Question 2.

Write a detailed note on Montessori green boards and

writing on paper exercises.

Preparatory Exercise:

Materials:

- Tray large enough to make a sandpaper letter

- Enough sand in the tray to cover the bottom

Presentation: This work is done parallel to work with the Sorting

Letters. The directress invites a child to come work with her.
Together, they choose one sandpaper letter and bring it over to the
table, placing it next to the tray of sand. They trace the sandpaper
letter a couple of times, before the teacher shows the child how to
trace the letter in the tray and explaining that they are both the
same letter. She also shows him how to make it disappear by
shaking the tray gently while still placed on the table. The child can
continue emulating this exercise with his hands in the sand before
he can progress towards using a stylus/pen etc. Finally, when he is
completely comfortable with the former, he may graduate towards
Chalkboard work

Blank Board Exercise:

Material:

- Set of green chalkboards 32cm x 50cm each

- The first board is blank on one side and ruled to guide the
placement of letters on the other side
- Tray with chalk in a holder, an eraser, a dust clothe, and a hand
cloth
- Sandpaper letters and numerals

Presentation: The children are invited over and told that they be
learning how to write with the aid of something, as you have them
bring over the box with the eraser, dust cloth and hand cloth. They
are then asked to choose a sandpaper letter. All the materials are
gathered and placed above the chalkboard, including the tray. The
sandpaper letter is traced a couple of times, after which the
directress writes the sandpaper letter multiple times with a chalk
on the board in a straight line across. They are then erased in a left
to right and top to bottom fashion with the eraser, before wiping the
board with the dust cloth. Finally, the hands are cleaned with the
hand towel/cloth. Now the children are encouraged to repeat the
same steps as the directress. A change of clothes may be
recommended after this exercise to clean up any chalk residue or
strains. The child should be encouraged to make the letters smaller
as his skills improve.

Square Board Exercise:

Material:

- Set of green chalkboards 32cm x 50cm each

- The board has one side ruled in squares and the other ruled in
horizontal lines
- Tray with chalk in a holder, an eraser, a dust clothe, and a hand
cloth
- Sandpaper letters and numerals

Presentation: Following the same method as above, the directress

shows the child how to write a single letter or numeral in a square.
The same letter will be repeated across the row and the child may
even choose to make the same letter over the entire board.
Alternatively, they may choose a different one for each separate
row. Either way, their choice should be respected. Some kids may
find doing the whole board overwhelming or boring, in which case
they may be allowed to follow their own pace and progress towards
each row as and when they are ready. Similarly as before, the child
should be encouraged to make the letters smaller as his skills
improve.

Double Guide Lines Board Exercise:

Material:

- Set of green chalkboards 32cm x 50cm each

- Double guide line board
- Tray with chalk in a holder, an eraser, a dust clothe, and a hand
cloth
- Sandpaper letters and numerals

Presentation: Follow the same steps as before. Additionally, show

children how to place the body of a letter between the two lines and
how the stem goes above the line and the tail below. On the first set
of lines, do a letter with a main body only. On the second line, make
a letter with a stem, while on the third, one with a tail. Using
sandpaper letters is not necessary at this stage.

Single Line Board Exercise:

Material:

- Single Line Board

- Sandpaper letters

Presentation: Exercise is carried out the same as earlier, however,

there is a possibility that with all the practice above, they might
prefer writing straight onto paper at this point instead of a single
line board.

When the child is secure writing with the chalk, you can talk to the
child about the letters, and ask which one is most like the
sandpaper letter. This is the beginning of the child assessing and
becoming aware of their own writing. Sometimes it is helpful to talk
about “why” one may look more like the sandpaper letter. This helps
to give the child practice in writing.