Montessori Language curriculum follows a PBG Scheme, which is a Montessori “Pink-Blue-Green" series approach, where the child progresses very gradually as s/he is first introduced to three CVC letter words in 💗PINK Series (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant), then blends (st, bl, pr…) in 💙 BLUE Series, and finally learning digraphs (sh, th, ch, oi…) in 💚 GREEN Series.
A phonogram is a letter or combination of letters that represent a sound. For example "ck" is a phonogram that says /k/ as in clock. S is also a phonogram that says /s/ as in sat or /z/ as in has. A consonant digraph in Montessori 💚 GREEN Series is when two consonants that are next to each other, together result in completely new speech sound e.g. "t-h" in thirty where you do not hear "t" & " h" separately. The most common consonant digraphs are: sh, ch, th, and wh ~ often referred to as the “h brothers”.
Today, we are learning the "sh" digraph
To make this super easy DIY, you will need:
- round disk magnets
- wooden cubes and clear nail polish
- strips of scrap paper
- a Sharpie
Arrange your DIY cubes with "sh" digraph on one side, and the rest of the words written on different cubes on the others. Also, offer your child a basket with objects that correspond to words.
Before writing on cubes, I prime just that side with a clear nail polish so that the writing would not bleed. Also, before adhering the magnets (the backs of which easily peel off), make sure that the pair attacks to each other.
Offer your child to match the magnetic cubes, the labels, and objects.
For more on PBG Scheme, see samples of Montessori Language lessons below:
- 💗PINK Series ~ three letter phonetic words CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) ~ for example, see here "Montessori 💗 Pink Series "e" sound
- 💙BLUE Series ~ blends (st, bl, pr…) when two consonants go together, and you can hear both letters e.g. "p-l" in "plate." In linguistics, a consonant cluster, consonant sequence or consonant compound is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. In English, for example, the groups /spl/ and /ts/ are consonant clusters in the word splits. A consonant cluster is a group of consonants that are next to each other in a word. For example, see here 💙 BLUE Series /St/ Blending.
- 💚GREEN Series ~digraphs (sh, ch, oi, th…) ~ are two consonants that are next to each other, and together they make a new sound e.g. "t-h" in thirty ~ so you do not hear "t" and "h"
Teaching digraphs can be a lot of fun if you use a lot of visual help (such as objects) and hands-on DIYs. I hope this lesson will help your little one learn the "sh" digraph through a casual fun learn-through-play lesson. For more Language lessons, click here.
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