DR. MARIA MONTESSORI
One of the first lessons in the language area of the Montessori classroom is the Sandpaper Letters. The Sandpaper Letters are individual letters on a board about half the size of a piece of paper. The board is hard and the letters are written in cursive with sandpaper. This allows the child to trace each letter in order to feel the movement needed to make each letter. When presented to the child, the letter sound is introduced not the letter name. The child is then shown how to trace each letter with their two fingers. The sandpaper letters are introduced three at a time. Once one is mastered it is rotated with a new sound until all are mastered. The three period lesson is then implemented; first the child is introduced to the sound, second the child is asked to find the sound (similar to multiple choice), and third the child is asked to recall the sound. Once the child has mastered all the vowels and 10- 12 consonants they can begin the next material, the Moveable Alphabet. The child will still return to this work to master the remaining sounds.
Check out this video of Mrs. Spence giving a Sandpaper Letter lesson!
