Montessori  Research & Resources
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Written Lesson Plans: How to Use/Present Montessori Language Materials
    Click here to download a PDF of detailed instructions on how to use all of the learning materials that Maitri
    Learning offers. Be sure to practice your presentation alone or with a friend many times before presenting
    any materials to a child...you want your presentation to be flawless and completely free from distractions so
    that the child can focus on, connect with, and learn from the materials.

    These lesson plans are derived from the founder of Maitri's AMI Montessori Albums. If you are not a trained
    Montessori directress/director (teacher/guide), seek the assistance and mentorship of someone who is. Or
    better yet, enroll in a training program (see www.montessori-ami.org)! There is much more to this amazing
    educational method than just the materials.
Language Lessons: Audio Talks
These lectures provide guidance for the home and classroom including specific instructions on how to give
language lessons. These are MP3 files that you can download for free below or you can order a CD by clicking
here. You can read an overview of the Big Picture of Language Development by clicking here.

    As you listen, keep in mind that these presentations go in sequence. The talks for each assume that you
    have already given the lessons described in the previous sections.
Reading Road map (mp3) (overview of the main steps on the road to literacy)
General guidelines for giving Montessori lessons/presentations (mp3)
Building vocabulary (mp3)
Sorting (mp3)
I Spy (mp3)
Matching (mp3)
Phonetic Reading Cards (mp3)
3-Part Reading Cards (mp3)
Zoology/Natural World Cards (mp3)
"Parts of" Cards (coming soon)
Foreign Language cards (mp3)
Definition Cards (mp3)

    Note: Before a child can become a true master of our language, s/he he needs self-confidence, an organized mind, a knowledge (internal dictionary) of words, endless opportunities to practice
    speaking/using words, phonetic awareness (knowledge of the sounds/symbols in our language), endless
    opportunities to create/write words, and the desire to write/read. The complete Montessori 3-6 curriculum
    directly meets each of these needs of the child. The information presented in these talks will be most
    effective only when the rest of the Montessori curriculum is being implemented. Specifically, if you are
    observing disorder in the child's ability to master our language, your first remedy is to address the
    disorder in the child's environment (both the physical space and his/her routines).  Organizing the child's
    space and routines is a rich art that is an integrated part of the Montessori 3-6 practical life/everyday living
    curriculum (which includes specific lessons on caring for the self, caring for the child's environment,
    learning gracious/courteous behavior, and mastering motor skills (control of movement).
General Information on Montessori Education
  • What is Montessori Education? (PDF)
  • Clinical Research on Outcomes of Montessori vs. Traditional Education (PDF)
  • A timeline of Dr. Montessori's life (PDF)
  • Worldwide Montessori (PDF)
  • A Brief Biography of Dr. Maria Montessori (PDF)

    The above are PDF files created by the Centenary Committee of the Association Montessori Internationale
    (AMI) specifically for use in helping people new to Montessori understand some of the basics. More
    information from the Centenary committee can be found at: www.montessoricentenary.org including file
    photos of Maria Montessori herself and of children doing Montessori work in classrooms around the world
    (use the menu on the left and click on media and then media file photos). Guidelines for photo usage are
    specified on the page.

    You can learn more about Montessori education in general from The International Montessori Index or from
    NAMTA. Click the following links for information about the human tendencies and the theory behind the
    Montessori language curriculum. Other suggested readings:
Clinical Research/Articles on Montessori Education
  • 'Science' magazine article on Montessori Research (PDF)
  • London Times article on the Advantages of Test-Free learning (PDF)
  • AMI Clinical Study of Montessori in Milwaukee Public Schools (from AMI) (PDF)
  • NAMTA Clinical Study of Montessori in Middle Schools (PDF)
  • A Presentation of Optimal Educational Outcomes (Social, Moral, Cognitive, Emotional) for the first
    three planes of development (PDF)
  • "Study: Lamination Materials, Methods Matter" in Public School Montessorian (Spring 2007) (PDF)
Articles by Maitri Learning's Founder (Julia Volkman)
  • "Observation and Freedom" in Public School Montessorian (Winter 2010) (link)
  • "Normalization 101" in Public School Montessorian (Fall 2009) (link)
  • "About those Materials on the Shelves" in Public School Montessorian (Spring 2009) (link)
  • "The Promise of Fall" in Public School Montessorian (Summer 2009) (link)
  • "Managing Interruptions: Guidelines" in Public School Montessorian (Winter 2009) (link)
  • "Drawing Outside of the Lines" draft for publication in the Fall 2008 issue of Public School
    Montessorian (PDF) or link to the published version at the PSM website
  • "Preparing the Adult's Environment" in Public School Montessorian (spring 2008) (link)
  • "Classroom Tendencies" in Public School Montessorian (winter 2008) and the New Zealand
    Montessori Association's Informed (April 2008) (PDF)
  • "The Global Marketplace" in Public School Montessorian (Winter 2007) (PDF)
  • 'A Quest for Words" in The Compass, Jan 2006 (PDF)
Click below for:
a printable catalog
list of products by item #
free lesson plans
Arranging the Environment
    Here are guidelines for sequencing the shelves in a 3 to 6 Montessori environment. Remember that the
    child absorbs the input s/he receives from the environmental directly into the neuronal framework within the
    brain. The structure of the brain is directly altered by the child's interactions with her environment. Really! So
    don't skimp on your work to prepare and maintain the classroom. It is critical that the environment we offer
    children be organized, free from clutter, logical, and aesthetically just plain lovely. If there is anything in your
    room above the child's eye level, take it down or cover it up. We must allow the eye to focus on what we have
    prepared for it. If you have storage or things only meant for teacher use, put them out of sight. We must not
    distract the eye with extraneous information.