ShillerLearning Language Arts Kit A

SKU
067830
Grade PK-K
Montessori (Discovery)
Neutral
High Teacher Involvement
Multi-Sensory
No other materials needed
Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
Our Price
$274.95 $274.95 $243.95
Rainbow Savings: $31.00
Description

Kit A includes Lesson Books 1-4; foam mat; book of Mother Goose Rhymes; 28 language arts songs (download). magnetic alphabet (uppercase & lowercase letters plus numbers); quinoa grain, washable large crayons; shapes with knobs and matching bases (10), and 4 tubs of Play-Doh; While most of the items are somewhat typical (letters, numbers, crayons, Play-Doh), that is not true of the Montessori shapes manipulatives. There are ten shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle, trapezoid, quatrefoil, pentagon, oval, elipse, and curvilinear triangle) illustrated two different ways: blue shapes with molded lifters and ten matching pink stencil shapes. Stencils are 5.5" squares; shapes are various sizes with 3 7/8" square being the largest. Lesson Books are about 95 pgs each and spiral-bound.

The Mother Goose Book includes 358 "stories." These are to be used as part of each day's lessons (read-aloud) and can be requested by the child as desired. These stories are printed in large print and would be read by the child (if able). There are multiple stories on each page. Please note there are no illustrations at all in the book. 152 pgs. spiral-bound.

The Lesson Mat is large (22" x 34") and cream-colored. Fabric is some sort of foam but the touch is velvety. It is slightly stretchy in one direction. This mat is used with all lessons and serves as a portable workspace allowing you to take your lessons anywhere inside (or outside) of the house.

~ Janice

Publisher's Description of ShillerLearning Language Arts Kit A

Phonics, sight words, reading, pre-writing, spelling, beginning grammar, and typing for 3 to 6-year-olds. Uses the same, proven methodology found in ShillerLearning Math Kits I, II, and F. Includes 4 lesson books (Books 1, 2, 3, and 4) covering 2 years of language arts, 28 language arts song downloads that integrate with the lessons, Book of Mother Goose Rhymes, grain for small hand letter tracing, 22 in. x 34 in. work mat, (10) pink and blue Montessori Shapes with knobs and matching bases, Play-Doh, 155 piece movable alphabet in divided wooden box, and 8 large crayons. Over $300 if purchased separately. Includes free lifetime downloads of lessons and manipulatives. If your child knows his or her letter sounds and letter names - and is beginning to read simple short vowel words, you may be ready for Language Arts Kit B.



Category Description for Shiller Learning Language Arts

Based on the three-point instructional method: "this is;" "show me;" and "what is?" as well as an underlying Socratic question/answer format, ShillerMath Language Arts is Montesorri at its best. The totally scripted teaching manuals each provide a semester's worth of daily lessons (71-84 lessons in each book). Kit A (Books 1-4) is designed for ages 3-5. Kit B (Books 5-8) is for ages 4-7. A third Kit (Books 9-12) for ages 6-8 is expected. If these age levels seem a bit odd to you (as they do to me), it's because there are two levels of things happening here. One is phonics instruction and the other is an amazing/exciting combination of language arts "more."

For example, here are the "more" topics covered on the Book 4 Review Test: imitate (speaking, listening, reading, writing), introduce yourself, repeating 5 words back in order, articles (as in part of speech), retelling a story, emotions (tell me about a time when . . .), touch typing (home position basics), rhyming words, identifying adjectives, describing basic geographic features, describing peripheral vision, naming the months of the year, naming first ten ordinal numbers, comparisons, copying a very diverse collection of shapes, showing directions, and, lastly, identifying Shakespeare and naming a sonnet.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of learning going on here and a lot of flexibility. An older student (5 years) might start with Kit A and fly through the learning but still come away with new information.

Lessons require no preparation and vary in both length and complexity. There is also great variety in the content which is why the teacher is encouraged to skip lessons if the student is not ready for its content. Since one of the basic premises of Montesorri education is that children are natural learners, the teacher's role is to provide a learning-friendly environment and the proper tools. Students are usually the best gauge of their own competence and will know when they have closure on a topic so be prepared to be flexible and sensitive. The back cover of each lesson book is to be used to record when a lesson is completed.

A good part of Montessori instruction is managing the dialog between teacher and student. There is general information at the front of the Lesson Books on building an environment conducive to learning. The Lesson Books are totally scripted. This means that everything you need to say to the student is provided for you.

The lesson on emotions is illustrative of the different directions this curriculum takes. First we are told that "emotions are what we feel." There are pictures of four children illustrating these emotions: shy, sad, jealous, and sorry. As part of the lesson the child is encouraged to demonstrate how she/he feels with each of those emotions as well as to tell a story about a time when he/she was . . . . . All in all, an interesting and excellent introduction to an intriguing subject.

The Kits provide everything you need for one to two years of instruction.

~ Janice

Details
More Information
Product Format:Other
Brand:Shiller Math
Grades:PK-K
Length in Inches:19.75
Width in Inches:20.5
Height in Inches:6.5
Weight in Pounds:13.45
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