Grammar Symbol - Paper: Verb (100)
One hundred paper verb symbols, the large red circle. Montessori gives the verb a circle because a circle is the one shape with no corner to stop at, and red because the verb is the energy of a sentence: everything else describes, the verb happens. A child who has laid the wooden symbol on a sentence now sticks a paper one into a notebook, and the analysis leaves the table. Sold in hundreds because they are used up. The other parts of speech are separate items.
“Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment.”
The Grammar Symbol - Verb cards introduce action words through 100 red circles that children physically place above verbs in written sentences. Each red circle transforms abstract grammar into tangible reality, allowing young learners to see and touch the energy of verbs. The circular shape of these verb symbols reflects the dynamic, rolling nature of actions - verbs are the movement in language, and circles suggest continuous motion.
- Identifies action words (verbs) in spoken and written language
- Develops visual discrimination between word types through color association
- Builds foundation for sentence structure analysis
- Strengthens reading comprehension by recognizing verb functions
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When children identify 'jump,' 'run,' or 'sing' and mark them with red circles, they internalize that verbs bring life to sentences. The vibrant red color of these 100 symbols captures the vitality and energy that action words possess. Through repeated use of these paper circles, children develop an intuitive understanding of verb function before formal grammar instruction begins. The set's quantity of 100 pieces ensures sufficient symbols for extensive sentence work, allowing multiple children to analyze texts simultaneously or one child to mark numerous verbs in longer passages.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Place the verb symbol cards in a small basket. Select simple reading cards or write sentences on strips of paper. Ensure sentences contain clear action words appropriate for the child's reading level.
- 1
Read a sentence aloud with the child, emphasizing the action word through voice modulation
Use your voice to make the verb 'jump' off the page - raise pitch or volume slightly when reading action words - 2
Ask: 'Which word tells us what someone or something is doing?'
If needed, act out the verb to help the child identify it - 3
Have the child place a red circle above the identified verb
Let the child discover that some sentences have multiple verbs - 4
Continue with additional sentences, building complexity gradually
Start with single verbs, then progress to sentences with helping verbs or multiple actions
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