Early Childhood Education in Montessori
An Overview
Preschool and kindergarten: Montessori classrooms for children from 2½ or 3 to 6 years old are often called Children’s Houses, after Montessori's first school, the Casa dei Bambini in Rome in 1906. This level is also called "Primary". A typical classroom serves 20 to 30 children in mixed-age groups, staffed by one trained teacher and an assistant. Classrooms are usually outfitted with child-sized tables and chairs arranged singly or in small clusters, with classroom materials on child-height shelves throughout the room. Activities are for the most part initially presented by the teacher, after which they may be chosen more or less freely by the children as interest dictates. Classroom materials usually include activities for engaging in practical skills such as pouring and spooning, materials for the development of the senses, math materials, language materials, music and art materials, and more.
Activities in Children's Houses are typically hands-on, tactile materials to teach concepts. For example, to teach writing, students use sandpaper letters. These are letters created by cutting letters out of sandpaper and placing them on wooden blocks. The children then trace these letters with their fingers to learn the shape and sound of each letter. Another example is the use of bead chains to teach math concepts, specifically multiplication. Specifically for multiples of 10, there is one bead that represents one unit, a bar of ten beads put together that represents 1x10, then a flat shape created by fitting 10 of the bars together to represent 10x10, and a cube created by fitting 10 of the flats together to represent 100x10. These materials help build a concrete understanding of basic concepts upon which much is built in the later years.
A Brief Guide to the Primary Montessori Classroom
Dr. Montessori discovered so long ago that children under six have extraordinary powers of mind. They have a universal, once-in-a-lifetime ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings just by living. Dr. Montessori called this "the absorbent mind." Through her observations, Dr. Montessori designed the Primary Montessori classroom to take advantage of the way children under age six learn best:
children have a strong need to explore and discover -- learn by touching and manipulating objects
children are keenly attuned to everything that stimulates their senses
children respond to order because of their innate need to know where things belong and how pieces fit together
children want to master the movements of their own bodies
children learn through repetition
The Montessori Primary Curriculum
The Primary Curriculum includes the following subjects.
Mathematics
Language Arts
Geography
History
Cultural Awareness
Music and Creative Movement
Nature Studies including Botany & Zoology
The Primary Montessori Classroom has four main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Mathematics. Art, music, movement, science, and cultural studies (history, geography, cultural awareness) are integrated into all areas of the classroom.
Practical Life Area
This is one of the most important areas. The activities not only contribute to the physical development of the child but also contribute to the child's internal development. The characteristics of the exercises assist in the child's acquisition of independence, coordination, sense of order (sequence), and concentration. The activities use real materials like soap, water, and polish for purposeful activities. The Practical Life area has four distinct groups:
Care of the Person – buttoning, snapping, zipping, tying
Care of the Environment – washing, sweeping, watering plants, polishing
Development of Social Relations also called “grace and courtesy” – greeting, serving, accepting, apologizing, thanking
Movement – control of movement -- walking on the line, the silence game, balance
The Practical Life activities teach the child how to function independently in an adult world. They teach the child “I can do it by myself”. The Practical Life activities also help prepare the child for language and math work.
Sensorial Area
The Sensorial materials allow children to explore and classify their environments through the use of their senses – giving them a foundation in science. The material is designed to enable children to arrive at a clear, conscious level of discrimination among their sensorial impressions. Children, unlike adults, do not have the ability to form images of things they have not experienced firsthand. In order to assist children in developing a clear understanding of the qualities in their environment, Dr. Montessori designed the sensorial materials, which put in concrete material form abstract qualities (color, size, weight, form, smell, taste, sound, texture) that are present in children’s environments. Understanding abstract concepts serves as the key to exploring the environment, the beginning of conscious knowledge. The Sensorial work is also an indirect preparation for the math work.
Math Area
The idea that mathematics is difficult for children is brought upon by the fact that math concepts are being introduced in abstract form. A child cannot easily abstract without having had some concrete experience with math concepts. Dr. Montessori designed the math material to express abstract concepts in concrete form. The math work in the Primary Montessori classroom is progressively organized into six main groups: Numbers to Ten; Decimal System; Teens and Tens; Memory Work: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division; Passage to Abstraction; and Fractions.
Language Area
The first focus is the development of oral language. The child learns that words are made up of sounds and learns the phonetic sounds each letter makes. Writing and reading are two separate stages of development and in the Montessori philosophy, (mental) writing is taught first through work with the sandpaper letters and movable alphabet. It is through a child’s ability to phonetically spell that he learns to read. It is also important to note that the mental and manual skills of writing are separated. The Practical Life and Sensorial materials both aid in the indirect preparation of the skills needed for manual writing. Meanwhile, the Metal Insets directly prepare the child for the manual skills involved in writing; it helps the child develop the use of a pencil in a controlled and precise fashion. In addition, the children have chalkboards and paper to aid them in developing the manual skills of writing.
Laramie Montessori School
Laramie Montessori School adheres to the above goals and areas of the Montessori Early Childhood Classroom. We provide a quality education for your child beginning at 3 years old during the first year of preschool. Our Primary Classroom consists of Pre-k 1 (3 years old), Pre-K 2 (4 years old), and Kindergarten (5 years old). We are so excited to be able to offer this to Laramie families!
Also, as well as having Spanish, Art, Music, and Movement integrated into the classroom, our kindergarten also participates in each of these special classes separately. This allows us to meet, and exceed, the state standards for Art, Music, and P.E. that are required for public schools. They also participate in our other Specials classes as well including Gardening, Life Skills, Robotics, Library, and Keyboarding classes.
Links for More Information
AMI Montessori Primary Guide - an in-depth guide to Montessori Primary education
A brief overview of what a Primary classroom looks like and does
Lower Elementary Education in Montessori
An Overview
Classrooms for this age are usually referred to as "Elementary", and can range in size from very small up to 30 or more children, typically staffed by a trained teacher and one or more assistants. Classes usually serve mixed-age 6- to 9-year-old groupings, although 6- to 12-year-old groups are also used. Lessons are typically presented to small groups of children, who are then free to follow up with independent work of their own as interest and personal responsibility dictate. The scope of lessons and work in the Elementary classroom is quite broad. Montessori used the term "cosmic education" to indicate both the universal scope of lessons to be presented and the idea that education in the second plane should help the child realize the human role in the interdependent functioning of the universe. Classroom materials and lessons include work in language, mathematics, history, the sciences, the arts, and much more. Student-directed explorations of resources outside the classroom, known as "going out" in Montessori, are an integral element of the Elementary work.
The Montessori Elementary Program
The elementary program offers a continuum built on the preschool and Kindergarten experience. The environment reflects a new stage of development and offers the following:
Integration of the arts, sciences, geography, history, and language that evokes the native imagination and abstraction of the elementary child.
Presentation of the formal scientific language of zoology, botany, anthropology, geography, geology, etc., exposing the child to accurate, organized information and respecting the child's intelligence and interests.
The use of timelines, pictures, charts, and other visual aids to provide a linguistic and visual overview of the first principles of each discipline.
Presentation of knowledge as part of a large-scale narrative that unfolds the origins of the earth, life, human communities, and modern history, always in the context of the wholeness of life.
A mathematics curriculum is presented with concrete materials that simultaneously reveal arithmetic, geometric, and algebraic correlations.
Emphasis on open-ended research and in-depth study using primary and secondary sources (no textbooks or worksheets) as well as other materials.
Montessori-trained adults are "enlightened generalists" (teachers who are able to integrate the teaching of all subjects, not as isolated disciplines, but as part of a whole intellectual tradition).
"Going out" to make use of community resources beyond the four walls of the classroom.
As in the preschool, the Montessori materials are a means to an end. They are intended to evoke the imagination, aid abstraction, and generate a world view about the human task and purpose. The child works within a philosophical system asking questions about the origins of the universe, the nature of life, people and their differences, and so on. On a factual basis, interdisciplinary studies combine geological, biological, and anthropological science in the study of natural history and world ecology.
The program is made up of connective narratives that provide an inspiring overview as the organizing, and integrating "Great Lessons." Great Lessons span the history of the universe from the big bang theory of the origin of the solar system, earth, and life forms to the emergence of human cultures and the rise of civilization. Aided by impressionistic charts and timelines, the child's study of detail in reference to the Great Lessons leads to awe and respect for the totality of knowledge. More detailed information about the Great Lessons is found below.
Studies are integrated not only in terms of subject matter but in terms of moral learning as well, resulting in appreciation and respect for life, moral empathy, and a fundamental belief in progress, the contribution of the individual, the universality of the human condition, and the meaning of true justice.
Montessori Elementary Curriculum
This program combines physical and emotional development with academic disciplines:
Language Arts
Mathematics
Social Studies
Foreign Language
Geometry
Science
Art
Music
Language Arts
The Elementary curriculum focuses on the teaching of spelling, grammar, reading, classification, nomenclature, oral expression, analysis, and writing mechanics. Materials and exciting lessons are used to help the child develop a deep, concrete understanding of language and its purpose. Language lessons and concepts are carried out within all areas of the classroom to promote an integrated approach to education.
Mathematics: During this second plane of development children are passing through the sensorial stage into concrete and abstract ways of learning. They have big imaginations at this age and enjoy “big works.” It is also a period of great intellectual growth. The mathematical materials are designed to move the child from concrete concepts, by visually representing the concepts being taught, to the abstract. Materials are still hands-on as they were in the three to six environment but move towards more abstract concepts. For example, golden bead addition moves to stamp game addition and then to the more abstract bead frames. Each material enables the child to take another step towards deep understanding and internalization of concepts. We strive to help the child understand the why and how of math.
Geometry
The Montessori materials used in geometry are extremely important. Each lesson, whether it is curved figures or parts of the line, is demonstrated using concrete materials. Students are then encouraged to take what they know and apply it in the “real world.” For instance, on a nature walk, children are able to look for different curved figures in the shapes of leaves and/or flowers. When studying lines, the child can locate different parts of the line in the classroom. All of the materials allow the child to concretely understand the concept before moving on to abstract thought and reason.
Botany/Zoology
Children during the second phase of development are equipped with a wonderful imagination. They want to know why things happen and how they work. They have a strong desire for justice and fairness. They want to feel they are a part of the world they live in. The Montessori natural science curriculum fits wonderfully within these characteristics. It shows how fair and beautiful nature is, how and why we should care for our planet, and it shows the interconnectedness of everything! Maria Montessori believed that cultural subjects needed to be taught first by sparking the child’s imagination. This is done through the use of impressionistic stories, charts, and experiments. The botany curriculum is filled with wonderful lessons that allow the child to see how plants work and why they are important to the planet, including ourselves. The zoology curriculum uses large charts and real animals to demonstrate the characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates allowing the child to see the similarities and differences between them. They are also exposed to the evolution of our planet.
Geography/History
History and geography are subjects taught within one curriculum. This is due to the interconnectedness of the subjects. Our universe begins, our planet forms, life begins, and leading eventually the evolution of human beings is taught. Because of the importance of both the age of the children developmentally and Maria Montessori’s theory, it is important to teach the concepts of time, culture, and physical geography in a combined approach. This gives the child the impression and realization that all are related and connected in some way.
Practical Life
In the Lower Elementary classroom, practical life is taught through the daily care of the classroom – both indoors and outdoors. It is the responsibility of the children to prepare snacks for the community, dust and straighten shelves, sweep, compost appropriate materials, and care for our plants and animals.
Laramie Montessori School
Laramie Montessori School offers 6- to 9-year-old groupings, which are 1st through 3rd grade. We have two Lower Elementary classrooms, each taught by a head teacher and an assistant teacher. Though the classrooms are separate they do field trips, recess, and group activities together throughout the year fostering a larger community.
Laramie Montessori School also has our Lower Elementary classrooms participate in separate Spanish, Art, Music, Physical Education, Gardening, Life Skills, Robotics, Library, and Keyboarding classes. Second grade is when students can enter our choir program if they choose.
Cosmic Education in Lower Elementary
Cosmic Education differentiates the Montessori method from other methods of education. It is at the center of the classroom. It is the start of giving a vision of the whole universe. By presenting the universe as a whole, the child is led to an interest in the details by showing the interconnectedness of things in the world. Cosmic Education encourages imparting knowledge not for the sake of learning but rather because learning is a feature of human development, a need that cannot be met without education. The aim of Cosmic Education is not to teach history as a collection of facts but to arouse in the child an appreciation for the universe, an appreciation for the law and order that is in all things, and an appreciation for the contributions of humans. This is presented through the five Great Lessons.
The Five Great Lessons:
The First Great Lesson: The Beginning of the Universe and Earth
The Universe
The Solar System
Composition of the Earth
Volcanoes
Rocks
Chemistry: The Three States of Matter
Creation Stories
The Second Great Lesson: Life Comes to Earth
Bacteria
Plants (classification and parts of ferns, conifers, and flowering plants)
Fossils
Trilobites
Dinosaurs
Living and Nonliving
Classification Work
Kingdom Animalia (Classification and parts of: insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals)
Oceans and Ocean Life
Supercontinents (Pangaea, Laurasia, Gondwanaland)
Continents
Mountains
Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide
The Third Great Lesson: Humans Come to Earth
Ancient Civilizations
Fundamental Needs
The History of:
Tools
Food Preparation and Storage
Clothing
Shelter
Transportation
Medicine
Defense
Art
Religion/Spirituality
The Fourth Great Lesson: How Writing Began
History of Writing
Hieroglyphic and Cuneiform Writing
Different Alphabets
Different Writing Systems (letters and characters)
Ancient Civilizations
The Printing Press
The Fifth Great Lesson: How Numbers Began
History of Numbers
History of Mathematics
Different Number Systems
How ‘zero’ came to be
The invention of the Calendar
Systems and Units of Measurement
Economic Geography
Links for More Information
A great overview of the Lower Elementary program in Montessori
DCS Montessori - an in-depth view of the Montessori curriculum for Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary Education in Montessori
An Overview
The Age of Imagination begins in our lower elementary program and carries into upper elementary. During this time students move from concrete to abstract thinking. By using their imaginations, students are able to travel in time to our earliest history, travel the world as global citizens, and make real-world connections across the curriculum.
Multi-age classroom allows students from grades 4-6 to collaborate on big projects, and to experience being both mentee and mentor, both student and teacher. Like Lower Elementary, the curriculum in Upper Elementary is interrelated and based on Montessori’s Cosmic Curriculum. Because students at this age are moving toward abstraction, they have the best of both worlds—concrete Montessori materials when they are needed and the freedom to move ahead quickly as they master a concept/skill.
The Upper Elementary program refines what has been taught in the Lower Elementary while greatly expanding basic skills. It is an exciting time for the students as the curriculum becomes more challenging. As they further refine their understanding of concepts, they do more work on paper as well as more research and collaborative work. The Montessori materials are again used, but now as tools for advanced work in different subject areas. Students become more independent and proficient as they begin in-depth research and study for individual and group projects. The Upper Elementary students shift from concrete concepts to working in the abstract. Montessori materials are still available, and new subjects such as Advanced Science, and Literature Circles are added to the core curriculum. Because of their early immersion into these academic subjects, students are ready to tackle areas more frequently saved for later grades.
Dr. Montessori believed that this is also an age of great moral development; as students head towards adolescence, Montessori provides the needed skills to handle this transition with assurance and ease through:
a well-organized day
recognition for efforts and accomplishment
a sense of belonging
opportunities to excel
choice in activities and decisions
encouragement to try new activities
to finish what was begun
opportunities to help peers
opportunities for positive problem solving
While they grow and advance at different rates, Upper Elementary students need a balance of adult guidance toward independence and maturity. As self-confidence begins to build at a higher level, these students are encouraged to be more accepting of peers. This age is the beginning of “cliques”. When confronted with issues, the Upper Elementary student is assisted to develop positive solutions, interpersonal skills as well as the means to handle peers peacefully.
Upper Elementary Curriculum
Language
Creative writing, grammar, expository writing, poetry, research, and literary analysis are covered in depth.
Language Studies:
Sentence Structure
Grammar
Parts of Speech
Blends
Spelling
Reading Comprehension
Book Reports
Essays
Letter Writing
Math
In math, the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) have been committed to memory. The child is now able to begin the more abstract analysis of number and number systems: geometry, bases, factoring, fractions, decimals, probability, sets, ratios, percents, statistics, graphing, logic, patterns, and beginning algebra and trigonometry.
Mathematics Studies:
Arithmetic Computation
In-Depth Study of:
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Geometry
Algebra
Decimals
Comprehensive Study of Problem-Solving In:
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Fractions
Science and Culture
Geology, geography, chemistry, physics, and history are explored in depth and backed up by a series of hands-on experiments. The “cosmic” emphasis for the Upper Elementary is on the child’s national and state history. In this way, children can be involved in current events and the evolution of their own history. They study important periods of American History and explore the events that have shaped their lives today.
History Studies:
Timelines
Origins of life:
Plants
Animals
Humans
Human Communities and Cultures
World History
Modern History
State History
Civics
Famous People and Places
Open-ended Research
Science Studies
Plant Biology
Animal Biology
Physical Sciences
Introduction to Chemistry
Scientific Experiments
Health and Nutrition
Open-ended Research
Geography Studies:
The Universe
The Solar System
Earth
Origins of:
Earth
Solar Energy
Atmosphere
Map & Globe Reading
Cultures in Relation to Geographic Locations
Global Education
Continents, Countries, Capitals, and Flags
Open-ended Research
Fine Arts Studies:
Music Appreciation
Singing and Rhythm
Composers
Poetry Appreciation
Arts & Crafts
Artists and Art Mediums
Open-ended Research
Laramie Montessori offers Band and Choir for Upper Elementary
Being in a community with one another is, perhaps, one of the greatest joys of a Montessori Elementary program. The children operate as a democratic community, where individual opinion is valued and personal responsibility is expected. Again, the Upper Elementary curriculum builds upon what has been learned in previous years. This is the time that Dr. Montessori saw the development of independence, and the refinement of moral sense, especially a sense of justice. We strongly suggest that children finish the program with the 6th Grade to complete this Developmental Plane as well as to get closure and feel a sense of completion of the Elementary program. Our students have felt very prepared both academically as well as socially, for their entrance into middle school.
Our Upper Elementary students also participate in Spanish, Music, Art, and P.E. separately as the Lower Elementary and Kindergarten do as well as Gardening, Life Skills, Robotics and Coding, Library, and Keyboarding classes. 4th grade is also when students can choose to join Band in addition to Choir.