Dwyer and AMI Primary Language Album

In the last couple (now 3-4) weeks I have taken quite a few questions along the same lines and thought a blog post might be a great place to sort it all out ;)

1/7/12 - let me just reiterate right here - YOU have to decide what will work best for your family. My experience is my experience; while much of my opinion is based on a seriously high amount of observation, even I find myself outside of statistics many times, so I will not lock anyone into them ;) I can only help guide you based on your situation ;)


Within the English-speaking Montessori homeschool world, there are 3 language development "schemes" (anyone have a better word for that!?) that are most prevalent. I am sure there are many variations on these, but as a homeschooler coming to the internet getting started on Montessori, here are the three you will find most often, of late:
(when I was first getting started and before I went to training, #3 was not readily available and I never came across #2, though it was available)

1. Pink/Blue/Green - altogether the most prevalent. It was developed specifically for the English language  and is heavily promoted by AMS (the Montessori organization with the strongest presence in the United States; and the most accessible to homeschoolers and new Montessori teachers). This system has to work because it is so prevalent, but it can be very overwhelming for new homeschooling parents, and tends to be heavily modified by each user because of these overwhelming aspects. It was not developed by anyone in the Montessori family (Maria, Mario, etc.), but is a specific response to the English language, in a Montessori-inspired manner. History is sketchy on the internet, but it seems to be in response to American-English, versus English in general or British-English (can someone please verify this for me!?). In any case, it may be more appropriate for schools (over homeschools) when seeking to apply it in a pure form. But I would personally not send my child to a school that uses this approach, if I want a true Montessori school.
2. Dwyer Pamphlet - published by NAMTA - becoming more prevalent as families are really getting burned by the p/b/g work. I wrote up my first post about it here: Analysis of Dwyer booklet compared to AMI Primary Language Album. The emphasis of her pamphlet is "The Exploration of Language" - utilizing keys to unlock language. Keys - what Maria Montessori called her sensorial materials (keys to the world). And while it simplifies the process, it potentially over-simplifies it by mentioning some topics without going in-depth. The reason is that Muriel Dwyer summarized the approach that AMI uses; this booklet was never meant to be a complete step by step guide. 
3. AMI Primary Language Album - growing in prevalence only because certain AMI-trained Montessori teachers are taking AMI out of the cloistered elite and sharing it with the world. However, picked up straight by a homeschooling parent without Montessori training - it can feel almost as overwhelming as the p/b/g work. If you have a detailed scope and sequence with the album, you're much better off, but there can still be questions. Support and understanding of how the album works is growing. 
4. There are other resources as well, that seem to be variations on the above: Gettman, Montessori Read & Write, Hainstock's books, and the like. Much more user-friendly and designed to speak to the homeschooling mom, but not as complete as they could be. Excellent filler resources. 

So overall - no one perfect solution for the homeschool mom who would like to pick up a straight-forward guide and run with it. Why is that? Because every child is different, thus modifications are necessary. The nice thing? There is plenty of online support available through e-mail groups and generous Montessori-trained teachers who want this work in the hands of homeschoolers. 

Some other bloggers who have posted fantastic resources or reviews on the differences between pink/blue/green and the Dwyer pamphlet: 

• What Did We Do All Day?
• Kingdom of the Pink Princesses
• Dream Before You

There are many more - and you are welcome to add your link below if you have a blog post/series up about it :) 

Who developed each approach? 

The booklet by Muriel Dwyer appears to be a(n excellent and useful) summary of the AMI approach, which would have been approved by Maria Montessori (2020 edit: Muriel Dwyer worked with Mario Montessori on this approach that works for *any* language for AMI to continue to use in non-purely-phonetic languages). The AMI language album is not heavily focused on learning a language in the same style as Italian - instead is truly keys-based in its exploration of any language. There are conflicting sources for who developed the pink/blue/green series and it seems to be a collaborative effort. I am unfortunately short on time to look much further at this time, but would love if someone else could share this information if they know it for sure :) (see comments)

I think that clarifies most of the questions I have received thus far, except one other main one: 

If I want to follow your recommendation to use the AMI Primary Language with the Dwyer booklet, how do I do that? 

ANSWER: The Dwyer booklet is like the framework, the how-to, and the areas of absolute emphasis; and most parents who are interacting with their children right now, will be able to apply it right away. However, there are some "meaty details" that, if you have the Primary Language album, you will have so many aha moments, that your children will wonder why you're so excited! ;) 

DETAILS: 

The Dwyer booklet corresponds with large portions of the Primary Language album in the following manner (see the chart below)

As you can see, the Dwyer booklet gives the framework and the main things to emphasize, allowing for you to see at a glance what is most important within the foundation. From there, you can better apply the primary language album pages. Best scenario: use a detailed scope and sequence with ages to determine what should be done within a general time frame (parallel works); then use Dwyer to see where in the framework that is, so you have your "place in the grand scheme of things"; and use the language album for your actual presentations.


I hope this all helps! Keep asking questions as they come up!

Dwyer on the left; AMI Primary Language album (Keys of the World modified) on the right.
Note that where it says "mentioned" or "listed" in Dwyer, it means she refers to it, but provides no or very few details. The chart clearly shows that Dwyer summarized the AMI approach - they are the same, just a different level of detail. 

(not included)	Prologue
	Education as an Aid to Life
	Development of Language (from Theory)
	Introduction to Language
	Introduction to Spoken Language
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Spoken: Vocabulary Enrichment
	Orientation Game
	Naming Objects in the Environment
	Collecting Classified Objects
	Practical Life Objects
	Parts of an Object
	Language of the Sensorial Materials
	Three Period Lesson
	Classified Cards - Social
	Related Objects Game - Presentations A & B
	Description/Definition Game
	Stories – Biological Classifications
	The Story of Living and Non-Living Matter
	The Story of Plants and Animals
	The Story of the Five Classes of Vertebrates
	Sorting Game – Biology Classifications
	Nomenclature Cards – Scientific
	Life Cycles
	Oral Language Games
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Spoken: Language Development
	Storytelling
	Reading and Books in the Library
	Poems
	Conversation
	Question Game
	Cultural Folders
	Extension: fictional story telling
	Land and Water Form Folders
	Land and Water Form Outline Maps
	Biome Folders
	Art Folders
	My State
	Writing
	Introduction to Writing
Aural Development (ages 0-4+)	Sound Games
	Sensitizing Fingers
Symbols for the Sounds (3 1/2 or so + )	Sandpaper Letters
Done WITH the above individual letters	Sandpaper Phonograms (Additional Sandpaper Letters)
Typically around 4, earlier or later	Movable Alphabet
Separate development (not in Dwyer)	Metal Insets (12 Stages)
	Small Metal Insets
	Map Making
	Writing - Art of Handwriting
Lightly touched on (hinted at) in Dwyer booklet	Sand Tray
	Chalkboards
	Paper Material (10 stages)
	Initial Strokes
	Green Boards (Initial strokes)
	Handwriting Charts – 6
	Book Making
	Reading: Phonetic Reading
	Introduction to Reading
Dwyer: Object Box 1	Phonetic Object Box
Dwyer: “Beginning of Reading”	Phonetic Reading Cards
Dwyer: “Activity Word Game” (part 1)	Phonetic Reading Commands
Dwyer: “Beginning of Reading”	Phonetic Booklets
	Rhyming Words
	Reading: Phonograms
Dwyer marks this as Object Box 2	Phonogram Object Box and Alphabet Boxes
(only hinted at)	Phonogram Shadow Box
Dwyer has “folders” for a version of these	Phonogram Booklets
	Phonogram Cards
(not covered in Dwyer???)	Phonogram Alphabet Exploration
Dwyer: “Activity Word Game” (part 2)	Phonogram Commands
Dwyer: kind of the Phonogram dictionary, but a bit different – would be great to do both versions	Research
	Spelling
	Dictionary
	Personal Dictionary
	Reading: Puzzle Words
Puzzle Words in Dwyer, under “The Test” (introduced with the movable alphabet according to AMI)	Puzzle Words
	Reading Classification
Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Presentation I – Classifying the Environment
	Presentation II – Cards with Labels
	A. Social
	B. Scientific
	C1. Biology Classifications: Living and Non-Living
	C2: Biology Classifications: Plant and Animal
	C3: Biology Classifications: Five Classes of Vertebrates
	Extension: Mix and sort - work up to 5 sets
	Presentation III – Definition Stages
	Reading: Function of Words
Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Introduction to Function of Words and Background
	Article
	Adjective
	Logical Adjective
	Detective Adjective
	Conjunction
	Preposition
	Verb
	Adverb
	Logical Adverb
	Continuation of Commands
	Symbol and Phrase Game
	Word Study
Further exploration of reading skills and language exploration – much of this can and should be done orally to begin with (with some details left out to be discovered when the child can read for himself), so that the reading portion becomes a deeper work for the children as well as a way to enhance whole reading skills with something familiar. Mentioned in Phonogram Dictionary and Dictation as parallel work.	Introduction to Word Study
	Compound Words
	Suffixes
	Prefixes
	Word Families
	Adjectives
	Singular and Plural
	Synonyms
	Antonyms
	Homophones
	Homographs
	Animal Collectives
	Animals and Their Young
	Animal Sounds
	Animal Homes
	Animal Families
	Contractions
	Reading Analysis
Dwyer: Listed under “Dictation”	Introduction to Reading Analysis
	Simple Sentences Stage I
	Simple Sentences Stage II
	Simple Sentences Stage III
	Musical Expression
Not touched on in Dwyer’s booklet.	Introduction to Musical Expression
	Notation with the Bells: whole step, half step, tetrachord
	Note Names with the Bells (Name Lessons with the Bells)
	Introduction to the Musical Staff: Staff, Ledger Lines, G-Clef
	Note Names on the Numbered Staff Board
	Note Names on the Unmarked Staff Board
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 1: Matching Cards with Bells
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 2: Nomenclature Cards
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 3: Grading
	Unmarked Staff Boards – Parallel Exercise 4: Descriptions/Definitions
	Composing on the Bells
	Reading Music
	Language Extension
Much of this work falls under real life experiences, aural and oral language development. We want the children to have real experiences so they have something to write about with the movable alphabet.	Who Am I?
	How to Teach a Song
	Clapping – Rhythm
	Introduction to Biology
	Introducing Animals
	Plant Study and Experiments
	Telling Time
Additionals particular to Keys of the World albums - not included in straight AMI albums or in Dwyer's booklet.	Appendix
	Language Scope and Sequence
	Language Materials List
	Master Copies

Related printable and physical materials available here: 

Keys of the World Language Arts

I am getting a lot of off-blog questions - mostly along the same lines. I get wordy in my responses, but here is a quick response ;) 

Can I just use the Dwyer booklet (summary of AMI)and not use the (AMI) full primary language album at all? 

Yes. *If* you are looking to just focus on learning to read and write, and that's it. As a homeschooler you are probably already providing a rich language experience, just living life, using real vocabulary, reading with your child and having lots of real experiences. 

Slightly longer answer: As you can see, the primary language album also includes music, science, as well as all the language studies that come after learning how to read and write. Yes, there are variations on these in elementary, but these are primary level lessons here, and if you have time and a ready-child, the primary language album will serve you well. There is SO much more available in the AMI Primary language album.

It just depends on your situation :)

1/5/12 - See My Boys' Teacher's comment about the albums. This answer also depends which albums you are using.


Click here for a link to the Montessori Trails page correlating Dwyer with AMI with Pink/Blue/Green - aligned next to each other according to stages. 

Pink Blue Green - Why It Is Not for Us

This post is back to just us - our journey through Montessori. Well, in this case it is my journey and the journey of my poor tutoring children in those early days. ;)


Years and years ago, I started doing Montessori at home and located a wonderful person online who shared her word lists for the pink/blue/green series. I had not seen this work done in the Montessori schools I had worked at, couldn't find it in Montessori's books, but I also knew that I didn't "know" all there was to know about Montessori and perhaps I'd just "missed" understanding what I was seeing. At this point, I was doing full-time daycare in my home and didn't have time for subbing or for observing; the few teachers I was able to contact told me they didn't use pink/blue/green but couldn't explain quickly what they did use - I remember phrases like "total reading" and "exploration of language keys" but I just didn't get it. One online acquaintance said, "There is something far better than the pink blue green series for Montessori language - I'll send you information." I never did receive anything :(

So I tried to sort it out with currently available resources online; the one album I had didn't explain it well; and the Montessori books I had didn't even MENTION it. (see update below). I tried combining Montessori Read and Write with the pink/blue/green ---- I was just not feeling comfortable with our odd blend - it didn't feel right - not in the same way our other Montessori work just felt right. I finally gave up and used the p/b/g cards as reading cards and modified the materials to suit the elementary children who came to me for tutoring - and made up my own activities.


When I got to AMI primary training (hoping to learn how to use this p/b/g material) I was not only astounded to learn it just wasn't used, but also that the trainer was adamantly opposed to it!!! The methodology actually used in AMI was SO simple - SO basic - SO straight-forward, that it was almost TOO simple! No wonder the p/b/g was developed I thought to myself - because we adults struggle with simplicity ;)

That conversation with my trainer was so freeing!


But don't you need all these word cards to learn to read?

If you might be offended by my answer, please come back tomorrow :) Really, it's ok :) I want to be totally honest and say what needs to be said, but I understand that it won't make everyone happy!

I respect the intentions of those people who created this pink/blue/green series; I respect them as people without having to agree with their outcomes. I also respect the people who learned this system and know no other way, thus continue to pass it on. I can respect them as people without agreeing with the use of this learning to read plan.

4/1/2015 UPDATE: The chapter on reading in The Discovery of the Child mentions an English language materials using a set of drawers. The way that AMI sets up writing/reading experiences and the way that PBG works - what Montessori describes could seriously go either way. I am awaiting hard facts, information, proof on the recently learned connection that Montessori worked WITH someone to create the PBG (The Discovery of the Child seems to suggest Montessori did not collaborate but gave blessing). 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALL OPINIONS AND FACTS EXPRESSED HEREAFTER ARE SOLELY BASED ON my own experience as a past homeschooling, Montessori-wanna-be mother; past/present AMI trained primary and elementary teacher, and continuing homeschool mother using pure AMI Montessori at home and in a part-time co-op. I AM NOT AN EXPERT. I can only express what I see through my own observations and experiences.




Do you  need all those cards? Those booklets? Those dials?
FOUR HUNDRED PUZZLE WORDS!?!?!?!?!?
(Correction 1/4/12: FIVE HUNDRED SIGHT WORDS - 25 that must be learned before starting the blue level; the rest to be learned before starting the green series)

NO.

Just because learning to read and write is less of a tedium at this tender age, doesn't mean we make it a tedium. Kids learn to read and write with a variety of programs but why strive to take the fun out of it?


I have recently been the grateful recipient of a set of album sections that thoroughly cover the pink/blue/green series. As I read I kept grimacing and thinking, "OUCH!". My primary trainer was SO right when she said "too curriculum" like. MBT and others online who have expressed their utter relief in finding Dwyer's booklet are relieved for a *very *good *reason.

It is my firm belief that the reason for the confusion and for the relief when finding an alternative Montessori approach, is that the pink/blue/green series does not utilize all the proper Montessori principles that should be applied to the area of language exploration at these ages (before age 6).

I was more appalled as I read along. I started creating a long detailed analysis, but I will stick to some main points for this blog post. My full list is a book in itself.

• There is far too much material. Classroom or otherwise. This ignores the need for essentiality - keys - simplicity - the Montessori principles of isolation of quality and isolation of concept. 
• The whole plan insults the intelligence of the child. It implies that they cannot move forward in any of the reading/writing areas without the adult to be there with him. Montessori principles mis-applied: independence; exploration; follow the child (not follow the adult). 
• Part 2 to insulting their intelligence: with p/b/g, when the children are allowed to begin work with the movable alphabet, they've not even been given all the keys. So, they've received too much of the wrong kind of "food" and not near enough of the right kind to balance it out - and they are stuck now needing to use lots of objects and pictures to create words with the movable alphabet, when work with the movable alphabet should be about them writing what is in their OWN heads and hearts - the movable alphabet should NOT require objects and pictures  Montessori principles mis-applied: Follow the child; independence; exploration; creativity; imagination. 
• Continuing on the same vein: the children are far too tied to the materials. Montessori principle missed: the materials should be helps/aids, not crutches. 
• SUMMARY: This whole system does not trust the child, or the innate depth of the few necessary materials. And with so many "levels" and "stages", it cannot possibly be following the child.

SPECIFIC CASES: 

• The aural development (sound games) are labeled as age 4 and are listed in the album after physical preparation of the hand for writing. To the contrary, the sound games can begin in older infancy or toddler-hood, definitely the moment a child walks into primary at 2 1/2 or 3. Sensitive periods are in use right now - let's use them! 
• I have to be careful how I say this, or the soap-box will start flying: if I am reading these pages correctly, there should be more green sandpaper letters (phonograms, digraphs, dipthongs), than pink/blue letters (individual letters). One word: NO! We have one green sandpaper board for one key sound; we have simple material later that ties those related letter combos together. Simple. 
• While there seems to be some leeway for not finishing up pink before going onto blue and then to green (child can be going back and forth), my experience over and over again is that children who learn to read with a "holistic approach" described by the teachers I mentioned above, fly from no reading to 2nd/3rd grade reading level within a week - somewhere around the 5th birthday (could be a bit sooner or a bit later) and within a year are up to middle school reading level - both in skill and comprehension (because they have continued on with reading analysis, word study, function of words, etc.). I am not seeing the possibility of that occurrence with the pink/blue/green. Oh - and these children have been writing for a long time already. 
• Indeed what I hear from many people is that the children are reading before they are truly writing, with the p/b/g series - and there is a minimal or very quiet burst into either writing or reading; whereas experience time and again with the AMI approach when done to its fullness results in a huge explosion very similar to what is described by Montessori. 
• The blue series (consonant blends - not even phonograms yet) is noted as ages 5-6. Yet, these are phonetic words - just "longer" than cvc (consonant-vowel-consonant). A child given the keys to the English language (40-44 key sounds depending on the dialect), he can work with these words with ease the moment he touches the movable alphabet at around 4 - 4 1/2. At 5-6, he should be beyond the need for a "learning to read scheme" - he should be actually reading! 
• The green series is also noted as ages 5-6; in the Dwyer booklet or the AMI primary language album, a child who has been in a Montessori prepared environment since age 2 1/2 will be well beyond this reading stage at age 5. Again - it happens SO FAST when the keys-based foundation is laid. When a normally-developing child enters at 4 or 5 or 6, they are still reading within a few months, not years. 
• Yet, interestingly enough, those people I know who do use the pink/blue/green series consistently from age 3 onward,  have children entering elementary at 6 1/2 and almost 7 who are not "done" with the green series. The parents feel totally worn out by the process, the child is not full of joy in reading. And the idea of using elementary albums that suggest "remediation" (which would actually return that joy to their work because it will ditch the pbg, pick up the real keys, and move forward) makes those parents cringe because of all the energy they've already spent. I don't blame them! I'd be upset too! But consider what is best for the child. 

Is it possible that those people stating they no longer seeing the explosion into reading aren't setting up the situation for it to happen? I see the explosion happen over and over and over. With the same results. An EXPLOSION - full of JOY! And EXCITEMENT! 

The pink/blue/green must work somewhere and create true joy in the children, but I've really not heard about those successes yet in homeschools. I hear about the tedium, the materials, the energy drains, all the angry-sounding statements from people "defending" pink/blue/green - yet they have children reading before writing, and doing so at later ages (even Montessori noted that children aged 5 and older who are just starting out, will READ first, and they have missed sensitive periods - so if a child is reading first, is it possible the child was older when beginning or was given the wrong keys?). 

And the whole situation fills me with sadness: the situation of this work not being appropriate. But when I am honest about it, I risk offending someone. It is so hard to be honest and not take flack, so I'm choosing honesty and am praying for peace!

Why am I so sad? Because now I understand why I just didn't "get it" despite my years in a Montessori school (almost none of which would have used something like this!), but there are SO MANY people out there who think that the pink/blue/green series is the only Montessori way to learn to write and read in English. It is just NOT the case! 

There IS a wonderful option available - it requires fewer materials, much JOY, much exploration, creativity and imagination, leads to successful writers THEN readers --- and, well, after being so sad today, I just can't say enough: there is ANOTHER way! 

It was developed by Maria Montessori and works for ALL languages, despite what the creators of the pink/blue/green scheme thought.


Click her for a link to the Montessori Trails page correlating Dwyer with AMI with Pink/Blue/Green - aligned next to each other according to stages. 

Speech Articulation and Sound Games

For several months, when my son was younger, I didn't do as much of the aural Montessori work as I had hoped to. I was kind of waiting for him to start talking again.

He was slightly delayed with speech, and then not all that articulate. But one day, for a particular person, he suddenly opened up into complete sentences and almost entirely clear. When that person had to depart, my son stopped talking for several months except for "Amen", "Alleluia", and "Mama".

He seemed intelligent enough and had no other issues. I did have him evaluated for hearing and for speech; the home visitor we had deemed him to be in the normal range and invited him to a play group that met weekly during a time we were already doing another social activity.

But he was getting to be 2 1/2 and I just wasn't comfortable. Second evaluation said he's fine. He could understand anything spoken to him and he responded in his own way (with actions). Still within normal range, despite having less than 300 words and short phrases !?

I decided I needed to crack his code. And start "teaching" him anyway (like we'd not been learning his whole life or something, right?). He'd been around for all my lessons with tutoring children, he'd spent time in Montessori toddler programs when I'd be subbing in the same room or nearby. But it was just "time".


One day, I sat down with him and a pile of colored circles. I gave him 3 of the colors and named them; then asked him to place a clothespin on "red" or on "blue" as I called out the colors. This was his first "official" three period lesson (although we parents are good at doing some variation on the 3-period lesson anyway, so I know it happened before - maybe I should say this was my first consciously intentional Montessori-style 3-period lesson ;) ). Clearly we did not get to the 3rd period because he would just look me and not say a word. Or he would find something else in the room of the same color.

Well, it hit me with a big 90s DUH that he quite possibly knew all the colors! So I pulled out ALL of them (instead of adding 1-3 at a time as in the AMI style 3-period lesson), spread them all out on the floor and asked him to place a clothespin on each color as I called it out - completely out of order and entirely random.

We mixed them up and did it again.

And a 3rd time.

He got them all right, every time, perfectly.

4th time - well, the kid has always had a bit of dry humor. He intentionally placed the clothespin on the circle to the RIGHT of the correct circle, with the ones that should have gone on the right, placed on their corresponding circle on the far left. He even knew enough to figure out THAT pattern! On the one hand, I am proud of him; on the other hand, I have to roll my eyes and say, "really!?"


Well, the story of his speech articulation issue is a story for another day - or a series of other days. For now, I will say that from that moment on, we played sound games HEAVILY. He could hear them and he could respond. He knew when I mispronounced words (I would speak in the same manner of his own mispronunciation and he'd point out that I was incorrect, but then say exactly what I had just said! - it was just his mouth that couldn't say what needed to be said - his brain and intelligence and ears were all working just fine!

Over the coming weeks and months, we went through all those 3-part cards I'd made for him and others - and had him orally tell me the name of every time. In this way, I was able to discover his particular patterns of speech and articulation concerns, as well as begin to understand him so that we could have some "success" with speech and hopefully move forward. Again - the rest of this speech journey is another post; suffice it to say, if I'd known sooner the importance of the sound games from an early age (and if all those early evaluators knew the depth of the Montessori method and what it reveals about the inner workings of a child...), perhaps he would not be in speech therapy today!

To this day, he can write and read beautifully and he is still working on speech articulation. Definitely should not have stalled on those sound games!!!


And that, my readers, is the point to this point: DO NOT DELAY the sound games - just work with the child where he is at and find another way for your child to respond if he's not speaking well. Now, for a child who can't *hear*, modifications would have to be made, in consultation with someone more experienced than I am in working with deaf children.