Curriculum
Our curriculum is based on the Montessori Approach and Best Practices of Early Education, which lays the foundation of the elementary school years. Our unique curriculum provides a rich array of activities and materials that are meaningful and purposeful. This allows the child to be independent, curious, creative, a critical thinker, a problem solver, a decision maker, a communicator and a risk taker. All activities and materials in each classroom meet cognitive, social, physical and emotional development of each child which lays the foundation for a lifetime of learning.
“Help me do it myself.”
Practical Life
This enhances the development of task organization and cognitive order through:
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Care of self
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Care of environment
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Development of Social Relations- Grace and Courtesy
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Control of Movement
Through creative activities and materials, each child develops a sense of order, concentration, independence, self-esteem, fine motor skills, grace, courtesy and confidence.
Sensorial Development
“The child, is a sensorial explorer.” The sensorial curriculum engages a child to explore the physical world around them through his/her senses. Sensorial materials help develop hand-eye coordination, fine/large motor skills, spatial awareness, discrimination, classification and order.
Math
The math curriculum is introduced to the child/children through materials and activities that provide hands-on exploration of a concept. Math activities start with a concrete experience and lead to more abstract understanding. Through the amazing Montessori materials and activities, we provide children with an explicit understanding of math concepts.
History
We focus on the child to develop awareness and understand the concept of “the passage of time.”
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The passage of time- introduction to the daily calendar (yesterday, today, tomorrow)
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Days of the week – sequence
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Names of the months – sequence
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Change of the seasons – sequence
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Beginning of telling time (development appropriate)
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Personal history – birthdays, celebrations, timelines
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Local events
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Holidays
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Traditions
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Cultures
Geography
The goal of the Montessori geography curriculum at this level is to bring an awareness to children 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. Alongside the Montessori geography curriculum, we also understand that children of this age need to know where they live and their community (street, neighborhood, town state).
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Physical geography
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Exploration of globes
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Cultural geography
Science
The goal of the science curriculum is to offer concrete exploration of physical and life sciences. Our hands-on activities and experiences offer a child a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around him/her. The child/children are engaged in finding out how things work. (Examples: placing a plant in the sun and one in a dark room, different uses for ramps and balls etc…) They are making predictions, solving problems and finding solutions.
Physical science examples: magnetics, sink or float, weather.
Life science examples:
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Living/non-living, plant/animal, vertebrate/invertebrate
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Animal kingdom: mammals, reptiles, amphibian, fish, birds
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Care of classroom pets and plants
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Botany: observations of leaves, plants, trees and flowers
Fine Art
Introduction to fine art and famous artists.
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Matching cards of famous artists
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Developmental appropriate activities (ex: Van Gogh’s book Sunflowers- children can observe a sunflower and make one of their own)
Creative Art
Providing children with developmental appropriate art experiences through exploration of techniques, tools, materials and activities. “Process not product.” The Process art experience supports the following:
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Language and Literacy
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Cognitive Development
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Physical Development
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Social and Emotional Development
*Resources: The Creative Arts: A Process Approach for Teachers and Children, by Linda Carol Edwards. A textbook format that provides a foundation for understanding process in art, music and drama activities with young children.
Music
Music in incorporated throughout the children’s daily activities. Singing and signing, Wiggles and Giggles and our holiday and end of year concerts are all ways we get the children signing, dancing, moving and feeling music.
Language and Literacy
Our Language and Literacy program expands on the montessori approach by incorporating “Literacy Beginnings” by Fountas and Pinnell. Literacy is based on individual, small group and whole group learning. The four pieces of early literacy we keep in mind for ages 3-6 years are:
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Letter knowledge
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Concepts of print
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Phonological awareness
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Writing
Through read alouds, story telling, phonological awareness activities and shared book experience, we provide support for emergent reading, writing and comprehension.
*The Montessori information is based on the Scope and Sequence of the Montessori Approach, alongside with Best Practices of Early Education