Welcome to Living Montessori Academy

“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment.” Dr. Maria Montessori

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Overview

The Montessori classroom is a carefully prepared environment equipped with hands-on, purposeful apparatus that allows students the freedom to explore and experiment; to learn in a self-guided way with the guidance of their teacher. Our classrooms include various “learning centers” such as Practical Life, Sensorial, Language Arts, Math, Science and Botany, Social Studies, Geography, History, Art, Music, and Movement, all of which are designed to interrelate in the absorbent mind of the child. Science activities, for example, require students to access sensorial, math, critical thinking, problem solving, analytical, language and writing skills. Students freely explore the “works” designed to provide experiential learning that encourage them to utilize the resources in their environment.

Our Montessori classrooms offer a balance between group learning time by choice, quiet, individual work periods and classroom “democratic” meetings, as wells as time for reflection, digestion and response supporting the development of the whole child. At “work” time students may choose to interact with one another or invite others to work together as long as this does not interfere with other student’s work or prevent students from developing the capacity to concentrate. Peer to peer interaction on a daily basis fosters language development, more accurate interpretation of social cues, cooperative living practice and inner confidence.

Curriculum Goals

Preschool/Kindergarten - Three to Six Years Old

Lower Elementary - First through Third Grade*

*Lower Elementary Curriculum continues and builds upon Preschool/Kindergarten Curriculum 
 

Our curriculum fosters a love of learning, develops abilities and provides the experience and the awareness to be prepared for life! 

Practical Life:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· Order in Environment

· Independence

· Coordination of Movement

· Concentration

· Grace and Courtesy

· Care of Self

· Care of Environment

· Preparation for Writing – Fine Motor Development and Left-to-Right Orientation 

Lower Elementary

· Organic Gardening

· Food Preparation

· Fine Motor Development in Refinement of Writing   

Sensorial:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· Visual, Auditory, Olfactory, Tactile and Gustatory Discrimination

· Repetition, Set Recognition, Exactness in Perception and Sequencing 

Lower Elementary

· Foundation of Skills Needed for Math and Language - Patterning, Progression in a Series, Discrimination among Similarities, Repetition, Set Recognition, Exactness in Perception  

Language Arts:

Preschool/Kindergarten

 Language Study:

· Spoken Language (Verbal Expression)

· Vocabulary Building

· Function of Words

· Comprehension (Purposeful Listening, Recall of Events, Identifying Characters and Feelings)

· Enjoying a Range of Literary Forms 

Reading Mechanics:

· Sound-Symbol Correspondence

· Phonetic Words and Sight Words

· Forming Letters without Writing

· Readiness Skills in Reading · Readiness Skills in Writing 

Writing Mechanics:

· Sound-Symbol Correspondence

· Sequential Story Building 

Lower Elementary 

Language Study:

· Listening and Speaking Skills · Function of Words - Parts of Speech

· Word Study - Prefixes, Suffixes, Contradictions, Compound Words, etc.

· Advanced Language Study (Syntax, Interpretive Reading, Language Extensions)

· Spelling and Vocabulary

· Punctuation

· Comprehension (Identifying and Recounting Plots, Chronological Order of Events, Drawing Conclusions) 

Reading Mechanics:

· Phonograms

· Comprehension

· Study Skills

· Oral and Silent Reading 

Writing Mechanics:

· Cursive Alphabet- Lower Case

· Grammatical Word Usage

· Creative Writing

· Journal Writing

· Editing Skills  

Math:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· One-on-One Correspondence

· Rote Counting

· Quantities of Numbers

· Number Symbol Correspondence

· Place Value

· Math Operations- Addition, Subtraction Multiplication and Division

· Introduction of Decimal System

· Fractions

· Geometry - Lines, Shapes, Area, Volume

· Pre-algebra 

Lower Elementary

· Patterning

· Fraction Operations – Reduction, Mixed Fraction, Finding the Greatest Common Division

· Skip Counting

· Base System

· Estimation

· Decimals

· Percentages

· Algebra - Positive Numbers, Square Roots, Cube Roots, Concrete Squaring and Cubing Binomials and Trinomials

· Geometry - Lines, Angles, Triangles, Polygons, Quadrilaterals, Similar, Equal and Congruent, Perimeter, Area, Volume, Circumference

· Word Problems

· Tables

· Graphs

· Problem solving 

Science:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· Earth - Origin, Inner Structure, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tides

· Environmental Science - Recycling, Air and Water Pollution, Sustainability

· Appreciation for all Living Things - Study of Animal and Plant Life

· Health and Nutrition · Culinary Science - Organic Gardening, Food Properties, Purposeful Cooking

· Basics of Physical Science - Geology, Physics, Chemistry

· The Solar System - Laws of Motion, Sun, Planets and their Orbits

· The Universe - Formation, Galaxies, Study of Invisible Forces 

Lower Elementary

· Earth - Land and Water Formations · The Universe - Gravity, Laws of Motion

· Matter - Atomic Structure, Molecules, Periodic Table of Elements, Laws of Physics such as Gravity, Magnetism and the Study of Other Invisible Forces

· Electricity - Concept, Definitions of Volt, Ampere, Ohm and Watt, Electrical Circuits 

Plant Life - Plant Survival, Plant Classification, Biomes and Ecosystems, Nomenclature and Definition.

· Animal Life - Cells, the Five Kingdoms, Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Animal Research, Human Body, Animal Physiology

· Culinary and Health Science 

Physical Education:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· Gross Motor Development through Various Sports Activities

· Balance, Stability, Coordination and Body Awareness through Yoga and Dance

· Hand-Eye Coordination 
 

Lower Elementary

· Physical Fitness – Concept of Engaging in Health-Enhancing Activities, Self-Assessment Tools and Skills to Support Personal Physical Health

· Team Sports - Develop Team-Building Skills, Sportsmanship, Social Skills and Problem Solving Skills

· Health and Nutrition - Understand Human Body and Factors that Influence Growth and Development  

Cultural Studies:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· History - Concept of “long ago,” Timeline Work, Important Figures

· Geography - Orientation to Own Environment, World Map, Continents, Geology, Land and Water Formations, Flag Studies

· Social Studies - Introduction to Concept of Culture, Cultural Study, Cultural Pluralism, Current Events 

 

Social Studies:

Lower Elementary

· Cultural Studies · Cultural, Religious and Economic Pluralism · Current Events  

Geography:

Lower Elementary

· Orientation to own Environment - Classroom, Neighborhood, Community, City, State, Country

· World Map - Identifying Continents, Countries, Map Puzzles and Map Drawings

· Study of Continents - People, Cultural Elements, Transportation, Plants, Animals

· Flag Studies

· Timeline of Life on Earth

· Geology

· Major Land and Bodies of Water 

History:

Lower Elementary

· Timeline Work

· Prehistoric Life

· History of Civilization

· US History

· Important Figures from the Past and Present 

Music:

Preschool/Kindergarten

· Music Language - Beat, Pitch, Tone, Rhythm

· World Music - Songs, Dance and Instruments

· Exploration of Instruments 

Lower Elementary

· Musical Language - Measure, Scale, Key, Harmony, Medley, Chorus, Musical Staff and Notes

· History of Music · Classical Composers

· Composition of Music - Student Creates Own Musical Composition

· Instruments - Explore Various Instruments and Create Own

· Keyboarding or other instruments - Formal Instruction  

Enrichment:

Curriculum for Preschool/Kindergarten – refer to Enrichment brochure for more information  

Art:

· Art as a Process

· Artistic Expression Using Various Mediums - Paint, Oils, Pottery, Crayons, Pencils

· Elements of Art - Shape, Line Color, Texture 

Foreign Language:

· Brain Development

· Cultural Awareness 

Curriculum for Lower Elementary- refer to Enrichment brochure for more information  

Art:

· Elements of Art – Value

· Famous Artists

· Art History  

Foreign Language:

· Brain Development

· Cultural Awareness  
 

Social and Emotional Skills:

Curriculum for Preschool/Kindergarten/Lower Elementary

· Self-Awareness

· Awareness of Emotions

· Emotional Regulation

· Respect for Self and Others

· Respect for Environment

· Self-Control

· Cooperation and Team Building   

Technology:

Kindergarten and Lower Elementary

· Use, Manage and Assess Technology - Computers, Multimedia

· Research Capabilities

· Technical Science - Basic Mechanics Applied in Technology