The result is a system where the mechanics and the joy of reading develop together, from the earliest sound games at age 2.5 through fluent, independent reading. Students don't just learn to decode and copy — they become readers and authors.

For educators, this means less time managing disengagement and more time doing the work that drew you to teaching. For parents, it means materials that grow with your child and don't require you to become a reading specialist to use them effectively. For children, it means learning to read feels like something they are doing, not something being done to them.

That is what the intersection of the Science of Reading and the neuroscience of learning makes possible. That is what Maitri Learning is built to deliver.

For a deeper look at how Maitri specifically embodies these principles in our materials and manufacturing, see The Science Behind Maitri Learning. 

 

References

Compton‐Lilly, C. F., Mitra, A., Guay, M., & Spence, L. K. (2020). A confluence of complexity: Intersections among reading theory, neuroscience, and observations of young readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 55, S185-S195.

Dwyer, M.I. (2004). A path for the exploration of any language leading to writing and reading. NAMTA Journal, 29(3).

Fischer. K. & Yan, Z. (2002). The development of dynamic skill theory. In: Lewkowicz, D.J. & Lickliter, R., eds. Conceptions of Development: Lessons from the Laboratory. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10.

Harris, J., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2011). Lessons from the crib for the classroom: How children really learn vocabulary. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, 3, 49-65.

Hoover, W. A., & Tunmer, W. E. (2022). The primacy of science in communicating advances in the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 57(2), 399-408.

Immordino-Yang, M. H., Nasir, N. I. S., Cantor, P., & Yoshikawa, H. (2023). Weaving a colorful cloth: Centering education on humans’ emergent developmental potentials. Review of Research in Education, 47(1), 1-45.

National Reading Panel (US), National Institute of Child Health, & Human Development (US). (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Ouellette, G., & Sénéchal, M. (2008). Pathways to literacy: A study of invented spelling and its role in learning to read. Child Development, 79(4), 899-913.

Ross, M. (2024). What exactly is the science of reading? Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/24/06/what-exactly-science-reading 

Scarborough, H. S., Neuman, S. B., & Dickinson, D. K. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis) abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, 1, 97-110.

Uccelli, P., Demir‐Lira, Ö. E., Rowe, M. L., Levine, S., & Goldin‐Meadow, S. (2019). Children's early decontextualized talk predicts academic language proficiency in midadolescence. Child Development, 90(5), 1650-1663.

Zoll, S., Feinberg, N., & Saylor, L. (2023). Powerful literacy in the Montessori classroom: Aligning reading research and practice. Teachers College Press.