First of all, I started giving Jerome lessons on his letters when he started showing interest. He would ask me about letters he saw, bring me alphabet books to read, and was so excited to pick up his letter work as soon as I provided it for him, which were all sure signs that he was ready.
Why does Montessori use the three-part lesson?
The three-part lesson is an effective way to isolate concepts and a gentle way to track a child's knowledge.
This is because you work with two or three aspects at a time (with letters, you start with an S, T and R for example) and you keep working through the first and second part of the lesson until your child has mastered these three aspects before moving on. You can then track progress (such as the letters the child has recieved lessons on).
What do you need for the three-part lesson?
- Up to three objects or cards, such as three different sandpaper letters, or Montessori nomenclature cards.
- One on one time with the child.
What can the three-part lesson be used to teach?
Because the three-part lesson is so effective in isolating concepts and teaching proper nomenclature, it is useful for teaching your child so many things. To name a few:
- Letters
- Colours
- Numbers
- New vocabulary (such as fruits and vegetables)
- Proper nomenclature (such as body parts, animal parents and their babies, etc)
- Big and small
- Emotions
- Geometric solids
- Shapes
- Textures
- Geography
The possibilities are truly endless...
How to give the three-part lesson?
For this example, I will use how I am currently giving Jerome number lessons.
Sit down with your child on the floor or across from them at a table. Treat this time as special and put as little pressure on your child as possible.
We use the Montessori sandpaper letters for this lesson. You can buy them, create a diy, or even use a simple puzzle for this lesson, just as effectively.
Place three sandpaper letters before your child so that they are facing the child clearly.
Step One:
- First trace the number on the left with your index and middle finger, saying the name of the number and repeating it three or four times.
- Have your child trace the number and repeat the name.
- Repeat this step for each card.
Step Two:
- Ask your child to point to each number using questions like can you point to the number one, can you give me the number two?
- Allow this step to take as long as your child needs, and be as creative as you like.
- My boys like there to be a component of movement at this part of the lesson. I will tell them to put the one off to one side of the table, the two on the other, and the three on the floor, so when I ask them to show me a certain number, they must move to it.
- I will also include some small objects, like buttons or beads, and will tell the child to put a block on the one. Then move the block from number one to the number two.
- If at any point your child incorrectly identifies an object at this point in the lesson, do not comment on it, but calmly return to the first part of the lesson.
Only move to this part of the lesson when you are sure your child has a firm grasp of the concept. Adults have a tendency to skip too quickly to this step before they have allowed the child to have enough practice in the second step of the lesson.
- Point to a card and ask, what is this? Can you tell me what this is called?
- If the child incorrectly identifies an object at this point, move again to the first and second part of the lesson, and allow them to work on the concept once again until they have fully grasped it.
The three-part lesson can be a focussed sit-down lesson as it was for us when I was teaching Jerome his letters but it can also become part of the way you speak with your child any time they are learning something new.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.
God bless,
Olivia Fischer
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