A capital letter is a large alphabetic character used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names, and it is sometimes used for emphasis.
There was a time when printers kept capitals and small letters in separate cases. As they kept the capital letters in the upper half of the type case, they became known as uppercase letters.
Define Uppercase Letters In Montessori Sandpaper:
In Montessori education, uppercase sandpaper letters help children develop their pre-writing skills. To be more precise, these letters develop their tactile sense.
The process of making these letters is simple. Montessori teachers paste cutouts of capital letters and then paste them onto smooth wooden or cardboard boards.
As the texture of these letters is rough, it provides a multi-sensory experience to children. In addition, it allows them to trace with their fingers while saying the corresponding letter sound.
| Purpose | |
| Letter Recognition – | Through tactile exploration (or the sense of touch) children learn the shape and form of uppercase letters. |
| Phonetic Awareness – | Children can associate letter shapes with their corresponding sounds. |
| Fine Motor Development- | It helps in strengthening children’s hand muscles, thereby, improving co-ordination for future writing. |
| Preparation For Handwriting- | Before children learn to use a pencil, it guides them in proper letter formation. |
| Multi-sensory Learning- | It engages children in visual, auditory, and tactile senses, reinforcing learning effectively. |
Usage:
The Montessori teachers introduce these letters in the following way:
- Naming the letter (e.g.” This is ‘A’”)
- Recognizing the letter ( e.g. Can you find ‘A’)
- Recalling the letter (e.g. what is this?)
Although Montessori sandpaper uppercase letters are essential for recognizing names and titles, they are typically introduced after lowercase letters because lowercase letters are more common in reading and writing.
Montessori Uppercase Letters A, B, C:
I introduce uppercase letters teaching to my students in a playful way. For this I need
- Beans (or game chips) – to mark my students’ answers
- An uppercase recording sheet
I put all the cutout uppercase letters inside a bin and then tell my students to find the three letters A, B, C. In addition my job is to mark my students’ activity in the sheet.
Letter #1: Capital A
- It looks like this: A
- It sounds like: “Ah”
- Found it! ✅ (marks with a bean, just like in bingo!)
Letter #2: Capital B
- It looks like this: B
- Example word: Brazil
- Found it! ✅ (marks on the sheet)
Letter #3: Capital C
- It looks like this: C
- Example word: Canada
- Found it! ✅ (marks on the sheet)
Sumanta De is an educator. He has been teaching students for more than 16 years following the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. He has a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter.
He is nurturing his children abiding by the principles of Dr.Maria Montessori. His passion for Montessori methods goes beyond the classroom.
Hence, he shares his experiences and insights through a dedicated Montessori blog and a YouTube channel under the name “NewChild Montessori”. He aims to offer valuable guidance to both parents and educators.
Education: M.A. English, Masters in Child Psychology & Bachelor’s Degree in Montessori Teachers Training