What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori This is the technique used in teaching new words to children. It is only used for teaching words. The example illustrated here is the naming of the colors: the teacher takes two color tablets, such as red and blue, from Color Box 1. She takes one red tablet and one blue one and puts them on the table in front of the child. She tells him she is going to teach him the names.
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori
FIRST PERIOD :
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori The teacher puts the tablets to one side. The teacher makes an association between the quality and the name by taking up each tablet in turn, placing it in front of the child and saying several times:
“This is red…red.”
She pauses a moment before saying “red” or “blue”, (depending on which color she is showing) and raises her voice slightly, enunciating clearly. She repeats until she thinks the child has made the association between the color and the name.
SECOND PERIOD:
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori She places the color in front of the child. In order to make sure that the child has understood and in order to help him fix his knowledge, she asks him:
“Point to the blue.”
“Point to the red.”
She asks, again and again, sometimes mixing the tablets first, sometimes asking for the same one a second time in succession. The teacher tries to make it interesting and enjoyable. Each time the teacher says “red” or “blue” the child has to make an association in his mind of the name with the color. It is proof that the child understands if he hands the teacher the correct color. If he makes mistakes too often, she does not correct him but goes back to the first stage of the lesson.
THIRD PERIOD:
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori Now, the teacher sees if the child can remember the name for himself. She places the tablets to one side. Then, the teacher puts one of the color tablets in front of the child. She asks him:
“What color is this?”
She does the same for the other color tablet. She asks the child again several times for the name of the different colors. If the child has done this easily, or on another day, the teacher introduces the yellow color tablets. She places the yellow color tablets in front of the child as in the First period and names it several times. Then, she uses the red, blue and yellow tablets in the second and third stages of the lesson.
Example :THE PINK TOWER
MATERIAL:
Ten solid wooden cubes varying in size from 1 cubic centimeter to 1 cubic decimeter. These are pale pink or plain wood. A strong pink must not be used. If it is used, children are more aware of color than of size. If in plain, lightly varnished wood, a very good hard wood must be used.
PURPOSE:
- Visual and muscular perception of dimension leading to an abstract understanding of size
- A awareness of dimension leading to intelligent observation of intelligent observation of size in the environment
- Coordination of movement
- Perfection of hand movements
- Preparation for mathematics
- There are 10 cubes because 10 is the basis of our number system
- The largest cube would hold 1 liter, the smallest 1 cubic centimeter
- Preparation for cube root
- Eight of the smallest make the second cube (23).
- Twenty -seven of the smallest make the third cube (33).
- Sixty -four of the smallest cubes make the fourth cube (43), etc.
- One thousand of the smallest cubes make the tenth cube (103).
AGE :
2 and ⅕ years.
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori PRESENTATION:
The teacher asks the child to spread a dark green mat on the floor on which to work. She shows the child how to carry the cubes (two or three times) and place them at random on the mat. The teacher sits beside the child and builds a rower in order of size starting with the largest cube. Each cube is placed concentrically on the one before in one movement.
She pauses and looks at the cubes. The child sees that a deliberate choice is being made. The teacher must not, however, re-adjust a cube after it has been placed in position as a child may think this is part of the lesson and copy her movements. Therefore, the teacher must have worked the tower until she can build it perfectly before giving the lesson.
The cubes are grasped from above with fingers and thumb on four sides. In this way, it is possible to judge size by touch as well as by sight. The child may need to use two hands to put the largest one in position, but the teacher can grasp them all correctly and the child can grasp all those he can in the same way.
With developmentally delayed children, every other cube may be given at first. It does not matter which five the child works with. The difference between any two cubes in succession will be twice as great as when using all ten, and he will have more chance of succeeding. When he can manage 5 well, he can have ten cubes. The child with serious difficulty in motor control, can grade the pieces in a row rather than building them into a tower until his movements are more controlled.
EXERCISE 1
The child builds the tower as shown. He will make Mistakes at first, but will gradually perfect his ability to judge size with practice. The teacher must not interfere. If he obviously has not understood the lesson, then the teacher will give him a new lesson another day before he starts using the material. New lessons can also be given to help the child improve in handling the material.
The tower must not be knocked down as the edges and corners are soon spoiled when this is done. The child should take it down block by block.
EXERCISE 2
When the child does Exercise 1 easily and well, he can be shown how to build the tower with one corner of each cube exactly above the other all the way up, with the corner and two faces of the cube exactly flush. There will be two ledges, 1 cm wide, on the other two sides of the tower. The smallest cube will fit on these ledges. The child is shown to run the cube along each ledge in turn. This exercise demonstrates the relationship in size between the cubes.
What is the Three Period Lesson in Montessori SELF- CORRECTION
Visual:
- The child can usually see his errors when looking at the tower he has completed.
- If the tower is very badly built it will fall over.
VOCABULARY
- Cube
- large , small
- Large, larger, largest
- Small, smaller, smallest