Spelling in the Montessori Approach

The Montessori approach does not use whole class dictations that are scheduled weekly or daily, prepared, and then tested to help children master spelling in either French or English. 

We use a variety of lessons and strategies, which together contribute to the progressive and motivated mastery of spelling of a language spoken, used, read and written in the classroom. The words or the spelling rules that are memorized, will therefore vary from one child to another, regardless of age, as will the acquisition of the rest of the academic concepts in the classroom. The child is constantly learning, and not a day goes by without each child memorizing the spelling of a new word or a new spelling rule. 

Here is a non-exhaustive list of lessons and strategies used to help each child master the correct spelling of French and English in the elementary classroom (6-12 years old, i.e. cycles 2 and 3).

​

• Reading: the more the child reads, the more the child is exposed to correct spelling

• Copy writing in relation to the child's various works: the more the child copies correctly spelled texts, the more he/she learns to spell the words he/she copies properly

• Spontaneous dictations between children and/or between adults and children: learning to spell a word for a classmate, or copying a word by writing on paper what another person dictates orally

• Focus on phonemes: word lists by phoneme

• Dictations in small groups, and by level (single words, two words, propositions, short sentences, multiple sentences, texts)

• Personal word lists and dictionaries

• Learning how to use the dictionary

• Spelling rules

• Work on word families and analogies

• Work on homophones

• Work on visual imagery: visual spelling, word decoration, use of color codes, etc.

• Work on punctuation

• Work on conjugation

• Etymology, work on Latin and Greek roots and suffixes

• Let's not forget parental involvement!

​

These different activities include the use of pencil and paper but also of mobile alphabets of different colors to diversify the learning techniques. 

Each technique/lesson is formally studied separately from the others, but then put into motivated practice as it is being used in the various writing tasks that the children are producing: in a research project report, in the creation of a story, etc...

The child corrects himself/herself during dictations or other independent exercises thanks to a correction model available. 

Awareness of improvement and correction of spelling by the adult is gradually established through regular conferences with the child about his/her work. 

In this environment, it is acceptable to misspell, provided that each individual works to improve and advance his or her spelling skills, which help to contribute to a finished production, which does not only contain quality content, but has now also achieved a high quality in its form.