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Seashell & Sea Life Nature Tray: How to Teach Vocabulary Using the 3-Period Lesson {Montessori Monday}

July 11, 2016 By Deb Chitwood 2 Comments

My 2½-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, has loved all of our Montessori nature trays. We’ve had so much fun already with our Montessori nature tray sorting and counting, nature walk and nature cutting tray, Montessori nature tray with magnification work and flower arranging, life and death nature tray, and Montessori nature tray with vocabulary – parts of plants. Right now, Zoey is super in love with seashells, so I put together a Montessori seashell and sea life nature tray. And we used the Montessori 3-period lesson to introduce the names of the sea life specimens.

Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray: How to Teach Vocabulary Using the 3-Period Lesson

Seashell & Sea Life Nature Tray: How to Teach Vocabulary Using the 3-Period Lesson – YouTube Video

Check out this video where my daughter, Christina, and Zoey (Christina’s niece) use the 3-period lesson to focus on vocabulary for the nature tray.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you). 

Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray

Montessori Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray

Montessori Seashell and Sea Life Nature Tray

Materials Used:

  • Multicraft Tray
  • Magnifying Glass from the Montessori By Mom Shoots and Sprouts Toolbox (which Zoey and I love)
  • Seashells and Sea Life from Super Seashells and Other Sea Life by Educational Insights (no longer available – from when I homeschooled my now-adult kids) – Montessori By Mom has a nice Shells & Starfish Toolbox with a variety of seashells that work well, too. I actually have those on the shelf on a separate tray. Of course, any seashell collection can be used with this.

Using the 3 Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary

First Period: Introduction (“This is”)

Saying the Name "Sea Fan" - 1st Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

Saying the Name “Sea Fan” – 1st Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

Zoey LOVES to feel each of the seashells and sea life specimens on our tray, and she’s very focused on gently touching them. For the 1st period lesson, we simple say the name and have Zoey say it after us.

Second Period: Association – Recognition (“Show me”)

Showing a Barnacle (and looking at it through a Magnifying Glass) - 2nd Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

Showing a Barnacle (and looking at it through a Magnifying Glass) – 2nd Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

For the 2nd period, we use a variety of ways to have Zoey show us each specimen. As Christina mentions in the video, this step should last the longest.

Third Period: Recall (“What is this?”)

Naming a Sand Dollar - 3rd Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

Naming a Sand Dollar – 3rd Period of the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

Zoey’s comfortable naming the sea life specimens, so we go on to the 3rd period. For a younger toddler or any child who needs more work with the 2nd period, it’s fine to just stay with that (and even go back to the 1st period if necessary). Don’t go on to the 3rd period unless your child will feel successful recalling the names of the objects.

More about the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

How to Teach Concepts and Vocabulary to Your Preschooler Using the 3-Period Lesson

My post with “How to Use the Three-Period Lesson to Teach Concepts and Vocabulary to Your Preschooler” gives more details about using the 3-period lesson to teach vocabulary and other concepts.

Using the Montessori 3-Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary to a Toddler

See my post with YouTube video “Using the Montessori 3-Period Lesson to Teach Vocabulary to a Toddler.”

Teaching Toddlers about Fall with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson

I have a YouTube video and post on “Teaching Toddlers about Fall with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson.”

Teaching Toddlers about Winter with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson and Activities

I have a YouTube video and post on “Teaching Toddlers about Winter with the Montessori 3-Period Lesson and Activities.”

NATURE TRAYS AND NATURE TABLES – RESOURCES

Nature Trays and Nature Tables

If you’d like to know more about preparing nature trays and nature tables, I have a roundup post with lots of ideas.

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Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!

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Filed Under: Activities - Cultural, Activities - Language, Montessori Monday, Unit Studies Tagged With: 3-period lesson, Montessori, Montessori 3-period lesson, Montessori at Home Videos, Montessori Monday, Montessori nature tray, Montessori techniques, nature tray, preschooler, preschoolers, seashells and sea life, three-period lesson, toddler, toddlers, vocabulary

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angela Roberts says

    July 11, 2016 at 5:15 am

    The three period lesson is a wonderful way to learn!

    Reply
  2. Marie says

    July 20, 2016 at 6:32 am

    This is wonderful! Thank you for stopping by the Learn & Play Link Up! This post is featured on Christian Montessori Network this week.

    Reply

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