Montessori “stories” you don’t have to invent!

You probably experienced with second plane learners the power that sparked imagination has on conceptual learning. An example that stroke me recently was with my 7 year old, intwho finally integrated the 4 math processes through the story of the Four Strange Brothers by Michael J. Dorer (Thé Deep Well if Time).

Michael J. Dorer is a renowned Montessorian who has written or rewritten stories tied directly to the Montessori curriculum. The book contains a series of stories that one can use to spark the child’s imagination before introducing a new material. You will find classic stories on grammar, geometry, math, but also personal stories that Michael J. Dorer has enjoyed with his own learners.

The Four Strange Brothers tells the story of 4 “strange” brothers living in a village, who like to wear a particular color and symbol (+ red, x gold, – green, ÷ blue). These brothers all act differently from one another. One likes to collect random amounts of things, another likes to collect too, but the same amount of things, one brother likes to take away, while the last brother is fair, he likes everyone to have a fair share of everything…

The children really loved to reinact the stories with props that we collected around the house. Following the story, my young lower elementary learner was able to recall easily the use of golden beads materials to solve some dynamic division. I was quite impressed, as in the past, we had been unsuccessful at recalling processes without a refresher course.

Did you use stories to spark imagination? Share with us your favorite Montessori story!