Holy Family Classical School

Montessori

In the Montessori classroom for ages 3-6, the ultimate goal for each individual is to achieve independence, confidence, and an interest in learning about his/her world through concentration on spontaneous developmental activity. During this time of development, children continue to be in the stage of the “absorbent mind,” what Maria Montessori referred to as a child’s unique ability to absorb knowledge quickly and effortlessly. They also are also in “sensitive periods” for order, language, movement, and sensorial development. Children take from the prepared environment all that they need to satisfy their developmental needs and prepare for abstract thought, use of fine motor skills like writing, and other activities in their elementary years. Children take great joy and pride in real and purposeful work, and in their ability to contribute to their community as active and helpful participants. Social development is fostered in the Montessori environment with children due to the multi-age classroom and through routines and protocols that cultivate the development of helpfulness, kindness, care, and compassion in relationship with others in natural, real-life situations.

The materials and activities available in the Montessori Primary classroom consist of a three-year cycle, through which the child achieves the integration of personality, that is the integration of his/her movement, intellect, & will. The result of concentrated work in the prepared environment within their ever-more-cohesive community is that the child develops physically, socially, and psychologically through the stages of obedience towards the third level of obedience in which Dr. Montessori observed that the child takes delight in obeying for the good of all, achieving both independence as well as solidarity in community. The child achieves emotional, intellectual, functional, and social independence appropriate for their age and plane of development. The child also achieves classification, consolidation, and crystallization of their language as a powerful tool of communication and self-expression, including the use of the written word. In the prepared environment, the child builds the necessary foundation for their passage to abstraction in numeracy/mathematics and higher order thinking.

Below you may see some of the “works” that are available in the Montessori Primary at Holy Family Classical School. These works constitute a three-year-cycle mentioned above, and the works are made available to the child as each child shows that they are developmentally ready for and interested in the next work in each area. The progression through the various areas is not linear in most cases, though some require preliminary skills to be acquired before the new work is introduced. Most materials are introduced by individual presentations given by the Guide, though some are presented in small groups. The progression of each child is unique based on the needs of that particular child. The Guide maintains a careful record of presentations as well as observations about each child as they work towards mastery of new skills.

 

The sensorial curriculum engages a child’s natural tendency to explore the physical world around him through the involvement of all his senses. The sensorial materials are puzzle-like materials that allow the child to refine the many sensorial impressions that he has experienced. These impressions are classified and organized in the mind. Through the sensorial area the activities provide the refinement of the senses through manipulation and exploration of concrete materials. Sensorial activities include:

    • Visual sense: visual discrimination of dimension, form, and color through block manipulatives, color tablets, and geometric shapes

    • Tactile sense: discrimination of texture, temperature, and weight through sorting, matching, and measuring activities

    • Auditory sense: discrimination of volume and pitch through sound cylinders

    • Sense of taste: discrimination of tastes such as sour, sweet, bitter, and salty through food preparation and specific lessons on taste

  • Sense of smell: discrimination of smell through natural elements such as herbs, food, and flowers through food preparation and specific lessons on smell

The Montessori math curriculum is presented to children first through concrete materials that allow for hands-on exploration of a concept. The goals of the math curriculum are quite extensive, beginning with an understanding of quantity and symbol, progressing to place value and experiences with the four operations of mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). When children at this level demonstrate a concrete understanding of these math concepts, they may be ready to move on to the more advanced exercises in memorization, abstraction, and fraction work.

NUMBERS 1-10

One to one correspondence, quantity, symbol, and sequence of numbers one through ten are taught through the use of materials such as rods, spindles, and cards/counters (numeration with objects).

DECIMAL SYSTEM

Categories of unit, ten, hundred, and thousand are introduced with bead materials. The processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are experienced with the manipulation of the materials, giving the impression of the four operations in math.

TEENS AND TENS

The teens are introduced through the manipulation of gold beads, colored beads, and cards to represent quantities and symbols of numbers 11 through 19. Numbers in the tens are explored with the emphasis on the change from nine to the next ten (e.g., 39-40) by building the numbers with beads and cards. Bead chains provide concrete practice in counting, skip-counting, and recognizing numbers and patterns. Exercises using the chains include the introduction to multiples of numbers and the concept of squares and cubes of numbers 1- 10.

MEMORIZATION WORK

The exploration of essential math facts occurs through a series of bead and board materials, offering repetition and becoming more abstract with each level of difficulty. The facts are recorded on paper and the discovery of patterns, laws, and truth is natural and spontaneous in the child.

The language curriculum supports a child’s development in three aspects: speaking, writing, and reading. The language curriculum is quite extensive, with various goals in each of these subsets.

Spoken language curriculum helps the child perfect his ability to communicate and express himself appropriately with others. Written language curriculum goals are to develop a child’s ability to analyze sounds, recall their associated symbol, and formulate words. Cursive writing and d’Nealian script are taught in tandem. The goals of the reading curriculum are to break down the symbols into sounds, and find meaning and context through deciphering words, sentences and eventually short stories.

Spoken Language Lessons Include:

    • Enrichment of vocabulary: learn new names of objects and classify them through tangible objects and picture cards

    • Stories, songs, and poems to give the child opportunity to appreciate literature

    • Oral sound games: initial sounds, ending sounds, middle sounds, words with objects

Written Language Lessons Include:

    • Sandpaper letters

    • Sound games:

    • Constructing words with letters, then phrases and sentences, and finally paragraphs and stories

    • Preparation of the hand through progression of materials: metal insets, chalkboards, unlined word-paper, lined word-paper, lined sentence-paper, lined story-paper

Reading Lessons Include:

    • Phonetic reading through matching object games, command games, and reading various materials (i.e., cards, sentences, books)

    • Phonograms: writing, reading, and spelling

    • Puzzle words & sight words

    • Grammar and parts of speech using symbols, movement, and engagement with the environment

    • Word study: antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, singular & plural, compound words, themes such as days/months, etc.

  • Sentence analysis: exploring how the order and placement of phrases affect the meaning

For the young child, the focus is on developing awareness and understanding of the concept of the “passing of time.”

Activities include:

  • Introduction to calendar

  • Awareness of seasonal changes

  • Beginning of clock study: o’clock, half hours, quarters hours

  • Introduction to the three fundamental tenses: past/present/future

  • Experience of personal history via birthday celebrations/ personal timelines

  • Stories from the past: famous inventors, scientists, Saints, artists, composers, etc.

Through the activities in the cultural extension of Geography, children grow in their awareness of the physical features of the earth, through presentations of land/water formations and concrete exploration of maps. Also, the curriculum brings an awareness of other cultures around the world through pictures, objects, and stories.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

  • Study of land and water forms, such as lakes, islands, peninsulas, gulfs, isthmuses, and straits

EXPLORATION OF GLOBES, MAPS, AND FLAGS

  • Naming and distinguishing shapes and placement of continents, countries, states, and oceans

  • Making of maps and books of flags to encourage repetition and familiarization with the geography materials

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

  • Children/families of the classroom are encouraged to share their own cultural stories and/or experiences with their classmates

  • Connections between physical and cultural geography are made through pictures, objects, and stories of other people, places, products, plants, animals, homes, clothing, transportation, arts, and crafts

The Science activities are an extension of the language and sensorial areas. Through the activities in the environment, the child explores the physical and life sciences to further classify the child’s understanding of his world.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE LESSONS INCLUDE

  • Magnetism

  • Buoyancy

  • Weather

LIFE SCIENCE LESSONS

  • Scientific classification: living/non-living, plant/animal, vertebrate/invertebrate

  • Introduction to invertebrates and the animal kingdom: mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird

  • Observation and care of classroom pets (fish, snails, butterflies)

  • Botany: naming and experiences with leaf shapes, plants, trees, and flowers

  • Observations and care of classroom plants

Music is offered through singing songs, listening to a variety of music, and lessons are introduced through the bells and other rhythm instruments. The art materials offered allow students to explore and work at their own

pace, using a variety of media to stimulate choice and innovation.

Music activities include:

  • Bells: use of the Montessori bells in the classroom environment for tone matching and composition.

  • Song: Early experiences with numeracy, Latin & Marian Hymns, social behavior, and the natural world are achieved through daily song

  • Rhythm: introduction to beat of music through instruments and/or composed music; children work with rhythm sticks or simple instruments.

Art exercises include: EXPLORING AND CREATING

  • Exploration and creative expression are fostered through various media available in the classroom: coloring, drawing, painting at an easel, watercolor painting, clay/sculpture, sewing, knitting, and weaving.

APPRECIATION

  • Children are encouraged to look at their own work and appreciate the art works of known artists as well.

The Science activities are an extension of the language and sensorial areas. Through the activities in the environment, the child explores the physical and life sciences to further classify the child’s understanding of his world.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE LESSONS INCLUDE

  • Magnetism

  • Buoyancy

  • Weather

LIFE SCIENCE LESSONS

  • Scientific classification: living/non-living, plant/animal, vertebrate/invertebrate

  • Introduction to invertebrates and the animal kingdom: mammal, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird

  • Observation and care of classroom pets (fish, snails, butterflies)

  • Botany: naming and experiences with leaf shapes, plants, trees, and flowers

  • Observations and care of classroom plants

Music is offered through singing songs, listening to a variety of music, and lessons are introduced through the bells and other rhythm instruments. The art materials offered allow students to explore and work at their own pace, using a variety of media to stimulate choice and innovation.

Music activities include:

BELLS:

  • Use of the Montessori bells in the classroom environment for tone matching and composition.

SONG:

  • Early experiences with numeracy, Latin & Marian Hymns, social behavior, and the natural world are achieved through daily song

RHYTHM:

  • Introduction to beat of music through instruments and/or composed music; children work with rhythm sticks or simple instruments.

Art exercises include:

EXPLORING AND CREATING

  • Exploration and creative expression are fostered through various media available in the classroom: coloring, drawing, painting at an easel, watercolor painting, clay/sculpture, sewing, knitting, and weaving.

APPRECIATION

  • Children are encouraged to look at their own work and appreciate the art works of known artists as well.