The Elementary Montessori Material - English Restoration ## Chapter 06 - Verbs ## VI **VERBS** When I gave the first grammar lessons to defective children I put special emphasis on nouns and verbs. The noun (= object), and the verb (= action) were distinguished with the greatest clearness, much as we distinguish matter from energy, chemistry from physics. *Condition* and *motion*, as potential and kinetic energy, are both expressed by verbs. Whereas formerly the child took the objects in his hands and studied their name and attributes, here he must *perform* actions. In the execution of actions he must necessarily receive some help, for he is not always capable of interpreting the word with the precise action which corresponds to it. On the contrary, the study of the verb is necessary to initiate him into a series of "object lessons" upon the different actions he must perform. The teacher therefore must give individual lessons teaching the child to interpret the verb. ### Analyses In the usual manner we present a box which has four compartments, for the article, the noun, the adjective, and the verb. The sections are designated by the usual title cards: tan, black, brown, and red. In the compartment at the back of the box there are six slips for each exercise, and for every written word there is a card, except for such words as are repeated in successive sentences.\[67\] For example: if the following sentences are written on the cards: Close the door!\ Lock the door! on the corresponding cards will be found the words: | Lock |   |  the door. | | ---- | - | ---------- | | Close |   | And so the child after he has composed his first sentence needs to change only one card (*lock* for *close*) for the second sentence. This brings out the force of the verb, showing that one sentence may be changed into another by indicating an entirely different action. The child performs the action and then on his table he builds the sentences with the cards. In the series we have prepared, the verbs are either synonyms or antonyms. Here is the material: **SERIES A** —Close the door\ Lock the door\ \ —Tie a knot\ Untie a knot\ \ —Spread your beads\ Collect your beads\ \ —Fold the paper\ Unfold the paper\ \ —Open the book\ Shut the book\ \ —Speak a word\ Whisper a word **SERIES B** —Raise your hands\ Lower your hands\ \ —Toss the ball\ Throw the ball\ \ —Show your right hand\ Hide your right hand\ \ —Touch the velvet\ Feel the velvet\ \ —Write a short word\ Erase a short word\ \ —Draw a circle\ Fill a circle **SERIES C** —Bring a chair\ Drag a chair\ \ —Lace a frame\ \[68\]Unlace a frame\ \ —Raise your head\ Bow your head\ \ —Fill a glass\ Empty a glass\ \ —Arrange the brown cards\ Mix the brown cards\ \ —Roll the white handkerchief\ Twist the white handkerchief **SERIES D** —Embrace your nearest schoolmate\ Kiss your nearest schoolmate\ \ —Gather your prisms\ Separate your prisms\ \ —Borrow a black pencil\ Lend a black pencil\ \ —Cover your face\ Uncover your face\ \ —Lift the red counter\ Drop the red counter\ \ —Smooth the white paper\ Crumple the white paper **SERIES E** —Clench your two hands\ Open your two hands\ \ —Spread the large carpet\ Fold the large carpet\ \ —Bend your left arm\ Straighten your left arm\ \ —Rub the table\ Scratch the table\ \ —Pour the water\ Spill the water\ \ —Comb your hair\ Part your hair ### Permutations The teacher should have in mind the grammatical rules for the position of the verb in the sentence, to give the child a clear idea of its normal location before the direct object: "first the verb, then the object upon which it acts." Example: Smooth the white paper. The verb should, for the first permutation, be transferred to the end: the white paper smooth. Or, if you wish, Arrange the brown cards.\ the brown cards arrange. \[69\] When the verb is taken away entirely the action vanishes: Lift the red counter.\ Drop\ the red counter. Making all possible permutations, the child sees that only one order of words is capable of bringing a meaning out of the confusion: Roll the white handkerchief.\ the white handkerchief roll.\ white the handkerchief roll.\ white roll handkerchief the. ### Lessons and Commands on the Verb The children take considerable delight in our verb lessons which develop through interpretations of actions. We use packs of red cards, tied with an elastic, each pack containing ten cards. The child executes the actions indicated on each card, one after the other. He may afterward copy the cards—an exercise specially attractive to very young children. Examples: > —walk, sing, jump, dance, bow, sit, sleep, wake, pray, sigh. > > —write, erase, weep, laugh, hide, draw, read, speak, listen, run. > > —arrange, clean, dust, sweep, button, lace, tie, hook, greet, brush. > > —comb, wash, wipe, embrace, kiss, smile, yawn, scowl, stare, breathe. These are fairly common words, representing actions more or less familiar to the pupils. But this exercise is only an introduction to the real verb-lessons. For these the teacher selects, as subject for a lesson, a series of synonymous verbs. Their shades of meaning are taught\[70\] to the children by translating them into action, the teacher executing the action herself. She then distributes around the class commands making use of the verbs in question. There may be several copies of a given command if the pupils are very numerous. The child reads by himself the card he has received, executing the action from memory of what he has seen the teacher do. We have tested experimentally the Italian material (i.e., the verbs in parentheses), as follows: Subject: > lay, throw, toss, hurl (posare, gettare, lanciare, scagliare). Commands:— > —Take a counter and *lay* it on the floor. Pick it up again and *throw* it on the floor. > > —Roll your handkerchief into a ball. *Toss* it into the air. Pick it up again and *hurl* it against the wall. > > —*Lay* your handkerchief carefully, very carefully, on the floor. Pick it up again and *throw* it on the floor. Make a ball of it and *hurl* it across the room. Pick it up and *toss* it into the air. Subject: > lie, crouch, sit, rise (sollevare, alzare, levare). Commands:— > —Go to the sofa and *lie* with your face to the wall. Now *rise*, go to your table and *sit* with head erect. > > —*Rise* from your chair and *crouch* behind the table, as though you were playing hide-and-seek. *Rise* and go back to the sofa. Subject: > open, close, lock, unlock (aprire, spalancare, chiudere, socchiudere, serrare, disserrare). Commands:— \[71\] > —Go to a window and *open* it a little; wait a moment and then *close* it again. *Open* the window as wide as you can and *close* it immediately. > > —Go to the door and *open* it wide. Then *close* the door gently. If the key is in the key-hole *lock* the door; but before you go away, *unlock* it again, so that everything is left just as you found it. Subject: > breathe, inhale, exhale (respirare, sospirare, inspirare, espirare). Commands:— > —Go to the window, open it, and *inhale* and *exhale* the fresh air five times. Then after a moment *inhale* once and hold your breath as long as you can. When you can hold your breath no longer, *exhale* as slowly as you can. > > —Take a hand mirror and *breathe* upon the glass. What happens? Subject: > hang, attach (appendere, affiggere, sospendere). Commands:— > —*Hang* one of your best drawings on a hook in the room. > > —*Attach* the drawing you like best with two pins to the wall near the door. Subject: > cover, wrap, tie, undo (avvolgere, involgere, svolgere). Commands:— > —Take a book, a string and a large piece of cloth. Lay the book on your table and *cover* it with the cloth. > > —Take the cloth and *wrap* it around the book so that the book cannot be seen. > > —*Tie* a string around the cloth so that the book will not fall out. > > —*Undo* the bundle, and return each object to the place where you found it. \[72\] Subject: > turn, invert, revolve, whirl, reverse (volgere, capovolgere, rovesciare). Commands:— > —*Turn* a picture toward one of your school-mates so that he can see it clearly. > > —*Invert* the picture, so that it will be upside down. > > —*Reverse* the picture so that the back only can be seen by your school-mate. > > —*Revolve* the seat of the piano-stool as rapidly as you can. > > —Stand with your back to the window and *turn* slowly on your heel till you face the window. *Whirl* on your heel completely around till you again face the window. Subject: > breathe, blow, puff, pant (sbuffare, soffiare, alitare). Commands:— > —Tear a large piece of paper into tiny bits on your table. *Blow* steadily upon the table till the pieces of paper are all on the floor. > > —Pick up the pieces of paper and place them on the table. *Puff* three times upon them and see if they all fall to the floor. Gather up the pieces and throw them into the waste-basket. > > —*Breathe* softly upon the back of your hand. What do you feel? > > —*Blow* upon the back of your hand. What do you feel? > > —*Puff* upon the back of your band. What do you feel? > > —*Pant* noisily as though you had been running a long way. Subject: > murmur, mutter, whisper, speak, grumble (mormorare, sussurrare, brontolare). Commands:— > —Ask one of your school-mates to listen carefully to what you say; then *murmur* a short sentence as though you were speaking to yourself. > > \[73\] > > —*Mutter* the same words in a louder voice and see whether he understands. > > —*Whisper* the same words in the ear of one of two children. Then ask the other whether he has heard. > > —*Grumble* the same words and watch how the two children look at you. > > —*Speak* the same words aloud and as distinctly as you can. Do the children understand? Subject: > touch, rub, graze (toccare, tastare, palpare, sfiorare). Commands:— > —Go to your table and with your eyes shut *touch* it as though to recognize it. > > —*Rub* the table with the tips of your fingers, bearing down as hard as you can. What do you feel? > > —*Graze* the table with the tips of your fingers, trying not to touch it. Subject: > spread, sprinkle, collect, scatter (spargere, spruzzare, aspergere). Commands:— > —Take a box full of beads and *spread* them evenly around the center of your table. Then *collect* them in a pile in the center of the table. > > —Take a handful of the beads and *scatter* them over the table. Return all the beads to the box. > > —Take a glass of water and *sprinkle* two or three handfuls on a plant in the room. Subject: > walk, stagger, march (barcollare, dondolare, erigersi). Commands:— > —*Walk* naturally to the end of the room farthest from your table. > > —*March* back to your seat as though you were keeping time to music. > > \[74\] > > —*Stagger* across the room as though you were very dizzy. Subject: > take, seize, catch (acchiappare, acciuffare, afferrare). Commands:— > —Walk to the cabinet and *take* a box of counters in your hands. > > —Run to the sofa, *seize* the sofa-pillow, and run around the room with it, holding it in your arms. > > —Roll your handkerchief into a ball, toss it into the air and try to *catch* it before it falls to the floor. ### Lessons with Experiments The function of the verb can be still more interestingly emphasized by suggesting actions designed to increase the child's knowledge in the direction of elementary science. Here the teacher, instead of executing simple movements, performs experiments, which on the same day or on succeeding days the child can imitate guided by the directions in the commands. Subject: > stir, mix, beat, flavor (mescolare, emulsionare, stemperare). Commands:— > —Take a bowl half full of water and drop into it a half cup of flour; *stir* with a spoon until the mixture is thick. > > —Place a table-spoonful of vinegar and a table-spoonful of olive-oil in a clean bowl; *beat* them together until an emulsion is formed. > > —Place a tea-spoonful of chocolate and a tea-spoonful of sugar in a cup and *mix* them thoroughly. What color was the chocolate? What color was the sugar? What color is the mixture? > > —Take a little milk in a cup and taste of it; add a drop of vanilla extract. Then taste of the milk again. Do you taste the vanilla? In the same way *flavor* a glass of water\[75\] with the vanilla. *Flavor* another glass of water with vinegar. Subject: > dissolve, saturate, be in suspension (sciogliere, fare la sospensiona, saturare). Commands:— > —Place a spoonful of sugar in a glass of warm water and *dissolve* the sugar by stirring with a spoon. Is the water still clear? > > —*Saturate* the water with sugar by continuing to add sugar and stirring till you can see the sugar at the bottom of the glass. Allow the water to rest a moment. Is the water still clear? > > —Mix a spoonful of starch in the water. The water becomes white, since the starch does not *dissolve* but remains *in suspension* in the water. Subject: > strain, filter (decantare, filtrare). Commands:— > —Take the glass containing the water saturated with sugar and the one with the starch in suspension, and allow the starch and sugar to settle for some time, until the water is clear. Taste the water in each glass, and then *strain* each glass of water separately. > > —*Filter* the water saturated with sugar and the water with the suspended starch. Then taste of each. By the time all these commands have been executed, the child will have developed a keen desire to go on, becoming so interested in the meaning of verbs as not to require further commands to stimulate his study of these words. The most frequent question now is "How many verbs are there in the language?" "Are there more in other languages?" etc. To satisfy this new curiosity of the children we have dictionaries of synonyms and antonyms, and\[76\] word-charts. But meantime they have been building their own dictionaries. One by one they begin to own copy books (rubrics) with illuminated letters of the alphabet. Under the proper letter the child copies his words as fast as he learns them. We are still experimenting on the question of the exact amount of information that may successfully be offered to elementary school children of various ages and stages of development, with the word material required for the notions of natural history, physics and chemistry they may be expected to acquire. We can say, at this moment, simply that each experiment involves the use of a certain number of new words (nouns, adjectives and verbs), which are copied into the word-books (rubrics) as fast as they occur.