Imperfect Land & Water 1 Vocabulary
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Scratch & Dent Discount: These materials did not pass our strict quality control process, so you get them at a lower price. The error may be a small spot or hair under the laminate on one or more cards, color slightly different from our standard, an image printed slightly askew, or slightly curved laminate. Many teachers can't find the error, but we can! Each packet is complete. See all of our scratch and dent materials.
Our Land & Water 1 Vocabulary cards are text-free picture cards with 10 real photographs of the classic land and water forms: island, lake, archipelago, system of lakes, cape, bay, peninsula, gulf, isthmus, and strait. Students learn the precise name of each form through the three-period lesson, building spoken vocabulary before they read. They are designed for Montessori primary classrooms, homeschools, English learners, and intervention settings.
Land and water forms come in pairs that mirror each other. An island is land surrounded by water, and a lake is water surrounded by land. The same pattern holds for archipelago and system of lakes, cape and bay, peninsula and gulf, and isthmus and strait. Each photo shows a real place, so students connect the terms to the actual world.
Because the cards have no printed words, pre-readers can focus on the photo and its name. Later, the same terms carry into our Land & Water 1 Book and 3-part reading cards.
What's included
- 10 cards, each showing one real photograph of a land or water form, with no text
- Cards are approx. 4¼" x 3¾"
- Eco-laminated with a food-grade laminate and rounded corners
- Sturdy, clear reclosable bag for storage
- Lesson plan included
Display these cards in our medium cloth pouches (sold separately). For the full build-a-book activity, our All-in-One Definition Pouch keeps the whole topic together.
Created by a Montessori teacher. Eco-printed in our rural New England office.
Made in the USA. CPSIA compliant.
Note: Photos may change from those pictured.
Why do vocabulary cards matter for reading?
Interest drives learning. Montessori is a student-centered approach: the teacher observes what each student is curious about and offers materials that match. Many young students are fascinated by maps, islands, and the natural world. When they are interested in the topic, students will choose these cards again and again. Each time is more practice naming, discussing, and sorting. That practice builds vocabulary, part of the language comprehension side of reading in both Gough and Tunmer's (1986) simple view of reading and Scarborough's (2001) reading rope. By learning what an isthmus is now, a student will understand it when they later encounter it in text.
How do you use Land & Water 1 vocabulary cards?
First, spark curiosity by discussing land and water: where students have seen a lake, a bay, or an island, and what it means for land to be surrounded by water. If you have Montessori land and water form trays, students can pour water into each form to see it for themselves. Then use the three-period lesson on a few cards at a time, inviting students to match the cards to the trays. Next, read the Land & Water 1 Book aloud, pausing to discuss. When students are reading, move on to the Land & Water 1 3-Part Reading Cards. As reading becomes more fluent, invite students to read the book on their own. Finally, use the Definition Cards to rebuild the book in the full build-a-book activity. The Land & Water Build-a-Book Set includes these cards, the book, the 3-Part Reading Cards, and the Definition Cards together.
What ages is this for?
Typically ages 3 and up. The cards work well for pre-readers, English learners, and students in intervention settings. The full sequence, from read-aloud through the build-a-book activity, grows with students into the elementary years.
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