Lesson Summary (4)

**Phonetic teaching** is considered very important in the Montessori Method. First, the child is introduced to the **sound** each letter makes. Then, they are shown the letter shape that corresponds to that sound. This method is entirely different from the traditional one in which adults name letters. The Montessori Method stresses teaching the **phonetics** of the alphabet rather than the names of these symbols. **The Montessori Approach to the Learning Child** 1. **Detecting sounds and learning to write** — using sandpaper letters to feel each shape while saying its sound. 2. **Introduction of the concrete moveable letters** — building words physically with letter tiles before writing them. 3. **Beginning to write using a hands-on approach** — coordination built through cylinder blocks and other materials transfers directly into the pincer grip used for the pencil. The important role during this journey is played by the **Montessori materials**, as well as printed books and pictures. All of these articles are considered the most essential constituents of the Montessori environment and are used broadly to enable children to write and to read. The learning approach taken by children is always from **concrete to abstract** — first the hands, then the symbol.