Primary

Children in our primary program learn to read, write and count at their own pace. They learn to make choices, finish and put work away, and how to correct their mistakes. They learn and practice independence, patience and responsibility for themselves and others, as well as becoming masters of creative problem solving.

Primary Curriculum

AT GRACE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

3 years – Kindergarten

Children at the primary level are in their first plane of development, considered the most formative and, possibly, the most critical stage of development.

Also known as the plane of the Absorbent Mind, these children are soaking in all of the information around them. Children at this stage of development have the need for Order and Orientation, so the prepared environment is ordered, attractive and simple.

These children also have the need to sensorially explore, especially with their hands, they learn by touching things around them. They begin with the concrete and work towards the abstract.

At the primary level children focus on these areas:

Practical Life
Sensorial
Language
Mathematics
Science & Geography
Art

These activities are performed in everyday life to maintain the surrounding environment and the person in adequate living conditions. The work of the child with Practical Life exercises cannot be underestimated as these exercises lay the foundation for everything else the child will do in the Montessori environment. Practical Life activities are those essential activities that make the child independent, self-sufficient, help him or her to achieve order, learn to follow action sequences and provoke concentration. Lessons in the Practical life area focus on care of the environment, care of self, grace and courtesy, coordination of fine and gross motor activities.

The Sensorial exercises help the child to develop the five senses. This is achieved by exposing the child to Sensorial material during the sensitive periods the child goes through. The sensorial exercises enable the child to discriminate, order, classify, and describe sensory impressions with relation to length, width, temperature, mass, color, pitch and smell. Lessons in the Sensorial area focus on:

Pairing or Matching
Size, shape and form
Identify shapes
Identify colors (Primary and secondary colors)
Grading material in ascending or descending order
Exercises which extend the child's work and keep him interested in initial lessons
Memory Games which reinforce the knowledge the child has gained and are critical for development of the executive functions of the brain
Language Games to further explain concepts
Variations and Discoveries to encourage the explorations of the child
Application of the Concept happens when the child has internalized a concept and is able to apply it to the outside world.

There is a specific period during the child's development in which a child naturally and spontaneously learns the language in an unconscious manner. Utilizing the Montessori material, the teacher indirectly helps the child to enrich and perfect his language. Language exercises are targeted to teach the child to read, write, and obtain an awareness of the meaning of words. Lessons in the Language area focus on:

Phonetic Reading
Recognizing sounds of the alphabet
Sequencing the alphabet
Concept of Print (capital and lower case)
Understanding upper and lower case letters
Development of oral language skills
Phonograms
Puzzle Words
Introducing new vocabulary words
Classified Reading such as labeling the environment, cards with labels and definitions
Writing short stories using the moveable alphabet
Word Study
Listening skills, through read-aloud activities
Comparing/contrasting stories
Sequencing stories
Listening to stories and answering questions (comprehension)
Spelling three and four letter words fluently
Participating in group projects and book studies
Reading Analysis - Guided Reading: short stories
Writing - Writing and reading three and four letter words phonetically
Regular publishing of student writing

Montessori math material helps the child begin at the concrete level and progress to the abstract level. Mathematics material is concrete, solid. Each exercise encompasses a specific experience that is the basis for the child to develop his or her own abstractions in the future. Lessons in Math focus on:

Counting quantity and sequence of numbers from 1 to 10 using materials such as the Sandpaper Numerals, Number Rods and spindle boxes
Rote counting and sequencing — 1 to 100
Decimal System introduces the child to the function of the decimal system and the concepts behind addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using materials such as the Golden Beads and the Stamp Game
Place value continuation of counting and identifying units and tens using materials such as the Teen Board and Teen Beads
Memorization provides opportunities for exploration and memorization of math fact tables with materials such as the Addition Snake Game and the Unit Division Board
Passage to Abstraction helps the child make the transition to abstraction using materials such as the Small Bead Frame and Stamp game
Fractions introduces fractions and how to work with fractions in terms of the four operations
Money — Identifying penny, nickel, dime, quarter
Two and three digit addition and subtraction (without regrouping)
One digit multiplication using the bead material
Time using the Montessori clock
Graphs
Measurement

An important element in the development of the child's personality is actual contact with reality and the ability to involve oneself in it. It is because of the prepared environment that the child enjoys the freedom to experiment, observe, manipulate, explore, discover, and classify things found in nature and around him. Lessons in the Science and Geography area focus on:

Making predictions; using curiosity
Identifying their own environment
Learning about all the 5 vertebrates and their habitat
Learning about parts of the body; senses; all about me (body parts)
Understanding different Seasons: Fall, winter, spring and summer
Understanding animal and human behavior in different seasons
Foods; health/unhealthy, personal hygiene
Vertebrates and invertebrates - Fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds and mammals and Life cycles of insects and bugs
Animals & their babies: habitats, hibernation, migration, camouflage
Dinosaurs
Parts of a tree, leaf and flower
Parts of vertebrates and invertebrates
Classroom and playground safety; all about me
Fire safety
Holidays
Planets
Earth as a planet
Volcanoes
Rocks and minerals
Continents and oceans
People in different parts of the world: Cultural boxes
Holidays
Map of United States
Introduction to flags of different countries
Land and water forms

In Montessori, art is viewed as a process and a means of self-expression. Children are allowed to create their own personal interpretations of what art means to them. During this process they develop the fine and gross motor skills they will use in all the other areas of the classroom:

Creative thinking
Drawing
Painting
Molding
Sewing
Color wheel
Using primary and secondary colors
Identifying shapes: triangles, quadrilaterals and polygons
Exploring colors and shapes through painting and collage work
Mixing colors
Fine and gross motor skills
Nomenclature of artists and their artworks
Different dimensions and shapes

Parent Testimonials

Hear what our parents and caregivers have to say about Grace Montessori School.

"Our experience has been nothing short of exceptional. The staff’s communication and compassion and the Montessori learning model have all contributed to the tremendous positive growth and development of our son and his peers during our time at Grace Montessori. We would absolutely recommend families give their child the opportunity to learn from these teachers, and other children at Grace Montessori."

"My daughter attended GMS for two years in the Primary program and she absolutely enjoyed it. Her teachers, Ms. Kelly and Mrs. Attia, are wonderful, not only for what they teach the students but also because they truly like their students and appreciate who they are.”

"Sending my daughters to Grace Montessori School has proven to be the best choice for their education. Both of my daughters have excelled and we are so grateful to the exceptional primary educators who not only taught them academic subjects but also daily life skills.”

"Grace Montessori provides a nurturing, educational and caring environment that allows the child to blossom. There is also a focus on kindness, inclusivity, and goodness which makes it the best educational institution in the Lehigh Valley."

“Thanks for the many years we've had with the school. You and the staff provided such a great foundation in learning for Nora and Annie. They not only have the smarts to succeed academically, but the foundation to be good people thanks to their experience at Grace.”