In a true Montessori classroom, the child’s dignity and independence are of paramount importance.  The teachers in a Montessori school should be calm and unhurried moving around the room discreetly and quietly.  They should be responsive to the needs of the children.  Children should not have to wait until they become bored or upset before they get attention. 

Montessori is a joyous way of teaching. There is no need for shouting or anger.  The teachers are pleasant and polite when communicating with the children.  All children are shown respect, and never humiliated or laughed at. Individual lessons allow the teachers to learn more about each child’s individuality, pace, academic and social/emotional levels through this method.

Groups are also formed to help children follow directions, and to participate.  Although some children will work in small groups, or with a teacher, you will see many children working alone on classroom materials.  Maria Montessori believed that two and a half to three hours were necessary for the child’s “work cycle”.  Between the ages of three to six, it is a period of self directed activity, when concentration is at its peak.  This is why we have chosen a 3 hour session in our school, rather than an all day program or daycare.  There should be a general atmosphere of children doing things for themselves, carefully and competently.  The most important quality of a good Montessori school is that it is a place where your child feels stimulated, safe, and at peace.

Practical Life:

· Care of Person

· Care of Environment

· Development of Social Relations

· Movement

Practical life in our classroom gives the children the freedom to care for themselves and their environment.  They practice dressing skills on frames, which allow them to try zippers, buttons, bows, buckles, and Velcro.  They use pitchers filled with grains or water to practice pouring.  The children spoon, scoop, or use droppers, tweezers and chopsticks to transfer objects from one bowl to another. The materials are specifically placed in order of difficulty from left to right on the shelves and within them selves the water and object is transferred from left to right simulating beginning reading and writing skills.  Small working tools are used (brooms, mops, dustpans, etc.) for cleaning. Setting the table, polishing mirrors, plant watering and cleaning, folding clothes, etc. are among the purposeful activities the children enjoy.  This area in the classroom naturally builds with the child his/her confidence and competence.  It becomes what Dr. Montessori called “help for life”.  The added purpose is that children, who work on real tasks involving the hand and mind, develop a great capacity for concentration, which is the best preparation for intellectual work to come.

Sensorial:

On the sensorial shelves, there are specially designed materials to encourage development of the senses, such as a tower of pink blocks, sets of cylinders graduated in size, cylinders with knobs that have to be fitted into the right holes in a block.  Rough and smooth boards, smelling bottles, fabrics to sort by touch. Binomial and trinomial cubes provide initial interest and later turn into a physical illustration of mathematical formulas.  Geometric forms called “Geometric Solids” allow children to explore with their hands without looking.  There are many other activities that enhance the senses.  These are presented to the child in an exact way to aid their development.  The sensorial materials are also used to prepare the child for reading and writing.  Some materials like the cylinders or geometric insets are held by little knobs, which prepare the muscles of the hand for writing.  Others prepare the ear for learning differences in sounds, distinguishing between letter sounds (phonics).  If each step is taught by itself, one step at a time, the child will gradually, almost effortlessly, emerge into a competent reader and writer.  This happens easily and joyfully through the active manipulation of these wonderful materials.

Cultural Subjects:

Children begin with globes and then study maps using puzzles.  They can trace and color the shapes of the continents, and also place them in the right area on the puzzles.  They go on to name continent shapes and put them into blank maps of the world, and also recognize and make flags.  Looking at countries individually, they will use picture cards of mothers and babies, families and daily lives, and handle and examine things from other countries, for example, a fan from Japan, an African drum, or ethnic dolls.  The landforms teach geographical features.  Children may make trees, leaves, flowers and label their parts.  There are classification cards for naming, matching or identifying leaf shapes, etc. 

Multicultural Activities:

We have teachers that are from countries other than the U.S. and share their culture with the children in food, song, clothing and stories. The children at Edmonds Montessori

also exemplify a diverse mix of ethnic and cultural groups. We celebrate our diversity!

Math: from Concrete to Abstract

Children gain a physical impression of size and quantity long before they begin to manipulate numbers by handling number rods, counting beads, counting spindles into boxes, and arranging colored counters in patterns (odd and even numbers).  Numbers are built using glass beads and a variety

or counters. Sandpaper symbols are traced with the fingers.  The children gain an understanding of quantities, sequences, and the symbols of mathematics. They are introduced to measuring volume (teaspoon, table spoon, ¼ cup, ½ cup, 1 cup, quart and gallon). Recognizing numerals from 1 to 100, counting backwards, and simple addition using objects are also introduced. Starting a number roll and the fair exchange game helps children learn how to carry over using the Golden Beads – base 10 system (units, tens, hundreds and thousands).

Language: from Spoken to Written

 

Writing often comes before reading in a Montessori classroom.  Writing skills are learned by coloring intricate shapes with metal insets, and sandpaper letters are experienced by touch as well as by sight and sound.  Children are able to use pencils, crayons, and markers in a variety of activities.  The reading program progresses through three levels; pink, blue, and green.  Reading materials are color-coded for each level.  For example, inside a small pink box, a child finds a tiny toy dog.  She takes the dog out, says the word, listens to the sounds in the word, and then seeks out the letters that make those sounds to build the word.  Children learn to read and write phrases, sentences and stories.  Books are always available for the children to look at, read, and even make.

Edmonds Montessori provides Japanese as a foreign language. This is directed by Michie Onoyama and is offered one day a week for one half hour session during regular class time. Additional information is available on our website as well as a monthly newsletter.

 

Art and Music:

Pasting, cutting, drawing, and painting are available freely in our classrooms.  Occasionally group craft activities planned by the teacher will occur.  It is rare to see the whole class doing a project at the same time.  Throughout the year, music is introduced during circle time.  The teachers often sing songs that involve eye/hand coordination. An introduction to rhythm sticks, maracas, triangles, castanets, cow bell and others are also presented. Occasionally, background music from composers is played.

Social Skills:

In class the teachers demonstrate how to move quietly and carefully around the classroom.  The children learn how to tuck in a chair, how to roll up their floor rugs, how to wait patiently before politely gaining someone’s attention, and are reminded how important it is to allow others to work undisturbed.  These ground rules in the classroom build confidence and establish a sense of belonging to our group.  Children also learn to notice if somebody needs help and that nobody is too small to be useful.  We call these “grace and courtesy” exercises.