pouring, spooning, transferring with tongs, using the screwdrivers, sponging water, opening and closing containers, clamping clothespins, buttoning, zipping, lacing, scrubbing the table, self-serving snack, washing dishes, food preparation
Children serve themselves snack when they are hungry.
These lessons have the direct goal of practicing fine motor control, and eye-hand coordination, as well as learning how to care for oneself. As fine motor control is important for penmanship, these exercises provide an indirect benefit of preparing the child’s hand for the minute motions needed for writing. Since the actions and organization of these lessons move from left to right, they prepare the child’s eyes to track in that direction, in preparation for reading and writing.
Sensorial
pink tower, brown stair, red rods, knobbed and knobless cylinders, color tablets, geometric cabinet, constructive triangle box, binomial cube, trinomial cube, hexagon box, geometric solids
Since Aliza can build the brown stair, she is challenging herself to build it blindfolded. Using her tactile sense, not her eyes, is an important step toward working abstractly.
David is using the sound cylinders. Each cylinder is filled with a different material, that, when shaken, produces a different sound. It takes careful listening to match the cylinders that sound the same.
Building with knobless cylinders.
These lessons have the primary goal of isolating and learning about different attributes (color, shape, thickness, length, sound, texture) to sort, order, and categorize objects. These are important skills to prepare for mathematics and science.
The secondary goal of the sensorial area is to extend concentration, build the child's vocabulary of adjectives, and promote organized working and thinking. The scale of some of the work ensures that the active child can exercise gross motor skills, such as when she walks with a long red rod carefully across the room.
Math
matching, sorting, patterning, cards and counters, red and blue rods, sandpaper numerals, spindle boxes, color bead stair, teen boards, golden bead material, hundred board, measuring, surveys, addition strip board, graphing, model clock
Filling in the number line from 0-20.
A student fills in the hundred board.
Dice can be used for sorting, classification, or counting.
The primary goals of the math area are to learn rote counting, learn names of numerals, use one to one correspondence when counting, match numeral to a given quantity, learn place value up to 1000s, and (whew!) eventually operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, which also includes fractions).
Students use the red and blue rods, color bead stair, and spindle boxes to learn to count out a set for a given written numeral. Bead bars are used to add tens and different unit quantities in order to compose teen numerals, and also numerals up to 99. Golden bead material is used to demonstrate place value from units to thousands in a concrete way, when children eventually build and work with numerals up to 9,999. Most math materials can be used toward the introduction of addition and subtraction.
Nomenclature cards expose students to new vocabulary based around one topic. This child is coloring and labeling the parts of the snail.
The book corner is a place for quiet reading with friends.
These two boys are reciting a poem with the help of a puppet.
The primary goals of the language area are many. Language involves oral language and written language. Children learn to retell poems, songs, and simple stories, with props, in order to build memory and vocabulary. For written language, students have lessons with encoding (spelling, or "building" words), decoding (reading), and writing letters using the proper formation. Pre-writing students are encouraged to practice pencil control with the metal insets, and with pin-pushing.
Often, students learn about letter sounds separate from the written letter. For example, first they learn that cat starts with a /c/ sound, and later learn that "c" makes that sound. We play I Spy often......."I spy with my little eye, someone whose name starts with /j/. If your name begins with /j/, you may line up." As students learn more, we play I Spy with ending sounds, and with rhymes, to train the students' ears to discriminate individual sounds in words.
The movable alphabet is used to build simple phonetic words. Then the student may incorporate the other components by reading the words they spelled, and writing them down. Students who use the sandpaper letters can use them as a reference for formation when writing. Drawing is a vital skill that leads to writing. Students four years and older use a journal every day. Journaling is a time to practice pincer grip on a pencil, to exercise control when drawing and writing, and to practice writing their names or other simple words. Students who dictate their stories to a teacher learn how to do so in complete sentences.
Nomenclature cards help a child build vocabulary. Each set of cards involves a picture and a written label of the words to be learned. Students may draw or color the same pictures, and label them, making their own books.
Geography
globes, maps, flags, animal sets from each continent
The geography area uses puzzle maps to build awareness that the world is made up of continents, continents are made up of countries, our country is made up of states. Cultural geography uses model flags of the countries of the world, and begins a conversation about different cultures and the common needs of people regardless of culture.
Science
objects from nature, classroom pets, puzzles, botany cabinet, nomenclature, simple machines, land form models, nutrition
The primary goal of the science area is to introduce children to the natural world around them, and help them make sense of it. Classroom pets and plants expose children to the needs of living things. Animal and botany puzzles help students isolate the different parts of various living things. Nomenclature extends much of this scientific vocabulary through pictures and written words. Simple machines give an introduction to physical science.
Art
drawing, stamping, painting, cutting, sculpting with play-doh, gluing collages
The art area in a primary Montessori classroom involve practicing skills that can be used to create art. Drawing with crayons and colored pencils is always available. Collages involve two skills; students use scissors to snip colored paper, and then glue the paper to make a decorative collage. Stamping work is available to make designs and patterns. Watercolor painting is always available to practice brushstrokes and color mixing. Sculpting with play-doh exercises the hand muscles and also lets children practice making 3-dimensional shapes.