Hello
I am Mary Kravchuk, creator of the Language Works’ Word Windows.
For nearly 40 years, I have introduced this phonics program to teachers across the country.
What began as a classroom solution has grown into a widely used resource in schools throughout the United States.
The Language Works Story...
The idea developed while I was teaching in a 1st–3rd-grade Montessori classroom. After completing my Montessori elementary training in Bergamo, Italy, I saw a gap in spelling instruction. Because Italian is completely phonetic, Montessori did not need to develop extensive spelling materials. English, with its complex structure, requires much more practice.
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My students were constantly asking me to check their spelling. I envisioned a comprehensive program that would allow children to work independently and check their own work, just as they do with other Montessori materials.
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As the window cards and picture booklets took shape, I shared them with other teachers and eventually had them printed. Language Works debuted in 1988 at the American Montessori Society conference in Dallas, where nearly 100 sets were sold.
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Today, the program is used in thousands of kindergarten and elementary classrooms. It is also effective for homeschoolers, students with dyslexia, students in reading resource programs, and English-language learners.
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Mary Kravchuk holds elementary teaching certification from both AMS and AMI. She has taught for over 40 years in leading Montessori schools in the Chicago area and holds a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies. She lives in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with her husband Mark.
Contact
If you have questions about Word Windows or how it might support your students, I would genuinely love to hear from you. Helping educators unlock the structure of language for their students has been the mission from the very beginning.
800-496-1120