Teach Me to Do It Myself

THE PRIMARY-AGED CHILD

A basic element of the Montessori approach is the simple observation that children learn most effectively through direct experience and the process of investigation and discovery. In her studies of child development, Dr. Montessori noted that most children do not learn by memorizing what they hear from their teachers or read in a text; instead, they learn from concrete experience and direct interaction with the environment. Children need to manipulate and explore everything that catches their interest.
The goals of the Primary level are to foster independence and support the child as she gains self-control and interacts with her surrounding environment.

THE PREPARED ENVIRONMENT

The Primary classroom is a "living room" for children. Montessori materials are displayed on low, open shelves that are easily accessible to even the youngest ones. They are arranged to provide maximum eye-appeal as well as facilitate the child’s natural development.
The Montessori morning work period includes lessons and self-initiated work chosen from the self-correcting materials. Children choose to eat snack when they feel hungry and can spend time in the outdoor workspace as well.

THE MONTESSORI MATERIALS: A ROAD FROM THE CONCRETE TO THE ABSTRACT

The manipulative, concrete materials in the classroom enable each child to work at tasks that are developmentally appropriate. Under close guidance, each child is able to select his own work according to his interest and sensitivity. Each material isolates one concept or skill and has been specially designed to naturally draw the child’s interest. This enables children to choose and work with all the materials with little or no nudging from adults. Working with the materials, children learn at their own pace and see abstract ideas in a concrete, three-dimensional way.

PRACTICAL LIFE

Practical Life lays the foundation for all other work to be done in the classroom. Everyday tasks such as washing dishes, sweeping or polishing, satisfy the child's need to imitate adult behavior and achieve increasing levels of independence. They serve to lengthen attention span and aid in the development of fine motor coordination. These active exercises help to develop responsibility, thought sequencing and good work habits, while providing many opportunities for language development and writing. As time goes by, practical life exercises evolve from care of self into care of others and care of the environment.

SENSORIAL

Dr. Montessori saw the senses as "feeding the mind," the starting point for intellectual growth. By manipulating Sensorial materials such as the Pink Tower or the Geometry Cabinet, the child employs careful observation of scientifically based materials. The mind must judge, compare, classify and draw conclusions through which the student gains a clear, deep understanding of sequences, groups and sets. The exercises prepare the child for future learning in math, language and science.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The language arts curriculum is based on enriching spoken language and vocabulary through careful adult modeling. Montessori uses an integrated approach that combines phonetics and whole language. The child is first introduced to sounds and letters. As the child differentiates and recognizes sounds, he begins the process of word building (writing) and then blending sounds into meaningful reading. The child then progresses into studying grammar. Language Arts also includes an introduction to drama and daily doses of fine children’s literature.

MATHEMATICS

Math begins with clear, sensorial impressions derived from manipulation of objects. Each child benefits from this concrete introduction to concepts of number, symbol, sequence, operations and memorization of basic facts. More complex materials convey abstract concepts such as decimal system identity, commutative and associative properties, and squaring and cubing numbers.

SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

The science curriculum’s focus is on learning how to be a scientist: the child observes, experiments, demonstrates and records what she has learned. She learns to classify, label and differentiate. Science is a hands-on activity that includes biology, earth, and physical science.
While the social studies curriculum focuses in part on the local region, students also learn about the language, literature, art, food and music of different cultures, both past and present, around the world. Students learn about physical and political geography, people and flags of distant countries, and the cultural similarities that unite all people.

ART AND MUSIC

Art and music study encourages the child to find the great joy present in creating something of his or her own. The children are free to explore their imaginations in a variety of media for expression. The importance of the process is stressed at this time, not the end product.