Impressionistic lessons are intended, as Maria Montessori said, to “spark the imagination” of the child. These lessons occur across the curriculum — in cultural, math, and language studies — and involve the students in a project of understanding. A great example is this Preposition Lesson in grammar.
Montessori symbolized the abstract by devising a series of shapes that correspond to the parts of speech. The preposition is represented by a green half-moon or bridge, as many children see it. Guides tell the Latin derivation of the word preposition (pre + ponere = to place before) and demonstrate with the farm or zoo environment where a noun would exist in relation to the “bridge”. Students come up with sentences demonstrating their animal’s use of the preposition, for example: Elephants walk over the bridge. Green nomenclature cards label the preposition over and the noun elephants. Students work independently or with partners to create language within the context of an environment.
Extensions in the classroom involve the guide asking the child: “Where is the elephant walking?” The student may respond: “The elephant is walking over the bridge. Over is a preposition.” Levels of sophistication include: labeling, reading aloud, using self-correcting card materials in the grammar drawers for reinforcement, writing the words, and using the words in proper context through sentence formation.
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