The Montessori Curriculum

The Montessori curriculum is a hands-on approach which leads to growth and transformation. Our teachers focus on each individual child and consider all aspects of his or her development—physical, intellectual, social and emotional. We are sensitive to each child’s feelings and uniqueness, and recognize his or her individual ability to learn. Our teachers follow the child’s lead and help each child to improve his or her learning.

The Montessori approach allows children to learn through understanding, rather than through being told. From this understanding, children are able to develop confidence and a joy in learning. By understanding how children learn, the teachers can provide your child with tools and opportunities tailored to the way he or she experiences the world. At the same time, there is a strong physical dimension to many Montessori activities, encouraging dexterity, balance and appreciation of shapes, colors and sizes.

At Inclusive Montessori School, we provide the building blocks of future learning, hardwiring your child’s capacity to engage with new materials and information, and providing the tools with which to manipulate them. We are here to support our children’s individual journeys of learning and to help them make positive imprints upon the world.

Practical life

Practical Life activities prepare children, through active experience, for everyday life. Recognizing that young children’s focus centers around their own lives and experiences, we select activities that reflect our children’s lives and cultures. Through their collaborative participation in Practical life activities, our children gain a sense of being and belonging. Practical Life exercises help children develop independence, focus, self-confidence, concentration and self-control, and prepare them for future learning. These activities link home and school, develop grace and courtesy, and build care of self and care of the environment.

Language Arts

Language is incorporated in all areas of our curriculum. We provide opportunities for oral and written expression through reading and drama. Language lessons include spoken language, written expression and reading. Through every conversation, every book read aloud, every new word that is taught, the Montessori student is learning language, and thus, learning to read. At Inclusive Montessori School, we emphasize the process of acquiring language.

Mathematics

Learning mathematical concepts in a Montessori classroom begins concretely and progresses towards the abstract. Aligning with children’s learning styles, we begin by teaching the process and then introduce facts later. We provide manipulative materials which can be felt and manipulated so that the hand is always involved in the learning process, allowing children to internalize math and number concepts. This approach to math is logical, clear and extremely effective. It allows the students to develop a solid foundation in mathematics and to progress at their own pace toward abstract concepts. The Montessori method of teaching math provides children with a conceptual understanding, a foundation for later work in algebra and geometry.

Sensorial

Maria Montessori believed, and current research has demonstrated, that children learn through sensory experiences. We therefore provide a wide variety of sensory-rich experiences, knowing that the more sensory experiences children have, the more the sensory cortex of their brains will be activated, the more their sensitivity to texture solidifies and the more their hand-eye coordination increases.

Cultural Studies

Art, music, dance, nature/life science, history, science and geography are all integrated into our curriculum.

Infant & Toddler Program Ages 6 weeks – 2.5 years old

Our Montessori based infant & toddler curriculum supports the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of each child. Toddlers strengthen speech and language development and both fine and gross motor skills as they explore self, family and the world in which they live. The toddler program prepares the toddler class children for preschool work by exposing them to each area of our Montessori curriculum. The toddlers learn concentration, coordination, language skills, responsibility and respect, all of which prepare them well for a successful transition into preschool at Inclusive Montessori School.

Primary Program Ages 2.5 – 4 years old

Recognizing that this is an age of critical social development, we create an environment in which children are given the opportunity to develop as individuals within a social community. Our Primary Program cultivates basic motor coordination and language development. Our curriculum integrates key academic skills including math, science, geography, practical life, visual arts and sensorial learning as we lay the foundation for our children’s next steps in their education.

Kindergarten Ages 4-6 years

Through the Montessori Method, our children begin as novices, grow to be apprentices and, in their Kindergarten year, they become leaders.

At Inclusive Montessori School your child continues to set the pace for his or her own education and developmental growth. Our Kindergarten curriculum is carefully structured and integrated to demonstrate the connections among different areas of learning. Your child’s Kindergarten year highlights critical thinking, composition, and research-based projects.

Children who attend Inclusive Montessori School will have a distinct edge over those who attend traditional Kindergarten in terms of academics and social development. Children graduate from our school with a strong sense of self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning and close bonds with their teachers and classmates. We want much more than competency in the basic skills; we want them to truly enjoy school and feel good about themselves as students.