• This site has lots of links to online resources for all of you to use! We will be profiling all of the wonderful Montessori materials and web-sites that you can use to help your students understand and practice Montessori better!

• Below read about the Montessori content to better understand what Montessori is all about!

Language

Maria Montessori believed that language is the fundamental building block of society and community. Language allows us to communicate with one another, express emotions, engage in intellectual dialogue, and share commonalities with each other. Language is a mechanism in which we as humans can gather collective thought and use this collectivism to change our environment. Therefore, language plays a crucial role in the elementary classroom.

Montessori students begin writing early with the use of sensory manipulatives, pencil and paper. Phonics are taught with materials that introduce beginning, ending, middle and blend sounds. Word study is introduced with the use of word cards, pictures and objects. Grammar and Sentence analysis is introduced alongside word study as the student progresses in their understanding. Students are encouraged, but not rushed, in all progress surrounding Language. By allowing them to learn at their own pace, reading and writing can become a joy.

As children make the transition to a lower elementary Montessori classroom, they begin to synthesize language abstractly by asking questions about literature, finding the root meaning of words, and studying grammar through parts of speech. Children select books of interest with rich content, allowing for deeper study of language and literature. The Montessori language materials allow children to both inquire and absorb new components of language and literature as they continue to along their learning continuum. Literature lessons such as book talks and concept maps allow students to work together provide the students with both a point of interest and an opportunity to further their study of language in literature. Additionally, grammar and writing lessons can extend into children’s interests with research projects, presentations, and group work through sentence diagraming. Through these lessons, the upper elementary classroom provides an accessible environment rich with literature, language, grammar, and writing that provide a child with the avenues to further explore the world around them.

Math

Montessori math begins with the understanding of 1 single unit represented by a bead. This is the beginning of many works that will introduce students to math operations using multiple materials. Math can be found in all aspects of our daily lives. Your children can master math with the seemingly most simple of objects and activities within the home and nature. In the class, students will spend many hours working with manipulatives discovering the processes and organization of numbers.

Cultural

Montessori cultural lessons expose children to different people and their cultures through the study of geography, history, and science. Students explore different civilizations and cultures of people around the world, providing insight into the diverse ways in which mankind has adapted based on the history and environment that surrounds them. Children experience cultural lessons through hands-on, sensorial learning by using map puzzles, storytelling, and art as well as through researching and exploring their own topics of interests as they get older.

The lower elementary Montessori classroom lays the groundwork with children learning about the history of ancient civilizations through nomenclature, maps, stories, and exploration of artifacts. As children move into the upper elementary Montessori classroom, they learn about the evolutions of the human race. Children study migration patterns and start to make connections between civilizations and geography. Children study ancient Africa, China, India and dive deeper into exploration of ancient Egypt and Rome. The upper elementary Montessori history curriculum extends to civilization in the Americas, beginning with studies of Native Americans and continuing to studies of the Colonists. At its core, Montessori cultural curriculum serves to ignite curiosity, inquiry, and knowledge of how our world has come to be.

• The above link will take you to a wonderful resource that can help you with Montessori lessons at home!