CURRICULUM
The Montessori classroom is characteristically unique because there is a distinctive order to the room and a structure to how things are arranged on the shelf. The “prepared environment” is divided into areas for practical life, sensorial, language, math, and cultural (art, music, geography, history, and science). The materials are arranged in a logical order that moves from the simple to the complex, and from the concrete to the abstract. Developmentally, preschool children are very responsive to such order and consistency. Montessori materials are so beautifully designed that children are naturally drawn to them as they work at their own pace and learn through hands-on experience and investigation. As a result, they become confident and independent learners who are actively engaged in their studies.
At the preschool level, lessons are introduced in simple, concrete terms which can then be revisited in later years in greater abstraction and complexity as the children’s thirst to deepen and enhance their knowledge becomes an incredible driving force.
The Montessori curriculum may be viewed as a spiral in which separate disciplines are presented in an integrated approach through the course of studies of the universe, nature, and the human experience.
A snapshot of the components of a rich, Montessori education follows:
Practical Life
The skills for everyday life are learned here. Example tasks include pouring, spooning, arranging flowers, taking care of plants, polishing wood, learning to button, snap, zip, and the tying of shoelaces.
By engaging in these purposeful exercises, children are learning to take care of themselves and their environment. By helping to take care of the classroom community, the children grow in self confidence and independence as they learn to follow a complex sequence of steps through, for example, the washing and the setting of a table.
Sensorial
From birth, children interact with their world through the senses.
The sensorial curriculum is designed to help children focus their attention on the environment as they use their senses to observe and engage with the physical world. In the classroom, children use beautifully created materials to learn to discriminate among different qualities such as size, shape, colour, texture, weight, and pitch.
Language
The focus in language is how to help children develop the sophisticated skills required for communication as they learn how to work and play together with others.
Oral language, listening, writing, and reading skills are developed through kinaesthetic tracing of sandpaper letters as children see then feel the shape and how it is formed, and then they hear the teacher pronounce the sound. Children use a Moveable Alphabet to create words matching a small object or a picture by sounding out the word one letter at a time, selecting, and then laying down the letter that makes that sound. Montessori uses a phonetic approach to develop reading and writing skills.
Math
Dr. Maria Montessori created concrete materials to eliminate the mystery behind the abstract concepts. These hands-on concrete materials develop the mathematical mind so children can connect “real” quantities with graphical symbols. This approach to teaching mathematics provides a clear understanding and helps children develop a sound and solid foundation in math. In our preschool, children are introduced to the numbers from one to ten, teens, tens, hundreds, and thousands. They learn about fractions such as a half or a third, and they are beginning to understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
Cultural
Social studies and the sciences are the cornerstone of the cultural curriculum.
Early on, the children are introduced to the names of the continents, countries and their flags, animals, and plants. The Montessori cultural area cultivates children’s fascination with the universe and the physical world. Throughout the year, children also have the opportunity to learn, appreciate, and honour people from around the world through an exploration of food, clothing, music, and a celebration of holidays and cultural traditions.
Fine Arts
In our preschool, the fine arts is an integral part of the curriculum.
Our music classes introduce the singing of various songs where the children learn about high and low notes, rhythm, and beats. Children learn about the difference between slow and fast movements in music while learning how to dance.
On a daily basis, children also engage in creating and making their own art projects using materials for collage, painting, and drawing & colouring.
French and Mandarin
Research clearly indicates that the optimal window for learning a second language is when a child is young, and as a result, our preschool wants to provide children with an opportunity to learn another language.
In Mandarin, the teacher uses pinyin as the basis for instruction. Topics introduced include the names of different family members, greetings, food, weather, and days of the week. Children also learn how to write and read simple characters such as mountain, fire, or people.
In French, the teacher uses an interactive program emphasizing oral expression and comprehension through songs, games, and books. Topics such as greetings, parts of the body, clothing, and food are taught.
Special Days
Many wonderful memories are created on special days such as Halloween, Diwali, Valentine’s Day, Family Day, and Lunar New Year. Families are welcome to come in and share cultural traditions or bring in a treat/cake to celebrate their child’s birthday. One of our favourite times of the year is when family members come for tea for Mother’s and Father’s Day.
