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Welcome to our Primary Classrooms
"The most favorable time for
a child to learn is when he wants to do it himself."
Dr. Maria Montessori
 Greenville
Montessori School consists of two primary classrooms
serving children ages
three to six. Each class offers a full Montessori curriculum
with standard Montessori materials. Here the children
learn through hands on experience and creative exploration.
Enhanced learning and social development occur in this
multi age setting. The youngest children observe and
interact with the older children. In turn the older
children serve as role models and learn responsibility
and leadership skills. The materials in each classroom
are grouped into the four major divisions: Practical
Life, Sensorial, Math
and Language
Practical
Life exercises are the starting point for
the youngest child entering our classroom. These are
tasks required for daily living which develop the child's
sense of order, coordination, concentration, and independence.
There are four distinct groups of Practical Life exercises:
care of person, care of environment, development of
social relations, and movement. The children in our
classes can be seen performing activities such as pouring,
polishing, washing, sorting, dressing, and using simple
tools.
The Sensorial materials help the child
recognize and understand the impressions he is constantly
receiving through his senses. These materials include
beautiful manipulatives dealing with size, color, shape,
sound, texture, form, and dimension. As well as helping
the children classify concepts, the Sensorial materials
provide the groundwork for the development of other
skills such as music, math, and language.
Mathematical materials in our primary
classrooms emphasize the concepts of number recognition,
quantities, linear counting, the decimal system, simple
fractions, and beginning lessons in the four operations.
The children are busy working together counting the
chains, sharing out quantities, and creating large numbers
with the "golden beads". These concrete materials
show the child the beginnings of what will later become
abstract concepts.
Language is an integral part of the
Montessori curriculum, emphasizing both spoken and written
language. Many of the Practical Life and Sensorial exercises
are prerequisites for learning to read and write. Language
materials include sandpaper letters teaching phonetic
sounds and letter shape, movable alphabet for composing
words and simple sentences, many types of language card
exercises, and the metal insets, which develop pencil
control necessary for writing. Often our children can
be observed sounding out simple words and creating their
first stories. The language work is also incorporated
into the other areas of the classroom such as science
and social studies.
In addition to the four major divisions in each classroom,
there are supplemental areas such as geography, science,
art, and music. In the geography area the children are
exposed to work such as maps, land and water forms,
and flags. On the science shelves the children have
access to simple science experiments and classification
materials, as well as, activities teaching the solar
system, the human body, plants, and animals. Art is
interwoven into the curriculum and extends to all areas
of the classroom.
The role as teacher in our classrooms is to guide and
facilitate the child's learning based on their individual
needs and interests. The Montessori teacher wants to
lead the children to discover and develop their own
talents and potential.
In our primary classes the first and second year students
complete their day at noon. The third year children
(extended day students) remain at school for the afternoon.
Lunch is an important part of the day where the children
have the opportunity to practice both practical life
skills as well as their social skills. The afternoon
work period provides the children with a chance to further
explore their interests in a small group setting with
few interruptions.
The most significant element of our primary classrooms
is not located on the shelves with the other materials.
It is the opportunity the child has to explore his own
interests and to manage his learning. It is also the
attention and instruction given in learning to respect
oneself, to respect others, and to respect the environment
- whether it is this small environment where the child
is working or the world at large. By practicing the
lessons in "grace and courtesy" the young
child can learn to internalize patterns of caring, politeness,
and understanding. Our primary Montessori classrooms
provide each child with an important place to work and
learn: the essential way to grow.
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