Montessori and Trouble Reading Phonetically

I get asked a lot of questions about learning how to read using the Montessori Method and language materials...and I give my pro-phonics answer, with the understanding that learning to decode words at such an early age (five to six) can be really hard for some children, including mine.

I now have a different take on learning how to read because my son has Down syndrome. He is learning to read (he's seven) but he cannot decode words, he cannot sound out words, alas he cannot learn to read using just the Montessori language materials, yet.

When it came to pre-reading, my son learned pre-reading skills using the Montessori Method at home: he interacted with many geometric shapes and puzzles; he learned the sounds that letters made; he tried writing the letters (very difficult at first, so we used a lot of chalk on chalkboard and writing numbers using the sandpaper numbers; and free-drawing on a sketch pad). We also played I Spy with the first and last sounds of phonetic objects.

He later taught himself the names of letters and he could sign them in sign language (from various books and videos and other adults). But when it came time to read phonetically in his Kindergarten class, or doing the Movable Alphabet at home, it was like speaking a foreign language to him. And when you think about it, sounding out words (in his mind) is not how we talk and speak to each other, it's nonsensical.

It is not uncommon in children with Down syndrome to have difficulty in early phonetic reading: They are typically VISUAL learners who take a really long time to learn how to decode words. So, at school in his first-grade class, my son is learning to read using sight words and the whole language approach: memorizing words and associating them with pictures (gasp!).

This has been a very humbling experience for me, a Montessori-trained teacher who always believed wholeheartedly in the Montessori Method of learning how to read by decoding words.

My son is learning the blends at home (green sandpaper blends) with the Three Period Lesson (and he continues to practice writing). And what I do to sneak in a little phonics (I know, I can't help myself) is go get some green sandpaper blends, like the "ch" and "ee" and when my son reads to me, we go hunting for the "ch" and or the "ee". HE LOVES THIS and gets so excited when he finds the blends in words!

We also spell out his weekly list of spelling words together using the Movable Alphabet (I sound them out and he spells them with the letters).

One day he read the word "elephant" as he saw the picture of it--whole language, and or he had already memorized it, but he looked at me and said "Ant!" He saw the word "ant" in "elephant"! This is a huge leap for him! And the beginning of understanding that words are made of sounds. So he is learning the blends, just not decoding, yet.

The bottom line is I want my son to LOVE LEARNING and to LOVE READING! Which, so far, he does! He's learning his way! And I'm respecting that!

You may also like Montessori Read and Write  and my other recommended Montessori and homeschool books for reading and phonics on Amazon.com.

Read this nice blog post about a child who was allowed to read in her own time.

What are your thoughts on learning how to read? Leave a comment!