Primary Community

2.5-6 years

"The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child's own natural desire to learn." - Maria Montessori

The Primary child refines the language, motor, and perceptual skills absorbed in earlier development. The children are ready for a larger group as they develop social skills, language, motor coordination, and perceptual skills. The mixed-age classroom provides social interaction opportunities for the differing maturity and interest levels.

Their experiences are guided by a multi-sensory approach in language, mathematics, geography, art, science and music. The child refines motor skills, discovers reading through phonics, encounters mathematical concepts through concrete materials, and explores geographical relationships and scientific information through manipulating sensorial objects and real life materials. Children receive Spanish experiences and lessons.

The program includes preparation for reading, writing, math, natural and physical science exploration through the use of Montessori materials.

Benchmarks

Benchmarks reflect base expectations. Children advance according to their developmental readiness, which is the premise of the Montessori philosophy including quality and level of work completed. Guides utilize a multi-sensory approach, which addresses all learning styles and creates the optimal learning environment. Benchmark tables can be expanded below by clicking the ^

Life Skills/Development

Grace and Courtesy: manners, proper introductions, how to respectfully interrupt, cooperation, patience, listening skills, learning to speak softly and quietly
Lengthening attention span
Ease of transition from one activity to another
Observation skills - observe others or a lesson
Completion of task - development of work cycles
Respect for materials and environment
Care of Self - basic needs (bathroom, nose blowing, hand washing)
Gross Motor Control
Fine Motor Control
Care of environment and materials
Sense of order
Independence
Community awareness
Environmental awareness (global)

Sensorial

Refinement of sense perception
Sense properties include: visual, auditory, chromatic, tactile, gustatory, stereognosis, kinesthetic, olfactory, thermic, baric, balance/equilibrium

Language

Reading readiness: letter/sound recognition
Sandpaper letters & moveable alphabet
Development of phonetic reading skills
Phonograms, sight words, puzzle words
Introduction to grammar
All lessons are taught in English

Writing

Finger dexterity and strength are developed through working with Practical Life, Sensorial and other manipulative exercises
Trace Sandpaper Letters and Numerals with fingers - cursive
Use Metal Insets
Cursive handwriting
Pincer grip
Chalkboard, unlined, lined paper
Create stories and record
Begin learning upper case in Extended Day
Punctuation introduce period, capitalize first letter, etc.

Mathematics

Preparation for math begins in the Practical Life and Sensorial areas, including geometry and algebra concepts.
Concrete materials are utilized throughout curriculum, materials move from more concrete to more abstract.
Intro to numbers: quantity and symbol recognition with numbers 1 – 10, concept of 0, odd and even numbers
Linear Counting: 11 – 9999 and skip counting
Sensorial introduction to square and cube roots
Decimal system: quantity and symbol recognition, place value for numbers 1- 9,999.
Introduction to operations addition and multiplication - static and dynamic
Introduction to operations subtraction and division - static
Introduction to fractions

History/ Cultural Studies/ Geography

Geography: includes land forms, maps and cultures
History: awareness of the passage of time through timelines, calendars & clockwork

Life Skills

Environmental awareness

Life Science Physical Science Earth Science Health

Botany: development of the child’s awareness of plant life
Zoology: development of the child’s awareness of animals
Physical Science: exploration of physical experiments
Scientific classification

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