A few months ago we were gifted a box of treasures by a former Montessori teacher who also happens to be the grandmother of one of our students. Even after a decade and a half in the classroom, I still love this stuff!

All that organizing put me in the mood to take photos of all the language materials in my cabinets. I now have multiples of things and I think it might be time for a giveaway soon.

Below are photos of some of our reading materials. These are all color coded in blue to represent regular phonetic words that have more than 3 letters.

Children need the following skills before they can tackle this level:

Strong phonemic awareness (practice with sound games like I Spy and the activities in my phonological awareness packs)
Know the sounds of all the consonants and vowels (practice with sandpaper letters)
Combine letter-sound knowledge and phonemic awareness with the use of the movable alphabet (affiliate link) to phonetically spell short words and phrases.
Know how to decode 3-letter words (often color coded in pink. Cathie Perolman has some great materials for this stage.)

An important note: children are not required to go through a rigid sequence of materials when learning in a Montessori environment. The sequence exists so that we can fill in gaps in understanding, but it’s critical to keep in mind our ultimate goal which is to help the child take control of his/her own learning. Some children just need exposure to decoding 4 letter words once and they’re ready to move on to more complex things, while others need and like to have the time to practice a particular skill for a long period of time. So, don’t feel like you need to have all of these items on your shelves.

Coming Soon

How to Teach Phonetic Reading Using the Montessori Pink, Blue, and Green series.

This online course has detailed video tutorials for all the phonetic reading lessons and also includes all the printables you need to set up your reading shelves. Fill out the form below to join the waiting list and we’ll notify you as soon as the course opens! (Psst, you’ll also get a discount code on opening day!)

Reading Words

Blue series 3-part cards (Source: Trillium Montessori Store)

Objects and labels (how fantastic are these brass objects?!)
Plastic boxes available from Montessori Services (affiliate link)

Picture and word labels (Source: Unknown)

Picture and word labels (Source: Lakeview)

Picture and Word Mats (Source: The Helpful Garden)

Picture and Word Mats (Source: B.E.S.T. Educational Supplies, website unknown)

Picture and Word Mats (Source: Lakeview)

Phonetic Word Booklets (Source: Unknown)

Blends Reading Lists (Source: Free for Trillium Montessori subscribers). The wooden container is from a set of drawer organizers.

Reading Sentences

Phonetic Sentences and Objects (Source: Lakeview)

Phonetic Sentences and Pictures (Source: The Helpful Garden)

Phonetic Sentences and Pictures (Source: Lakeview)

Phonetic Yes/No Questions

Phonetic Sentences (Source: Montessori Printshop)

Phonetic Sentences and Stories (Source: Unknown)

Renae from Every Star is Different has a huge bundle of printables for this stage of reading development. Check out this post (affiliate link) for a closer look and to get a copy.