Land & Water 1 Vocabulary

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.

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.

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.