Phonogram Booklets

These summer days afford me more opportunities for one of my favorite pastimes as a Montessori teacher - making materials!  Recently, I made small booklets for keeping record of Sandpaper Letter lessons.  Now, I've made two sets of Phonogram Booklets to enhance our Language area in the classroom.  It is exciting to share with you these charming booklets as I believe they add much meaning to the learning of phonograms.

I purchased Phonogram Booklet Sets 1 and 2 from Montessori Print Shop and readily got to work printing, cutting, and laminating.  It was critical to me that the booklets remain visually appealing while imbuing a sense of importance for the child.  For this reason, I decided to have the booklets bound with special wire rather than simply stapling them together.  To me, this somehow may indicate to the child that this booklet, while small in size, is nevertheless an important tool for learning. 

Although it should not matter if the sets get mixed up, some children may want to keep track of the booklets they have read and used.  Consequently, I placed purple sticker dots with the numbers 1-12 on the backs of first set and green sticker dots with numbers on the second set (each set includes 12 booklets).  Also, it allows an easy
way for me to keep record of which booklets the child has been introduced to.

I plan to introduce these booklets after the child has made phonograms with the Small Moveable Alphabet.  First, the child will read the booklet of a known phonogram.  Next, they can make the words with the Small Moveable Alphabet by reading the word in the booklet, turning it over, then making the word (with the moveable alphabet).  Lastly, they may check their work by comparing their word with the booklet.  The child can also read the booklets to me or to each other. 

The Montessori dreamer in me is envisioning a classroom full of children reading these booklets to each other....!