Primary Curriculum - Preschool & Kindergarten (ages 3-6 years)

The Montessori approach is based on an integral interaction between the child, environment, and teacher.

The child's purpose is to develop to the best of his potential. A child learns from interacting with and within his environment. When his environment meets his needs for development, he becomes a mentally healthy, independent human being.

The teacher - or "Directress" - is the guide that helps link the child with the environment The teacher must be adequately prepared to model appropriate behavior, assess readiness for a lesson, demonstrate the activities, observe progress, guide exploration, and determine the direction in which the child needs to go. She must also continually adapt the environment to the child's needs.

The Montessori classroom is a "Prepared Environment." Children learn more directly from it than from the teacher so it must aid every area of their development. The Primary classroom contains activities and material that meet the needs of the 3 to 6 year old children. The material are grouped into 5 main areas:

1. Sensorial
   The Sensorial material help the child develop all of his senses. He will learn to discriminate objects based on color, size, shape, length, taste, sound, texture, etc.
   
   Besides enabling a child to internalize these concepts, the material also provide a base for the development of other skills, such as music, math, and language. The manipulation and layout of the material helps develop left to right sequencing needed in language and finger control needed in writing.
   
   
2. Practical Life
   The Practical Life activities help develop independent living skills. A child will learn to hang up her coat, open her own lunch box, fold her own blanket, put away her own mat, sweep or sponge up her own spills, and to pour her own juice or milk.
   
   The Practical Life activities also develop fine motor and gross motor coordination. The child will learn to pour grains and then water from large and small pitchers with no spillage. He will carry large, heavy objects as well as tiny, delicate objects without dropping or breaking them. He will use large objects such as ladles, and small objects such as tweezers to transfer objects from one place to another. All of these exercises help him to move his body and hands with grace and self-control.
   
   They also develop a sense of sequencing. To succeed, the activities need to be done in a certain order. This helps to develop the sense of order and sequence within language and math.
   
   The activities also help a child to focus and concentrate because of the concentrated effort needed to move her body properly and delicately to avoid spilling, etc. within the activities.
   
   The Practical Life area also includes exercises in Grace and Courtesy: saying please, thank you, excuse me; offering and accepting politely; waiting patiently to take turns.
   
   
3. Language
   The child first works with various Pre-language activities. He learns certain terminology: "on, under, under, behind, first, last, etc." He practices exercises that increase the auditory memory span. He does matching, categorizing, sequencing, rhyming. He learns the letter sounds, names, and sequence in the alphabet.
   
   Pre-writing may include cutting, pasting, tracing and drawing lines with the metal insets, tracing geometric shapes, and tracing sandpaper or Braille letters.
   
   Eventually the child learns to spell words with the moveable alphabet and then moves on to reading words, phrases, sentences, and eventually books (when ready!)
   
   The Montessori language program is phonetically based and it does meet the needs of both left and right brain learners.
   
   
4. Math
   Math explores the properties and manipulation of numbers. The material illustrates the dynamics of our base 10 number system and teaches the child to carry out the various mathematical operations.
   
   Math is demonstrated to the child by first introducing quantity, then the symbol, and then their association.
   
   Mathematical concepts are also worked with: spatial relationships, patterning, counting, time, calendar, etc.
   
   
5. Cultural Subjects
   The activities that fall into this category provide a fun and easy way to learn geography, science and art. The child matches and grades the bells to train her hearing of music. She manipulates puzzles and matching cards to learn the continents, planets, plant parts, and animal parts. She colors special drawings to identify parts of a flower or bird. She learns that the earth is made of land, water, and air. She learns to recognize the animals and life forms that live within those elements. She also observes living creatures, such as a hermit crab or turtle, brought into the environment. All of these enhance the awareness of the world around her.
   
   
6. Foreign Language
   The primary students receive 2 half-hour sessions each week studying Spanish. Through songs and movement they learn the words for the colors, numbers, foods, simple common expressions, and other basic vocabulary.

The classroom environment is kept orderly - everything in its place. This gives the child the security that he can find an activity when he wants it.

The quantity of each piece of material is limited. The child must learn to wait, thus developing patience. This also encourages exploration of other activities.

The child is encouraged to repeat her "work." Dr. Montessori believed that the hand is a direct link to the brain. In the repetitive manipulation of a piece of material, the child deepens her understanding of a concept.

To enhance a child's development of independence, the classroom offers him "freedom within limits." He must follow the ground rules of respect - for himself, others, and his environment, but he has the freedom to chose his own work, to work at a place of his choice, and to complete it at his own pace.

Within the Montessori Prepared Environment the child has many opportunities to successfully and joyfully build her mind and body.

Print a pdf version of the Primary Curriculum

The Elementary Years (Grades 1-6)

Dr. Montessori observed that the 6 to 12 year old child is in the "Intellectual Period" of his development. During this period the child explores his world more abstractly rather than concretely and develops as a social being. To aid these goals the child is endowed with great mental powers: an unlimited intellectual curiosity, a great imagination, and an ability to reason.

For this stage of the child Dr. Montessori proposed that the whole universe be given. Allow the child to explore the interconnectedness of all things within a Cosmic Education. This Cosmic Education relates all areas of knowledge to the "cosmic task" and our relation to it. This cosmic task is to survive and to contribute to the total harmony of the universe.

The foundation for Dr. Montessori's Cosmic Education is the presentation of the Great Lessons and the study of the Needs (material and spiritual) of Man.

The Great Lessons are 5 stories that take us from the beginning of the universe to the present. They allow the child to explore and understand our culture and achieve a global vision of cosmic events. They are impressionistic aids that help tie the individual subject areas together as a means to understand the world. They also help inspire further exploration.

The theme of service runs through the stories and helps to instill a sense of gratitude to both a higher power and to one's fellow human beings.

The Elementary Montessori Curriculum
The Montessori Elementary Curriculum is an open-ended curriculum. The elementary program is based on a three year cycle. Rather than a yearly list of subject areas taught in a scheduled linear fashion, pre-determined by a school board, all areas needed by the student will be covered sometime within a three year time frame. This allows the student to independently explore areas following his own interests.

Lessons are given based on need and interest. Besides teaching basic skills, they are intended to stimulate curiosity for further self-directed investigation. Providing guidelines on how to research using books, printed materials, and resources and experts in our community is also an important part of the curriculum.

The Montessori materials are still an important part of a student's learning. The materials offer concrete experiences of abstract concepts, especially in math, geometry, and language. Demonstrations, experiments, charts, maps, and time-lines are regularly used in history, biology, and geography. Repetitive use of the materials help internalize the concepts and provides a means of independent learning.

Most lessons that teach basic skills are generally taught in small groups based on ability and readiness, not on age nor grade level. This ensures that a student will progress at his own rate, and also encourages cooperative learning. The students can turn to each other, rather than to the teacher, for help.

The lessons are not lectures that require rote learning. Instead, the lessons themselves need to allow the reasoning power of the child to work. The child is required to observe, speculate, and think. Every answer or idea offered in a lesson by a child must be defended with reason and logic.

A goal of the Montessori method of teaching is to keep an interest in learning alive and to prepare the child with the skills that allow him to become a life-long learner.

The main areas of the Montessori Elementary Curriculum include, but are not limited to:

1. History
   History includes the Creation of the Universe, the Coming of Life, the Coming of Human Beings, the Needs of Human Beings, Phases in history, and 4th grade Idaho history.
   
   
2. Language
   Language includes the History of Language, grammar and syntax (including parts of speech, types and parts of sentences, and word study), writing, composition, creative writing, vocabulary, discussion, reports, poetry, and literature.
   
   Within small groups time is spent reading and discussing the stories in the Junior Great Books.
   
   
3. Mathematics
   The Story of Numbers gives the student a historical background to our number system. He also studies place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, multiples and factors, percents, probability, graphing, squares and cubes of numbers and polynomials, powers of numbers, fractions - common and decimal, square roots and cube roots, signed numbers, non-decimal bases, introduction to algebra, ratio and proportion, measurement - standard and metric, and word problems.
   
   
4. Geometry
   Geometry includes congruency, similarity, equivalence, polygons, angles, lines, nomenclature, Pythagoras and Euclid, area of plane figures, circle, and solid geometry.
   
   
5. Biology
   Here the student explores the world of plants, animals, and human beings: their parts, the function of all the parts, their interdependence, their specialization, classifications, etc.
   
   
6. Geography
   In political geography the student learns to recognize the countries, major cities, waterways, and land formations of the world. Physical geography takes the student on an exploration of the nature of elements, the sun and earth, the work of air, and the work of water. For human geography the interdependencies of human beings and societies are researched.
   
   
7. Music and Art
   The lives of composers and artists are studied as well as their major works. Sound, instruments, the orchestra, and musical genres are investigated. Various activities introduce the child to the basics of the C Major scale. Artistic processes are explored with hands-on activities led by artists from our community.
   
   
8. Foreign Languages
   All elementary students receive special instruction in French and Spanish. In the third through sixth grades Latin is also taught.
   
   
9. Physical Education
   Time is spent developing and improving physical skills, agility, endurance, and good sportsmanship.

Print a pdf version of the Elementary Curriculum

Montessori Education

(Detailed information coming)

Summer Programs (June - August)
A summer session is offered for Preschool through Grade 2 students. Summer Program for 2010.

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Parent Handbook - The parent handbooks are available on this website as .pdf documents. You must have Acrobat Reader to view these files. You can also pick up a hard copy at the school office.
     Primary School Policies (99 Kb)
     Elementary School Policies (93 Kb)

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Foreign Languages

Primary students receive Spanish lessons.

First and second graders receive Spanish and French lessons.

Third through sixth graders receive lessons in Spanish, French, and Latin.

All foreign language lessons are taught in small groups based on the student's ability.

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Other Programs
Rose Hill offers several additional programs that are available to students for an additional charge.

Ceramica
Each year Rose Hill offers an ongoing Ceramica Class.    If you are interested in applying, please see your teacher for an application form.

Food Fairy
Each year Rose Hill offers an ongoing Cooking Class through the Food Fairy.    If you are interested in applying, please see your teacher for an application form.

Magic Tumble Bus
Gymnastics instruction is provided by Tumble Time Gymnastics through their Magic Tumble Bus - a gym on wheels. It is filled with balance beams, trampolines, and other fun equipment designed for young children. It is an early childhood movement program set in a non-competitive environment. Kids Win! The program increases self-confidence, enhances flexibility and strength, develops gross motor control, improves listening skills, and it's FUN! Classes meet once a week on Fridays in the morning.

Visit the Magic Tumble Bus Website

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