Learning to Read - the Montessori Way

Many questions have come in lately asking about this particular article, in comparison to albums purchased online and to Montessori's own writings on learning to read:

HomeSchool.Com - Montessori Language Arts at Home

Overall, this article is a great overview. But it does need two clarifications:

Maria Montessori did NOT develop the pink/blue/green series. She developed a whole language approach that, while sequenced, is laid out entirely differently.

Also, the children when first working with the movable alphabet, do not write on paper. This is a separate development at a separate time, and generally is done when the child is comfortable with spelling.

There are currently three relatively well-known Montessori series for learning to read in the English language:

• AMI (99% match to what Maria Montessori developed)
• Muriel-Dwyer (very similar to AMI)
• Pink/Blue/Green series (complete departure from the first two styles)

Each one has its benefits and drawbacks for any given situation (homeschool, classroom, special needs, need for the adult to "feel" in control, etc). So select what works best for you, but do research all the possibilities so as to make an informed decision.