What Kind of Reading Program Belongs in Montessori?
One question I’m frequently asked is, “What kind of reading program should Montessori classrooms be using?” The Montessori curriculum covers every imaginable topic, but there is no specific set of books that is firmly linked to the Montessori method. I’m going to look at a few different possibilities for reading programs in the Montessori classroom, and discuss the pros and cons of each.
Option 1: Basal Readers
These are the thick, hardback books that so many of us remember from grade school. They are basically textbooks, with stories that teach reading and reading skills in a sequential way. Companies that publish Basal Readers include Scott Foresman and Harcourt Publishers (also known as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt or Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). Used Basal Readers can be found on eBay; just be sure to check shipping costs and seller feedback (stick with 98% positive & up) before buying.
Pros:
1. They usually contain many kinds of literature, like fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fairy tales, and folk tales.
2. They often contain discussion questions and background information for the teacher or parent
3. You only have to purchase and store one book per child
4. Children can read in a group (round-robin) since each child has a copy of the same book
Cons:
1. They can be really, really expensive
2. Many times they can only be purchased in bulk, making it difficult to buy for a home, or school with only a few children per grade
3. They can be too traditional and formulaic, and they don’t allow for a child to choose reading materials based on his/her interests
4. Because they are organized by grade, they don’t provide flexibility for children who are reading slower or faster than other kids
5. They often contain stories written specifically for Basal Readers; many times the quality of literature is low
Are Basal Readers anti-Montessori? They are so inextricably linked to traditional education that it might feel strange to use them in Montessori. However, several of the (very excellent) Montessori schools I’ve taught at used these kinds of readers in elementary. One of the main reasons was because the parents found them reassuring.
Since many Montessori teachers don’t like to give homework but parents often want their children to get homework, it was easy to assign a few pages per night to each grade level. Also, since the readers teach skills systematically, there is little chance of having “gaps” where the students haven’t covered important information.
Verdict: This type of reader won’t be an option for everyone. They are expensive and difficult to replace if lost. The kinds of stories featured may not match with an individual child’s reading level or interest. The quality of writing is often low, and the stories included may not fit with the values of the Montessori curriculum.
Option 2: Leveled Readers (individual books)
Leveled readers are smaller, shorter books that are specific to a certain grade or reading level. Books that fit this category include BOB Books, Dorling Kindersley Readers, ‘I Can Read’ Books, Welcome Books, and Scholastic Time-to-Discover Books. They dovetail nicely with a phonics reading approach, since the writing increases in phonetic difficulty as the reading level goes up.
These types of readers can be found through Scholastic Book Clubs, or at major vendors like www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. You can also find new & used readers at eBay, and of course, these books can be checked out at your local library.
Pros:
1. Children can choose books that fit their own interests
2. It’s easier to adjust for variances in reading levels among children in the same grade; each child can be reading a different book at the same time
3. Books usually contain high-quality photos or drawings and text that is carefully chosen for reading-level appropriateness
Cons:
1. You may end up purchasing and storing dozens of books to cover many interests and reading levels
2. Children can’t read stories in a group, since you’ll generally only have one of each book
3. The quality of the writing may be less than excellent, since writing specifically for one reading level limits the choice of vocabulary words that can be used
Verdict: This is a nice option if you can find books for a wide range of interests and reading levels.
Option 3: Junior Great Books
The Junior Great Books program is a research-based K-12 reading program that stresses reading comprehension and critical thinking through guided discussion. Many Montessori schools use JGB as their main reading curriculum, or as a supplement to another reading program.
Pros:
1. The literature choices are excellent – only high-quality writing is chosen
2. All stories come with in-depth questions to be discussed
3. Each grade level also comes with optional workbooks, to be used as homework or classwork
4. Promotes reading comprehension and analytical skills
Cons:
1. JGB can be expensive, especially if the workbooks are purchased as well
2. The literature selections can be difficult, since they are not written for a specific grade level but are “real-world” stories and excerpts. A child struggling with reading may find JGB too challenging.
I remember being in Junior Great Books when I was in grade school. It was often led by a parent volunteer, not a teacher, and we met once a week. There was a relaxed, “there is no wrong answer” feel to our discussions, and since we weren’t graded on any aspect of JGB, it was freeing and inspired some excellent discussions.
Verdict: JGB fits very nicely with Montessori; the quality of stories is high, and the open-ended questions inspire lots of critical thinking and “give-and-take” discussions. Children should still receive some phonics instruction; learning words simply by sight recognition has it weaknesses.
Option 4: Classic Literature
In this approach, children use selections from classic literature as the basis of the reading curriculum. There are many curriculums that use classic literature as a basis, including the popular Charlotte Mason program. Using classic literature is part of the whole language approach, which focuses on content over reading skills or phonics.
Pros:
1. The quality of the selections is unparalleled
2. Children often read the entire work rather than just an excerpt, giving them context and a broader understanding of the work
3. Children are exposed to the authors and works that form the basis for culture; they will be able to recognize famous quotes and spot literary allusions with ease
Cons:
1. Parents and teachers may not always be sure about the appropriateness of certain selections, both for reading level and content. There are some nice tools available, including this book finder at SimplyCharlotteMason.com where you can search by topic, keyword, or grade level.
2. It may be hard to find true classical literature for the beginning reader
Verdict: This approach has numerous advantages, and is definitely in line with the Montessori curriculum. In some ways, it overlaps with Junior Great Books, which also uses classical literature for many of its selections. However, JGB may use excerpts rather than entire works.
In Conclusion
Sister Mary, my Montessori trainer, always said that the Montessori language curriculum should be a balance of phonics and whole language. In other words, children should be taught the specific sounds that letters and groups of letters make, and should also be exposed to quality literature. Since many programs embrace one approach or the other, I really like that Montessori attempts to use both.
The debate about the best reading methodology has raged for decades and there is still no universal agreement. I encourage everyone to do a little reading about the different approaches before choosing one, or do as Sister Mary recommended and combine them together.
There is no one perfect reading solution for every home or school; budgets differ, as do the expectations of teachers and parents. I’ve tried to present each option without bias, so that you can make the decision that’s right for you and the children in your care. Regardless of the reading approach you choose, it is important to put thoughtful care into the kinds of books young children read.
This is a really interesting post! In my training, I was told not to use readers. I was encouraged to use “live reading” (phonetic and phonogram commands) and progress to fluid reading. At this point, the child can read through a number of Montessori materials (Who Am I Cards, etc.), and onto smaller books that focus on content, rather than phonics.
The reason that we were discouraged from using readers is because they are not always of interest to the child. Also, sometimes they don’t make that much sense when it comes to a story. Mat sat on the cat. Do people really sit on cats? Not really. At least I hope not.
Anyway, having said all of that, I do actually use BOB books in my classroom. (Shh, don’t tell my trainer!) I do this ONLY if a child asks for something to read, and isn’t interested in reading commands. At this point, I offer BOB books on the shelf, up to the most advanced child’s ability, and let the children (who are reading) choose the book. I can’t say that I love these books. However, I do love that my older children will read them to younger children, and I love when achild comes up to me, beaming, saying that ‘they read the whole thing!’.
I’ve heard both. I went to one Montessori conference and attended a session on reading where BOB books were mocked. Then I’ve taught at several schools where BOB books have been used very successfully. Truthfully, they fit right in to the Pink Series
I think, that as with everything not dictated by the Montessori curriculum, there should be a certain amount of flexibility based on the child, the environment, the culture, the budget, etc. I use a combination of leveled readers and classical literature in my own homeschool. It’s worked well so far.
Thanks for stopping by!
Wonderful to hear that people are using a variety of reading books to help kids learn to read. the trick is to find the way kids like to learn and give them resources that match. For far too long strict educational philosophies (and I love Montessori) have dictated specific ways to help kids learn without recognizing that children learn in different ways and so need different resources. But a great article, lots of information. Thanks
Thank you, Patricia! Montessori can be very strict, which I think is both good and bad. Children do learn in different ways, which means that a reading program that works for one child might not work for another. Great point!
Have you come across the Levelled reading materials available at readinga-z.com? I like the materials because they offer meaningful reading, are handmade, very inexpensive, there are thousands of books to choose from. With an annual subscription, you can download and print as many as you want.
I find that the lesson plans, using the principles of guided reading, are easy to use. The phonic books are readable and meaningful. Because there are so many non-fiction titles, the books can be incorporated in many different learning areas. There are also books covering the same topic, but at different reading levels.
I sound like a salesman, but am just a happy customer. Guided reading combines the elements of phonics and whole reading. The progression satisfies my sense of order. I can afford it.
Thanks for the link, Leonie! I will look into that site. I love the combination of phonics and whole reading, so it sounds great.
At my child’s Montessori school, they use Albanesi language cards. Every day for language the children work on a card. From what I can see, the cards focus on phonetic skills in isolation. There is no other reading program and the children are often matching words to picture cards and then writing out the word or filling in the missing letter/blend in a word and then writing out the word, or the older children are working a lot on identifying the parts of speech but not actually doing their own writing. I am not sure how this approach will foster independent fluent readers and writers – perhaps I am missing the boat on this one but it doesn’t seem like it’s working. Most of the grade one students can’t read simple books or write a sentence. They don’t know simple sight words ( I, is, am etc) and can’t independently spell many C-V-C words. Please someone who is familiar with Albanesi help me understand this approach and should it be done in this way?
Hi, Susie! I’m not familiar with the Albanesi language cards, but hopefully someone will stop by who is.
Any child in a Montessori environment should be doing lots of Pink, Blue, and Green Series work as well as work with sight words which leads to fluent reading.
There should also be age-appropriate reading books and any children who can read should be doing 3-part cards, research, etc. that uses and expands their reading skills.
Thanks for your reply Lori. Would you explain to me what are the 3-part cards. Also, how do you extend the Pink, Bue, and Green series work for the children so they are getting a more complete program. For example, do you have them write sentences with the words they are working on.
Thanks again for the reply.
Hi, Susie! 3-part cards are a backbone of Montessori education; they are used throughout preschool and elementary to teach terms and concepts. Examples would be Parts of a Plant, Types of Clouds, Parts of a Mountain, etc.
In preschool, the three parts are 1) a picture 2) a label card (with the name of the picture) and 3) a control card with the picture and label together
In elementary, the three parts are 1) a picture 2) a label card 3) a definition card
Children match them and then write or draw something they’ve learned (the older the child, the more they can write about it).
The Pink, Blue, and Green Series work is not meant for sentences per se (although they can write sentences about the words they are learning). It is for teaching phonics, vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills.
The writing comes in through research, story writing, and the 3-part cards as mentioned above.
Thanks Lori for your informative reply. I believe my child’s school has something similar in their Albanesi language program but more often than not I see the kids mostly working on isolated skills. In the elementary program there is no research or story writing going on. I will look into things further and see if they at least have 3-part cards as maybe they do and I just don’t know about it.
Thanks again for your reply : ) I appreciate it.
Sure, no problem! Yes, definitely ask your child’s teacher…they should be showing you your child’s work on a regular basis (parent/teacher conferences, etc.) so that’s a good time to find out what the class is working on. You can also ask to observe.
Work is not really shared at the school. I could ask to see what she is working on but to tell you the truth, I am concerned about what I might find. She has definitely regressed in her spelling and writing skills since being at this school. All I hear is that they are working on things and it’s a 3 year cycle and they will all catch up but the students are producing very little. I think there is some journal writing going on and then they work on the language cards and that is it. Luckily my child can read well (she read before coming to this school) but I know many of the children in the class aren’t reading. I hope it improves.
Actually, I suggest sharing your concerns with the director…this doesn’t sound like what Montessori elementary is supposed to be. I don’t think it will improve on its own. Montessori elementary is actually very difficult to do correctly, so this teacher may need some additional help or instruction to do it successfully.
Thanks Lori – you are right. The teacher is a really lovely person but I think she is at a loss when it comes to expanding the program and still keeping it true to Montessori principles. There is not really a director of the school per se, but I will have to share my concerns with the de facto head as I think you are correct that this won’t get better on it’s own. As I learn more and more about what happens at other Montessori schools, I have come to see that the program at this school is severely lacking. Wish me luck and thanks for all your input!!