Using Montessori Multi-Sensory Approaches in ESL Literacy Education

Using Montessori
Multi-Sensory Approaches
in ESL Literacy Education
Gail Grigg
Adult Education ESL Instructor
Black Hawk College
1Monday, March 10, 14

Competency-Based
Curriculum, Assessment,
& Instruction
Life skills necessary for
individuals to be functionally
competent members of their
community, their family, and
the workforce
• Basic
Communication
• Health
• Employment
• Consumer
Economics
• Community
Resources
• Government/Law
• Learning & Thinking
Skills
• Independent Living
• Math

Content Standards
• Based on instructional level
• Reading skills assessed formally for state
reporting (BEST Literacy or CASAS)
• Integration of all four language skills in
curriculum

Adult ESL Literacy
Population
• preliterate, nonliterate, semiliterate in L1
• no, limited or interrupted formal education
• used to passing and receiving information
orally, not throught print

Adult ESL Literacy
Population
• no formal contact with print
• cannot take notes or study from a book outside of
class as an aid to memory and for self-study
• may need motor skills practice in holding pencils
• may need training and support in handling and
tracking information in books and paper books
• may not recognize pictorial respresentation

Indirect Assessment of
Numeracy and Basic Math
Some of the functional English language skills formally assessed
incorporating numbers or basic math:
• personal information
• area codes/phone numbers
• ID cards
• work time cards
• store hours
• dates
• basic housing application
• prices
• checks/money orders
• clothing sizes

Linguistic Focus
• adresse = 302 W. 3rd Street (address in French)
• sünnikuupäev = 9/17/70 (date of birth in Estonian, non-
Indo-European language)
• 電話號碼 = (386) 747 - 0055 (telephone number in
Chinese, non-Indo-European language and non-alphabetic written form)
Adult ESL classes orient on language acquisition. Students with literacy in the L1 may face
greater or lesser challenges with learning English based on such factors as whether the L1
written code is alphabetic or how closely the language is related to English in the Indo-
European language family.

Decimal PlaceValue
Circle October 31.
Many Adult ESL Literacy students
have limited to no formal
education, so they may also
struggle with basic numeracy
concepts such as base 10 and
recognizing place value as well as
the function of zero as a place
holder for decimal categories.

Decimal PlaceValue
How much money?

Montessori Math
• multi-sensory
• concrete, literal presentation of
abstract mathematical concepts
• A scaffold to symbolic
abstraction
While conventional wisdom would have us use realia
in ESL literacy classes such as the “play” dollars, we
must also consider how the realia itself can be rather
symbolic and abstract. Notice that greenbacks look
remarkably similar whether $1, $10, or $100. The
golden beads in the photo demonstrate a clear
materialized abstraction of the relative base ten
values of units/tens/hundreds. We want to guide
students in understanding the underlying value of the
realia symbol through the use of materials that give
very concrete numeric concepts.

Concept of
Decimal System
Montessori approaches to numeracy move from concrete to symbolic.
Start with the bead material, naming orally the values (“This is a unit/ten/hundred/thousand.”)
Show how ten units make one ten, how 10 tens make 1 hundred, etc.
Move into Total Physical Response (“Point to the unit. Bring me the hundred.”) You ideally
have a number of pieces for each decimal category so you can then ask students the
following TPR commands: “Bring me 3 thousands. Give 4 hundreds and 5 tens to your
neighbor”. etc.
Eventually, we want students to begin to name the categories and the quantities in the base
ten categories for themselves: “What is it?” (2 thousands) “What is it?” (4 hundreds and 5
tens) etc.

Introduction to
Symbols
Only AFTER much practice with the bead base ten material do you introduce the symbols/
numerals. (“This is a unit/ten/hundred/thousand.”) Notice that the cards are laid out showing
the units have no zeros, tens have one zero, hundreds two zeros and thousands three zeros.
We want to draw students attention to this feature of how many zeros per category.
Also, notice that the categories are color coded. This helps students to visually distinguish
and draws on more channels for classifying the categories of base ten. The color categorizing
is kept for some time with students to help them notice and distinguish the base ten values.
Move into Total Physical Response (“Point to the unit. Bring me the hundred.”) You ideally
have a number of pieces for each decimal category so you can then ask students the
following TPR commands: “Bring me 3 thousands. Give 4 hundreds and 5 tens to your
neighbor”. etc.
Eventually, we want students to begin to name the categories and the quantities in the base
ten categories for themselves: “What is it?” (2 thousands) “What is it?” (4 hundreds and 5
tens) etc.

Formation of Numbers
Eventually, we want to combine the use of the concrete materials with the
numeric symbols. We can give the numeric tickets and, again using the TPR
method, say,“Bring me this amount.” The student must then read the numeric
symbol and bring the corresponding bead materials. This can also be ﬂipped by
giving the students the bead material and asking them to bring back the
ticket(s) representing that amount.

Zero and PlaceValue

Life Skills (Rent)
Two of my students knew how much
their rents were ($900/mo. and $250/
mo.), but by using the manipulative
material, they could better notice and
compare their respective monthly rents.
Incidentally, this comparison of rent
activity prompted some lively discussion
discussion amongst students on cost of
rent, landlords, public assistance, etc.

Life Skills (Rent)
Only once the students have worked a lot with the
beads and number cards do we move into number
words. Again, these are color-coded, correlating to the
numeral cards.
After some time repeating the TPR sequences and
students working on the word cards as sight words, we
can start applying to real life, such as checks or money
orders.

Linear Counting
1,2,3,…11, 12, 13,…38, 39, 40,…61, 62…

Teens: Symbol

Tens:Association

Skip Counting
by 2s, 5s, 10s and 100s

Montessori Numeracy Work
Applied to Life Skills
• Students more successful ﬁnding pages in their
textbooks
• Writing street number names/phone numbers/zip
codes/ dates with greater awareness and accuracy
(less omission/incorrect number order)
• Reading dollars and prices more accurately
• Beginning basic addition using decimal categories

Vocabulary: Classiﬁed Cards

Classiﬁed Cards: “Weather”

Classiﬁed Cards
• Using visuals and oral language without print.
• Opportunities to build vocabulary, listening,
speaking skills ﬁrst (important for low L1 literacy
students)
• Cut/laminate images from color picture dictionary
or teacher/student generated photos.
• Discuss the pictures to see what students know/
don’t know already. Separate cards based on this
for further practice and review using teacher
naming/total physical response (point to...)/student
naming of vocabulary.

Three Period Lesson
1. This is “windy”. This is “foggy”.
2. Point to “windy”. Point to “foggy”.
3. What is it? (windy/foggy)

Reading Classiﬁcation
Noticing and identifying words in print comes
AFTER much oral language practice.
windy
foggy
snowing
sunny

Sound Game
(Use same onset/different rime to begin) i.e. cat/crayon/
coin/carrot.
When possible with low literacy students, use realia or 3D
representations before moving to 2D/print images.
Introduce initial sounds with vocabulary students have
already learned orally.

Sound Game
1. Beginning sounds: cat crayon coin carrot
2. Ending sounds: fan crayon coin woman
3. Medial sounds: hat tag man cap
4. Give sound and look at environment for items with
that sound (ex: /l/) anywhere within the word: table
ball light blinds
5. Give known word and students attend to all the
sounds: /b/ /e/ /l/ for “bell”
The focus here is still on aural recognition of
sounds vs. print/phonics-based reading, blending,
etc.

Sound, Symbol & Writing
Non-literate adults generally want to move away from materials
like sandpaper letters quickly, but they still need support with
ﬁne motor skill development in their writing. We still want to
provide materials that give strong tactile feedback to students.
Options include a slate with chalk or thick crayons or pencils on
paper that has a “nap” or texture to it--think, for instance,
construction paper texture over printer paper texture.

Later, you may want
to introduce the
earlier sandpaper
sequence to
common English
digraphs.

Moveable Alphabet
ba
bag
ba
bad
ba
bam
ba
bat
ba
ban
bad
mad
man
tan
tag
sag
sat
m
g
t
s
n
b
a
bat
man
tag
bag
1. 2. 3.

• Point to “bag”,“pen”,
“sand”,“insect”,
“basket”.
• What is it? (bag, pen,
sand, insect, basket)
pen
bag
insect
sand
basket
sh
sham
shag
ash
gash
mash
was
the
are
• Use moveable alphabet
with digraphs, using a
different color for the
sound/spelling focus.
• Use with sight words
(one color).
Moveable Alphabet

Names (Nouns) Actions (Verbs)
We can build awareness for word functions. For instance, we can give an
impression of words that name persons/places/things. Names are stable, they last
for many many years in a culture. So nouns are like mountains. Some words are
action words--they have energy, like our sun.
By telling little stories, drawing analogies, and showing images, we can make
connections that “stick” for ESL literacy students. We draw on students’ concrete
life experiences of nature and culture to make connections to abstract language
concepts such as parts of speech.
We can reinforce these channels with “materialized abstractions” in the classroom
environment. After making connections of nouns to mountains or verbs to the
sun, we can show an origami black pyramid and a red rubber ball that bounces.
These can live in the classroom and serve as visual/tactile reminders of abstract
linguistic concepts.
Functions of Words (Parts of Speech)

Function of Words
student
rice
Myanmar
walk
eat
speak
Use of grammar symbols such as the black triangle or red circle creates opportunities
for visual and kinesthetic channels to be reinforced in support of grasping abstract
grammar concepts.
Students can use word or picture cards they know and classify according to word
function (name or action?) Student discover that some words can be both!
can
phone

Oral Introduction to Word Functions
Bring me a pencil.
That is a pencil, but not the one I
want. Bring me a yellow pencil.
Example of oral intro to adjective
(words that tell “what type of...?”)
We want to give a lot of oral practice with the concept of the word function or part of
speech we are introducing. Here, make certain that you give TPR commands for students to
ﬁnd/retrieve people or things that are within the learning environment to ensure the function
of describing words, words that tell us “what kind?” are visual, tactile, kinesthetic, aural, etc.
We want them to have a sensorial experience of adjectives.
Make sure there is two of something (in this case, pencils) with variation or contrast.
Whichever object (pencil) the student chooses the ﬁrst time, make sure you tell them you
want a different pencil (see the wording above in the pencil example.)

Function of Words
“Grammar Boxes” or
“Grammar Pocket Charts” activity
Materials:
1. 3 to 4 Bigger cards with 2 or 3 phrases or sentences (example shown is
with noun phrases in which the only change is the adjective--the cards isolate
student attention on adjectives.
2. Smaller cards color coded for part of speech with the individual words
from all the bigger cards. These little cards are arranged in stacks according
to parts of speech as in illustration.
3. A grammar box--this can be made from box lids with cardboard
separators, word wall pocket charts, or ﬁle folder with spaces for particular
card types designated. by color or term (depending on the students).
Purpose:
1. Building awareness of word functions/parts of speech using multiple modalities.
2. Reading/listening practice (word recognition/word matching)
**a student not yet an emergent reader but with some English listening skills can be paired with a student who is an
emerging reader of English for this activity--Can also be used with paired higher level ESL literacy students (reading some
familiar words/simple sentences)

Function of Words
Can you find the little cards?
Can you go get that?
Can you read the first phrase on this card?
Pull down a large card. Students can read the large card.
Then they find the matching little word cards, coded for
parts of speech. Then they do the action from the phrase
(in this example, they go get a red book.)
red

Function of Words
Can you find that little card?
Can you go get that object?
Can you read the first phrase on this card?
Students read the second phrase. Ask what word has changed
(only one will have changed--in this example the adjective). They
find the little card for that (here,“black”). Then they do the action
from the phrase (now they go get a black book.)
What word has changed?

Function of Words
3. Which word tells you which book or what kind of book?
We can place a symbol for that. (ﬁrst time)
Can you place a symbol for that? (later times)
The teacher can show the students symbols
to associate with parts of speech. Notice
that the symbols for articles and adjectives
are similar to the noun but smaller and
lighter in color. This provides a visual for
students to see the relationship of words in
noun phrases. The retrieving of the red
book and later the black book
kinesthetically reinforces the concept that
adjectives tell “what kind of _____”.
1. Which word tells you the name of something?
Can you place a symbol for that? (subsequent times)
2. Which word tells one particular object or one of many?
Can you place a symbol for that? (later times)

Noun Phrase (Noun “Family”)
We can connect abstract language concepts like “noun phrases” to more familiar contexts
for our students, such as family life. If the students have some oral/listening skills in English,
we can use a visual and tell a story about the “noun family” something like this:
When we use a noun, many times there is an article with
it. Usually an article and a noun go together just like a
mother and a baby (NB to teacher: this does not apply
with proper nouns or indeﬁnite plural nouns). We can
think of these words as a family.
We can see the adjective is also part of the noun family.
The adjective is sometimes present, and sometimes it is
not. Sometimes we can say, “the book”, and there is no
adjective. But maybe we can say “the red book” and
there we are using a word that tells what kind of book or
which book (an adjective).
The adjective is not as close to its mother. Sometimes it
goes out with its friends and does other things. The
article, noun and adjective are considered the noun
family.
Notes
Through visuals and charts such as the above, we help children see the relationship and connection between
these three parts of speech. The chart with its story reinforce the triangle symbolic representation for these
parts of speech. This, in turn, helps to create “hooks” for students with low levels of formal education to grasp
abstract grammar concepts.

Another Story about
the Noun Family &Verb
Show chart and tell the following story:
We can see how the verb is giving energy in this chart. The verb energizes the noun
family, so the verb shines on the family of the noun. It is because we have a verb that
we can have a sentence. WIthout a verb, we cannot have a sentence.
NB: This is what we may want to show the students after a certain point to emerging
and early readers-a verb is necessary to have a sentence.

Language Experience Approach
Hari says a prayer.
We can use student oral language, transcribe it, and
then use the students’ oral language for literacy
activities. Often, students like to share their
culture and life experiences in the classroom. We
can encourage that sharing. For example, my
Hindu Nepali students were having a holiday one
week and I found some images on Google that I
thought they could comment on and would make
good LEA prompts. Once I transcribe their words,
I may use their words later for reading or grammar
work.
Below, I wrote a student’s sentence about her
husband on a strip of paper. For sentence analysis,
I may use strips of adding maching paper--It is a
good size for the following:

Reading Analysis/Sentence Analysis
While function of words work focuses attention on parts of speech, the above manipulatives
help students focus on parts of sentences. This work would be for once students are already
early readers. Using their own words and stories can be helpful in devising simple sentences.

1.“What is the action?” (“says”)
2.“Who is it that says?” or “What is it that says?” (“Hari”)
3.“Hari says what?” (“a prayer.”)
On the back side of the black arrows are the language
terms for the function questions. After much practice and
depending on the student’s ability, you may try introducing
the terms “subject”,“verb/predicate”, and “direct object”.

who is it that?what is it that?
whom? what?
who is it that?
what is it that?
Januka
Durga
and
read.
Januka and Durga read.
Simple sentence with compound subject.
Examples of other sentence structures:

who is it that?what is it that?
whom? what?
who is it that?
what is it that?
Dhan
Ma Puh cooks chicken and rice.
and
reads
Dhan reads and writes.
Simple sentence with compound verb.
writes.
Simple sentence with compound direct object.
who is it that?
what is it that?Ma Puh cooks
whom? what?
chicken
and
rice.

whom? what?
to whom? to what?
where?
how?
by means of whom?
by means of what?
when?
why?
from whom? from what?
by whom? by what?
what for?
with whom? with what?
who is it that?
what is it that?
Hari says a prayer every day at home.
For more advanced literacy
students who continue making
progress in ESL classes, the
Montessori simple sentence/
reading analysis work can
continue to include adverbial
and adjectival extensions.

DIRECT OBJECTSUBJECT
PLAC
Hari
says
at home.
TIME
every day
PREDICATE
a prayer.
This sentence has SVO
simple sentence structure
with adverbial extensions
of place and time.

Conclusion
Montessori approaches to numeracy, language, and
literacy can tap multiple learning modalities: visual, aural,
tactile and kinesthetic, taking advantage of multiple
learning channels. For students with limited formal
education, low L1 literacy, and little experience with
textbook-based learning, Montessori-inspired materials
embody “materialized abstractions” that students can
literally manipulate.

Resources: Montessori
• www.infomontessori.com/mathematics
• www.infomontessori.com/language
• www.montessoricommons.cc
• www.alisonsmontessori.com
• Materials supplier (including golden base 10 beads)
• Montessori Read & Write by Lynne Lawrence
• Basic Montessori: Learning Activities by David Gettman
• Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-SchoolYears by Elizabeth Hainstock
• Teaching Montessori in the Home: SchoolYears by Elizabeth Hainstock
Resources: ESL Literacy
• ESL Literacy Network at BowValley College, Calgary,AB at www.esl-literacy.com (online portal
speciﬁcally for ESL literacy--offers articles, downloadables, and webinars)
• www.eyeonliteracy.com (ESL teachers who have created beautiful visual/picture books for adult ESL
literacy)
• www.tacomacommunityhouse.org (go to downloadable materials link--there are several excellent
downloadable teaching handbooks on ESL adult literacy--all free!)

Appendix
• Montessori Function of Words Symbols and
Key Questions.
• Montessori Sentence Analysis templates
• Montessori Movable Alphabets Templates
• Montessori Decimal Cards
• see the Resources page for more how-to’s
or materials distributors

Word Function/Parts of Speech Symbols
and Key Function Questions
Article: Which word tells you a particular one or one
of many?
Noun: Which word tells you the name of a person,
place, thing or idea?
Adjective:Which word tells you which one or what
kind of?
Pronoun: Which word can be used instead of the
name of a person, place, thing or idea?
Verb: Which word tells you the action or what to do?
Preposition: Which word tells you the relationship
between two things (**start with spatial prepositions
ﬁrst).
Adverb: Which word tells you how to do an action?
Conjunction: Which word connects two or more
ideas together?
Interjection: Which word helps you to express
feelings?
article
noun
adjective
pronoun
verb
adverb
preposition
conjunction
interjection

Sentence Analysis: Function Questions

Sentence Analysis:Terms

aeiou
bcdfg
hjklm
npqrs
tvwxy
z

9000900909
8000800808
7000700707
6000600606
5000500505
4000400404
3000300303
2000200202
1000100101

Using Montessori Multi-Sensory Approaches in ESL Literacy Education

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