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Question 1: How do we give the concept of grass letters, root letters and sky
letters to the child?
Answer:
The most important preparation of the environment for the successful
development of spoken and written language in the child’s personality is the
home language. It is never too early to speak clearly and precisely to the child.
The successful environment for the language is created at home by the mothers
and the caregivers. Reading aloud for the child at home, gives the message to the
child that reading is a fun for him. Reading the story books for the child by
his mother at home makes the meaning clear and he knows how to use the word
with the sense in his language. The child also builds his vocabulary unconsciously
through listening to the story books from his mother which would never come
up in spoken language. Although reading and writing should not be taught to a
child before the age of six or seven, yet he is introduced to the concept of reading
and writing by giving the sensorial experiences of appropriate materials and
sometimes as early as three or four years of age. Since 99% of written language
is in lower case letters. In the Montessori classroom and at home the child should
be taught firstly with the small alphabet rather than capital (“a” and “b”, not “A”
and “B”). During the introduction of the small alphabet to the child the sounds are
pronounced instead of the words.
Using the Moveable Alphabet:
Take the small alphabet set and all the letters should be in the same color.
Take either one large piece of cloth or the piece of paper with four lines, the top
and bottom lines are pink in color and the rest of the two lines are aquamarine.
Concept of the Grass Letters:
First of all try to give the concept of the grass letters to the child.
Thus, take out the letter “a” from the box and place it between the first set of
lines.

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Then teach to the child that the letter its completely within the middle two lines
is called the grass letter and ask the child to try to find out other letters that can
be perfectly it between the two lines.
When he has placed all those letters which are it between two lines, tell him that
these are all grass letters in small alphabet. (a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z)
These letters are called “The grass letters”.
Concept of the Sky Letters:
Next, take out the letter “b” and place it at the beginning of the second set of
guide lines and show to the child that a letter with a stem goes up to the pink line
is called a sky letter.
Then, ask the child to find out all other letters with the stem going up to the pink
line.
When the child is successful in completing to it the letters up to the pink line then
make him introduce that these letters are called “The sky letters”.(b, t, d, f, h, k, l,
b).
Concept of the Root Letters:
At the end, on the third set of guide line, place the letter “j”
The child is ready to learn about the third set of the guide line, tell the child that
which letter with a tail going down to the lower pink line is called the root letter.
Then, ask the child to find out all other letters with a tail going down. These
letters are called “The root letters” (q,p,g,j,y).
Grass, sky and root letters are introduced to the child in the Montessori
classrooms through “Three Period Lesson”.
Actually three period lesson is very important in teaching to the children not only
in the Montessori Classroom but also at home.
Mothers of all over the world can make the child intelligent through giving the
basic idea of the knowledge. So, provide the material of learning the knowledge
to the child whenever he likes.

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Encourage the child in learning to write these groups of letters on a chalkboard or
the marker board after arranging them on the mat.
Question 2: Write a detailed note on Montessori green Boards and writng on a
paper exercises.
Answer
Chalk-boards:
Materials for Preparatory work:
o Small tray, large enough to make a sandpaper letter.
o Enough sand in the tray to cover the bottom.

For Chalkboard Work:

o Set of green chalkboards 23cm x 50cm each.
o The first board is blank on one side and ruled to guide the placement of
letters on the other side.
o The second board has one side ruled in squares and the other ruled in
horizontal lines.
o Tray with chalk in a holder, an eraser, a dust clothe, and a hand cloth.
o Sandpaper letters and numerals.

Notes:
o This work is done parallel to work with the Sorting Letters.

Preparatory Exercise:
o Invite one child to come and work with you.
o You and the child choose one sandpaper letter and bring it to the table.
o Then go and get the tray of sand and place it to the right of the sand paper
letter.
o Trace the sandpaper letter. Repeat two to three times.
o Then tell the child that you are going to trace the letter in the tray.
o Move the tablet over to the left.

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 o Slide the tray in front of you and trace the same letter as the sand paper
letter into the sand.
o Show the child that you have made the same letter.
o Show the child how to “make it disappear” by gently shaking the tray from
side to side but keeping the tray on the table.
o Have the child trace the sandpaper letter and then make the letter in the
sand.
o The child can continue making the letter in the sand.
o Once he is comfortable tracing the letter in the sand, he can then work
with the stylus. Once he is comfortable with using the stylus and writes a
few of the letters in the sand, he is ready to begin with the Chalkboard
work.
Presentation 1: Black Board
Material:
o Blank Board and Chalk Tray.
o Sandpaper letters.

Presentation:
o Invite one child to come and work with you.
o Tell him that you will be using something to help us to write.
o Introduce the child to the chalkboard and have him carry it to the table.
o Then have him bring the box with the eraser, etc. and place it in the middle
of the chalkboard.
o Then have the child choose a sandpaper letter.
o Then have the child sit to your left.
o Take out all the material and place it above the chalkboard.
o Then place the tray also above the chalkboard.
o Trace the sandpaper letter a few times.
o Use the chalk and write the sandpaper letter multiple times on the board in
a straight, horizontal line.
o Erase the letters written in an up to down, left to right manner.

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 o Use the dust cloth (hold as in Practical Life) and wipe board.
o Replace it.
o Take the terry cloth and clean your hands. Replace it.
o Move everything over so the child can write the same sand paper letter.
o Suggest to the child that they may keep writing this letter.
o If the child seems very comfortable writing this letter, you may show them
another letter. If not, wait for a future time.
o Once done, show the child how to put away the material.
o If the clothes are dirty, you will need to change them. Encourage the child
to continue practicing from time to time.
Exercise:
o This game is to be done in a group. The directress would have
thechildren sit in a circle around a mat. She would then hand out themateri
al (for example one cube of the Pink Tower to each child). The children hold
the cube behind their backs and feel them. The directress would then ask
for the largest cube to be placed on the mat. By feeling
o Their cube, the children are being asked to feel for the recognition of the
sizes of the cubes. Continue asking for certain cubes working your way from
the biggest cube to the smallest cube, until all the cubes have been placed
on the mat.
Note:
o Encourage the child to make the letters smaller as his skills improve.

Presentation: Square Board Material:

o Chalkboard with squares and chalk tray.
o Sandpaper letters.

Presentation:
o Following the same procedure, show the child how to write a single letter
or numeral in a square.
o The same letter will be repeated across the row.

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 o The child may choose to make the same letter over the entire board. Or she
may choose to have a different letter for each row.
o Some children will find doing the whole board too much, so the child can
build up to it as they are ready.
Exercise:
o Child works with the board as shown.

Note:
o Encourage the child to make the letters smaller as his skills improve

Presentation: Double Guide Lines Board

Material:
o Double guide line board and Chalk tray.
o Sandpaper letters

Presentation:
o As before Show the child how to place the body of a letter between the two
lines and show how the stem goes above the line and the tail goes below.
o On the first set of lines, do a letter with only a main body. The second line,
make a letter with a stem, and on the third line, make a letter with a tail.
Exercise:
o The child, if ready, does not need to use the sandpaper letters.

Presentation 4: Single Line Board

Material:
o Single Line Board.
o Sandpaper letters.

Presentation:
o Same as before

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Note:
o Some children will enjoy doing this briefly. By the time they are ready to
write on a single line, they will prefer writing on paper.
Exercise:
o Child works as shown

Note:
o When the child is secure writing with the chalk, you can talk to the child
about the letters, and ask which one is most like the sandpaper letter. This
is the beginning of the child assessing and becoming aware his own writing.
Sometimes it is helpful to talk about “why” one may look more like the
sandpaper letter.
Purposes:
o To give the child practice in writing.

Control of Error:
o The sandpaper letters and numerals.

Age:
o 4 1/2 years onwards.

Question 3: What are the upper case letters? How do we introduce them to the
child?
Answer:
Materials:
Three sets of twenty six cards, one for each letter of the alphabet.
The first set is 8x10cm and each card has one letter written in the lower case.

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 The second set is 98cmx10cm and each card has one letters written in the upper
case (capital letters).
The third set is 16cmx10cm and has one letter written in both the lower and
upper cases, the lowers case letter on the let and the upper case letter on the
right.
Presentation:
o Invite one child to come and work with you.
o Introduce the material to the child and have him bring it over to the table.
o Choose three letters for the initial presentation, where the capital letters
looks a great deal like the lower case letter.
o Use the names of the letters in this lesson.
o If the child gives you the sound, alarm it but go back to using their names.
o Show the lower case first and use this term.
o Show the upper case and give the term. Also give the term “capital letter”
o Repeat for two more letters.
o Teach the new terms with the Three Period lessons. Be sure to use the
terms “upper case” and “capital letter” alternatively.
o When the child is sure of those, continue with three at a time, until you
have completed all of the letters.
o Lay out all of the lower case letters at random in vertical columns, leaving
sufficient space to put the capital letters beside them.
o Give the child the upper case letters (one at a time) and have him place
each next to the lower case letter. Discuss now and then if the capital letter
looks that same or looks different to the
lowercase letter. Use both terms alternatively for the upper case letters.
o Once all upper case letters have been placed, check with the third set of
cards.
o Replace the third set of cards.
o Collect the lower case letters in alphabetical order.
o Collect the upper case letters in alphabetical order.

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Exercise 1:
The child works with the material as shown.
Purpose:
Direct:
To help the child recognize the upper case form of the letter he already knows in
the lower case.
To aid the punctuation of a sentence.
Indirect:
To help the child write.
Control of Error:
The card showing both lower and upper case for each letter.
Age:
8 years onwards

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