Montessori in the Classroom
Montessori as an educational approach is designed to teach children much more than just basic skills and information. In addition to becoming culturally literate, the Montessori method allows children to learn to trust their own ability to think and solve problems independently. Children most often learn through discovery as well as trial and error. Montessori students learn not to be afraid of making mistakes. They learn that few things in life come without effort, and they develop their own motivation to keep working to master new skills.
The Primary Curriculum
All areas of the Primary Curriculum support the development of large and fine motor skills, sustained concentration, a sense of order, individual choice and decision making, self-regulation, self-confidence, independence, responsibility, and cooperation. Most activities involve manipulative materials, and the teacher first demonstrates the use of each material to individual children or small groups. Each activity builds on previous learning, and the teacher presents materials in sequence so that each new challenge for the child represents a small additional requirement added to what is known, and promises a high probability of success. In all areas, the children proceed through the three-year curriculum at their own pace, with teacher guidance and support.
Practical Life: developing independence, social skills, and care for the environment
The Montessori Practical Life Curriculum incorporates exercises and activities children observe daily. These activities develop children’s independence, concentration, and fine motor skills. Typical practical life activities involve transferring, preparing food, grace and courtesy lessons, and cleaning.
Learning the skills of Everyday Life in an atmosphere of kindness, community, and respect is directly connected to a lifetime of good habits. In a very real sense, Montessori children are responsible for the care of this child-sized environment. They wash dishes, cut food, sweep the room, and steadily grow in their self-confidence. The process helps them develop an inner sense of order, a greater feeling of independence, and a higher ability to concentrate and follow a complex sequence of steps.
Sensorial: exploring different colors, shapes, textures, and developing the ability to distinguish between them
Sensorial activities teach children to refine their senses of sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste so that they are able to organize sensory impressions and their understanding of the world. Through sensorial materials, children learn about similarities and differences, dimensions, colors, and shapes, and distinguish between smells, tastes, and sounds. Sensorial work also prepares children for mathematics, language, and geometry by teaching them how to classify and sort.
Educating the senses allows the child to classify the world around them using their natural curiosity and basic skills. From the very start, children taste, touch, feel, and smell their environment. The Montessori sensorial curriculum helps children to pay attention, to focus their awareness, and to learn how to observe and consider what comes into their life. These exercises can help children learn and appreciate their world more fully.
Cultural Studies: an introduction to geography, botany, zoology, science, history, music, and art
Through explorations of culture, children develop an understanding of their community, their world, and their social responsibilities. Children learn to respond to diversity with respect, appreciate music and art, and develop awareness of sustainability.
Geography, History, Science, Art, and Music are taught within the classroom and included under the “cultural” umbrella. The Culture curriculum includes materials such as puzzle maps of the continents, flags, land, air and water exercises, classifying animals, seasonal timelines, art appreciation as well as technique, rhythm and instrumental studies. This allows the child to learn about the world around them, along with their own environment.
Language Arts: a focus on oral language, phonics, letter formation, sentence structure, vowels and consonants, writing, reading and early literacy skills
The Montessori Language Curriculum provides children with the knowledge and skills to build their vocabulary and understanding of language. The skills required for reading, writing, and oral language are developed through hands-on experience using Montessori language materials. Children learn letter sounds (phonics), letter identification and formation, how to combine sounds to make words, how to build simple sentences, and how to hold a pencil properly. Oral language skills are developed through daily social interactions, group time experiences, and lessons in grace and courtesy.
The multi-age grouping of the classroom contributes greatly to the child’s motivation to read. The younger children mimic the older children with their “reading” and aspire to this throughout their Primary years. As with all other skills, reading is taught with the use of manipulative materials. From the sandpaper letters and moveable alphabets to grammar and sentence analysis, the child learns language just as concretely as they learned to pour water.
Mathematics: a focus on numbers, quantities, counting, addition, subtraction, decimal system, multiplication and division
The Mathematics Curriculum teaches children to understand abstract mathematical concepts and relationships through hands-on learning experiences. Using tangible Montessori materials, children learn to count, identify, and match numerals to their quantity, relate decimal quantities and symbols, and become aware of the functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Montessori students use hands-on learning materials that make abstract concepts clear and concrete. This offers a logical understanding that shows what is taking place in a mathematical process. As basic skills are mastered, the child moves on to more complex mathematical concepts. Facts and concepts are learned and internalized through use and understanding of the materials rather than memorization.
Group Activities
During a daily group meeting, the children work in a group to practice Spanish, Music, Art, Yoga, or to hear a story read by a teacher or older student.
In an effort to explore our world as global citizens, Montessori Manor explores a variety of cultures, events, and traditions. Our celebrations are an extension of our science and cultural curriculums and are incorporated into our normal routines.
We honor birthdays within classes using a mat representing the sun and seasons of the earth. We tell the story of each child’s various milestones and favorite experiences until we reach their birthday. It provides the children a better understanding of the “passage of time,” focusing on the timeline of their growth that is uniquely theirs.
