The alphabet sounds are learned individually, then combined to form short words. Gradually the child is able to blend the individual sounds together and say the whole word. The mathematics materials allow the child to experience and experiment with concrete quantities and move gradually into the abstract. The Montessori method always starts with the concrete and moves towards the abstract. Never do for a child what he is capable of doing for himself.
All children learn at a different pace.
From the ages three to six, the child feels and shows preferences for the type of stimuli needed to refine and integrate the basic abilities created from ages birth to three. The materials are geared to the child's need to learn through movement - because it is movement that starts the intellect working. Each child will approach the activities differently, and the children are allowed to proceed at their own pace. Of course the children learn facts, but also, more importantly, the teacher helps them to learn how to learn . Education does not need to be imposed on a child.