Community Montessori School

Color Box 1 and the Three Period Lesson

The color boxes are materials that can be found in the sensorial area of the classroom. There are three separate boxes each containing colored tablest. Color box 1 contains 6 tablets with primary colors: 2 red, 2 blue, and 2 yellow. Color box 2 contains 22 tablets with pairs of the primary colors, secondary colors, and also pink, white, gray, brown, and black. Color box 3 contains 63 tablets each with 7 shades of 9 colors.

Color box 1 is the first color box introduced to a child. the initial purpose of this work is simply to match the three pairs of primary colors. After the child is able to do this with ease, each of the names is introduced. The names of the colors are introduced by what Montessori calls a Three Period Lesson.

The Three Period Lesson is used as a tool to give vocabulary lessons and is used with many other materials in the classroom. The Three Period Lesson supports three stages of learning while isolating the one sense to be learned.

 In the first period the child is introduced to the names. "This is blue." The vocabulary is simple and minimal.

In the second period the child associates the name with the objects. There are a few ways to do this. "Show me blue." "Give me blue." "Touch blue." This period must be mastered before moving on the the final period.

In the third period the child confirms that the names have been mastered. While pointing to the object the teacher asks, "What is this?" This allows the teacher to know if the child knows what is blue.