the man he will become."
This is the fundamental idea behind the Montessori philosophy of education. In order to develop his physical, intellectual, and spiritual powers to their fullest, the child must have freedom - a freedom the Doctoressa observed could be naturally achieved through self-order and realization in the classroom. Montessori urges educators to 'follow the child', to observe children's behavior and thereby prepare classrooms that reflect their specific developmental tendencies and needs. This 'prepared environment', which possesses a certain order, enables a child to develop at his own pace and according to his own capacities, in a non-competitive setting. The Montessori Method encourages children to learn independently; to use their minds to identify, understand and master the materials and concepts present in their environment. At each step in this process, the materials test his understanding and correct his errors. Since the child has learned to work by himself in the prepared environment, a Montessori teacher is more often able to individually interact with students. The teacher prepares the classroom, guides activity, and offers each child intellectual stimulation. Notably, though, it is the child who learns and is motivated by the work to complete a given task or project. Montessori introduces children to the joy of learning at an early age and provides a framework upon which academic and social growth may progress hand in hand. The Montessori child is well and truly free to learn because he has acquired, through his active participation in a unique classroom environment, a developmentally precise physical and mental order, or 'inner discipline'. To help parents better understand the different parts of a Montessori education here at the Monroe Montessori School, the staff has created this Overview of Studies. It should help to clarify and highlight the key components of our program at each multi-age grouping. |
so this is the period when the seeds of everything
may be sown, the child's mind being as a fertile field
and ready to receive what will germinate into culture...
if asked how many seeds may be sown my answer is:
as many as possible."
| Montessori has shown that children learn developmentally, at a variety of rates and in a variety of ways. Respecting this requires that our program reflect a child's individual needs rather than a rote adherence to a generalized syllabus. It is important to note that this document does not express an exact chronological depiction of the studies engaged by Monroe Mon students. Presentation of materials and their accompanying concepts and skills may be evident at slightly different times along the continuum, or not at all, when appropriate. What follows is an overview of the prevalent sequence of materials and concepts that a student experiences over nine years in the elementary program at Monroe Montessori School. |
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* Children's House is interchangeable with the
more commonly known term preschool
(Everyday living, 3 year cycle, Ages 3-6)
The Practical Life exercises are important elements in Montessori education. They provide the fundamental building blocks on which the entire Montessori method is constructed. The Practical Life exercises are those first presented to the young child entering a Montessori school.
The aims of these exercises are both developmental and environmental in nature. By developing the child's coordination and concentration, enhancing his natural sensitivity to order, the child accumulates successful interactions with his environment. This grants the child ever greater self-sufficiency and independence. Practical Life exercises are simply various kinds of everyday domestic activities such as pouring water, scrubbing a table, polishing silver, etc.
The Practical Life Area also includes the integration of graceful movements with graceful behavior and courtesy. Opportunities are provided for the continuous physical, psychological and moral growth of the child, and as such, build a foundation for behavior upon which all the more "academic" achievements of a Montessori program are set.
The Practical Life Lessons consist of: *Care of Person *Care of Environment *Food Preparation *Fine Motor Development *Gross Motor Development |
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The Sensorial Area of the classroom is designed to heighten the child's senses by isolating each sense and exploring it to the fullest. This helps the child with observation, comparison, judgment, reasoning, and decision-making skills needed for later academic areas. The Practical Life Area is the foundation of the Montessori experience and the Sensorial Area is the heart. The Sensorial Area helps a student to order his sensory impressions and the senses are the keys to knowledge.
The Sensorial Lessons consist of: *Auditory Learning *Visual Learning *Tactile Learning *Learning Through Smell (Olfactory) *Learning Through Taste (Gustatory) |
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Sensorial learning is viewed as the foundation for all later learning throughout life. The power of order is basic when considering math for the 3-6 classroom. Order links the impressions of a student's outer world with his inner world. The child does not consider his math as "work". Instead, he is drawn to it by an internal drive to bring order and form to his world--to classify and to understand.
The purpose of math materials in the Montessori preschool curriculum is not to teach math at an early age, but rather to assist each child in developing their own process and personality.
The Mathematics Lessons consist of: *Numeration *The Decimal System *Linear Counting *Four Operations *Abstraction: The Bridge *Memorization |
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Language is the method of communication between people through speech and the written word. Montessori brings the child from speech to printing and then to reading and comprehending the words which he has written. It was the spontaneous writing, which four year old children demonstrated in Dr.. Montessori's first Children's House, that made her method world-famous. The activities of Practical Life and the Sensorial materials prepared the children in that early classroom so as to naturally develop the writing of words and phrases as four year olds.
The Language Lessons Consist of: *Auditory Preparation *Visual Preparation *Motor Preparation *Analysis *Reading on Word Level *Correct Expression *Function of Words |
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*Please note - we have a 5 year cycle ages 6-11 at this time
Language is the framework upon which all other elementary studies lay. It is the vehicle that, in distinct turns, is examined, erected, and then embraced as the means of exploring related elementary disciplines. Development of strong creative writing and composition skills provide the impetus, initially motivating an enjoyment of the creative process, and later, by including each student in the work of editing, as further refinement of the same. A more formalized, individual presentation of grammar, spelling, and sentence analysis skills enriches each student's efforts.
Lower Elementary, ages 6 - 9 · 'Learning to Read' - sound/symbol relationship · Verbal skills - storytelling · Writing - creative writing |
Upper Elementary, ages 9 - 12 · 'Reading to Learn' - reading for pleasure · Verbal skills - storytelling · Writing - creative writing |
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Humanities in the elementary classroom take as their source the Great Lessons. These lessons are broadly engaging, impressionistic stories formed around grand and universal themes. Their panoramic retelling, along with the accompanying materials and charts, serve as a springboard for the student's studies of life and the universe. They provide the backdrop against which the vivid connections between science, culture and all living things lay in sharp relief. Awareness and study of these connections, the 'natural unfolding of the child's intelligence', is what Montessori referred to as 'Cosmic Education'.
LOWER ELEMENTARY · The Great Lessons are: The Story of the Universe · History - time · Geography - physical geography · Physical Sciences - process of scientific inquiry · Botany/Zoology - the five kingdoms of life |
UPPER ELEMENTARY · The Great Lessons are: The Time Line of Early Humans - fundamental needs of · Geography - physical geography · Physical Sciences - process of scientific inquiry · Botany/Zoology - the five kingdoms of life |
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The math manipulatives remain some of the most elegant and intuitive of the Montessori materials. Elementary students continue their studies of abstract operations and memorization of operations facts through daily use of these materials and new presentations of increasingly complex concepts and attendant skills. For example, the bead chains your child used to skip count from 1 - 1000 will now facilitate their exploration of squares and square roots, cubes and cube roots, and the first study of plane geometry.
LOWER ELEMENTARY · Decimal System/Numeration - numerical quantities · Computation - (+ x - ÷) concepts · Cooperative problem solving - word problems & critical · Fractions - concept · Measurement - linear |
UPPER ELEMENTARY · Decimal System/Numeration - numerical quantities · Computation - (+ x - ÷) concepts · Cooperative problem solving - word problems & critical · Fractions - concept · Measurement - linear · Pre-algebra - binomials and trinomials |
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Geometry has been defined as an awareness of the relationship between man and the objects in his environment. Montessori saw the study of geometry as practical, based on the physical reality of our world. First concepts are introduced in the Lower Elementary classroom using concrete materials. Exploration of these shapes, and their names and structure, provide the ground work for later studies ranging outside the confines of the classroom. Upper Elementary students eagerly seek to affirm geometrical truths in the shadows of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the curved surface of our planet, even the blueprints of our own school building.
LOWER ELEMENTARY · Sensorial exploration of shapes · Fundamental concepts · Lines - types of lines · Angles - types of angles · Plane figures - classification of simple · Measurement - use of ruler, protractor |
UPPER ELEMENTARY · Sensorial exploration of shapes · Fundamental concepts · Lines - types of lines · Angles - types of angles · Plane figures - advanced study of triangles · Measurement - use of ruler, protractor, |
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