montessori guidelines

Updated 09/10/2015 ACC

Charlotte Preparatory School

Montessori Early School

Montessori Curriculum Guidelines


EARLY SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY Charlotte Preparatory Early School is committed to the wisdom of a

Montessori foundation for preschoolers in preparation for 21st

Century Learning Skills. We are dedicated to serving children of all

religious and ethnic backgrounds. We strive to create a carefully

prepared classroom environment that will awaken the child’s spirit

and imagination and help develop the kindness, courtesy, and self-

discipline that will encourage the child’s natural desire for

independence and self esteem. We believe in teaching each child to

observe, question, and explore ideas independently at his/her own

pace while learning to become a respectful and responsible citizen of

a global community.

CHARLOTTE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

MISSION STATEMENT

Charlotte Preparatory School fosters lifelong learning and provides an exemplary educational experience founded on academic excellence, positive character, and leadership development in a diverse, inclusive community.


Montessori in the 21st Century

There is no force greater…than that of an idea whose time has come. ~Victor Hugo

As we move into the 21st Century, it is becoming apparent that rote memorization, learning in isolation, and not having learning tied to authentic experiences are models of the past. Montessorians have known for years the importance of learning by discovery, working collaboratively with classmates, and putting skills to work in service learning or other authentic learning experiences. Montessori education is poised to have a huge impact on the way schools and classes are organized to embrace 21st Century learning skills. These new educational models reflect Montessori’s most basic tenets. The following chart is adapted from Steve Bett’s outline of Industrial Age Education vs. Information Age. Those characteristics listed in The Information Age are harmonious with Montessori beliefs: Industrial Age Information Age

The Montessori Philosophy ~Book as tool ~Technologies as tool ~Age-specific grade levels ~Community of learners ~Covering the content ~Covering learners’ needs ~”Just in case” learning ~”Just in time” learning ~Norm-referenced tests ~Performance-based assessment ~Classroom as world ~World as classroom ~Rote memorization ~Problem solving ~Competition with classmates ~Collaboration with classmates ~Speaker centered ~Student centered ~Teacher as dispenser of knowledge ~Teacher as coach What we know about Child Development has not changed. Preschool children need to learn through meaningful interaction with real materials and caring adults and their peers…not through the drilling of isolated skills. Children who are pushed to learn rote skills in the preschool years do so at the expense of their social skills and emotional maturity. Our goal as parents and teachers is to raise children with strong foundation skills and work habits that will one day enable them to be responsible for themselves, their own homes, families, and communities. Children who learn early in life to believe in their own abilities and to take pride in their independence and self-discipline will be well equipped for lifelong success. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s life. We value your confidence and trust and look forward to enabling your child to become a happy and lifelong learner. ~Angel Angel Carey Head of Early School


List of Contents

The Montessori Approach to Learning

Areas of the Montessori Classroom

Montessori Materials

Preparation for Writing

The Role of the Parent

Montessori at Home

Selected Readings Sometimes You Just Have to Polish the Duck!

Praiseworthy…

Book List


The Montessori Approach to Learning

This approach rests upon these basic ideas:

Respect for the Child Basic to all of Maria Montessori’s ideas is respect for the child and for his/her ability to learn. She saw the child as a person of dignity with an amazing mind unlike the adult mind in its quality and capacity. Given the opportunity and freedom to learn from his earliest years in the right kind of environment, the child would create an adult capable of coping with the problems of living.

The Absorbent Mind Babies absorb the world at the beginning learning unconsciously, but as they begin to move and to use their hands, they bring into their conscious mind what they have already absorbed. Dr. Montessori regarded the period from birth to age six as the most important part of the child’s educational life – far more important than college, high school, and elementary school.

Sensitive Periods During the period from birth until six, children show what Dr. Montessori called the Sensitive Periods – periods when they are psychologically ready to learn skills more easily than at any other time in their lives. During such a period children focus their attention on certain aspects of their environment to the exclusion of others. If the materials teaching basic academic skills are available the children during the period when they are most sensitive to them, they can learn these skills more easily than at a later date when the sensitive period has passed.

The Classroom – The Prepared Environment From the age of two and a half, according to Dr. Montessori, the child needs to spend time in an environment of his own when he can be an important and effective person. This is an environment prepared by the teacher with stimulating and engaging materials. The child moves about the classroom independently and chooses work on which he has received a lesson. Mental development is intimately connected with movement.

The Child’s Love of Work The child wants to learn and, given the freedom and opportunity within a prepared environment, he/she will concentrate with intensity for longer periods than is commonly thought possible in young children. The child does not work to complete a job but for the activity involved in doing the job. Children in Montessori classes commonly work purposefully at different tasks for as long as two hours.


Areas of the Classroom in a Montessori Curriculum

Our aim is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his utmost core. ~Dr. Maria Montessori Practical Life This area of the curriculum is designed to invite the young learner to act and work on real-life tasks that foster independence, coordination, order, and concentration. Maria Montessori placed great value on the Practical Life exercises, referring to them as the “gymnasium for perfecting one’s action.” She believed that they not only refine skills but also form the foundation of character. Before children can master language and math skills, they need solid work habits and a strong inner sense. Practical Life activities are the vehicle to build this foundation. Sensorial Dr. Montessori described the senses as the doorways to the mind and early childhood as a time of special sensitivity for perceptual refinement. Sensory stimulation and manipulation not only aid in the development of maturing sense organs – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin – but serve as a starting point for intellectual growth. By helping children to order, compare, and classify sensory stimulation, their intellectual development is assisted and future learning is more meaningful and useful. By working with the different sensorial materials, the child is led to study such qualities as length, breadth, height, color, texture, weight, size, and also such geometric forms as squares, triangles, circles, and many others. Math A wide range of materials concerned with number concepts, numerals, quantities, counting, introducing the decimal system, basic mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, as well as an introduction to fractions, and clocks may be found in the Math area. The central purpose of the Math materials in the early years is to lay the foundation for later cognitive development and for the gradual transition to abstract thinking. The primary value of early activities in Mathematics is found in the way children transform abstract ideas into actions on concrete materials. In the Math area, the children are generally learning the quantity, the symbol that represents the quantity, and the association of the two.


Areas of the Classroom Page 2 of 2 Language Although language is considered to be one of the four basic curriculum areas in a Montessori class, it spans every other area; it is an integral part of each curriculum area as well as a special area in and of itself. The early childhood language area typically contains a variety of “reading readiness” materials, including materials for phonetic analysis and beginning reading, as well as materials for the refinement of motor control for writing (the metal insets), the composition of words, and creative writing. Generally in Montessori, writing precedes reading as children explore with drawing and forming letters, the sandpaper letters, phonetic or invented spellings, and the moveable alphabet. The reading referred to in the Montessori classroom is that which comes from the child having had many and varied experiences in working with materials which have prepared the eyes (develop observation skills) and hands for reading and writing. Art Art activities help develop many of the same skills as other areas, including concentration, independence, coordination, fine muscle control and sensory discrimination. Art offers children ways to express their feelings, experiences and ideas. The art area usually includes sequences for drawing, coloring, painting, pin punching, cutting, collage work and sewing. Cultural Studies This area offers exploration and introductory learning about plants, animals, landforms, continents, cultures, countries, the world and the Universe. References: Standing, E.M. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York: Mentor Books, 1962. Lillard, Angeline Stoll. Montessori the Science Behind the Genius. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Gordon, Cam. Together With Montessori. Minnesota: Jola Publications, 1993.


Montessori Materials – What They Do For Your Child

MATERIALS PURPOSE

Practical Life:

Dressing Frames Coordination of movement, care of person

Rice Pouring Builds strength in thumb and finger for writing

Table Washing Develops concentration and control of

movement - following sequence of directions,

preparation in writing

Polishing Care of self, muscular control, following set

pattern to obtain desired results

Care of environment, following sequence -

develops fine muscle control

Hanging up clothes Independence, care of person and environment

Putting on coat

Folding clothes

Sensorial: Pink Tower Discrimination between heights, develops

pincher movement, control (cubes represent

cubes of the numbers 1-10)

Brown Stair Discrimination of thickness, enlarges child’s

vocabulary (thick, thin, broad, narrow), prisms

represent squares of the numbers 1-10

Cylinder Blocks Discrimination of dimensions, use of pincher

fingers, vocabulary: large, small, thick, thin,

shallow, deep, tall, short

Knobless Cylinders Gives clearer pictures of dimensions, lets child

compare differences


Montessori Materials Page 2 of 4

Color Box I Chromatic awareness, vocabulary: red, blue, yellow

Color Box II Enlarges vocabulary to orange, green, purple, gray,

pink, brown, black, white

Color Box III Discrimination between the shade graduations;

vocabulary: light, dark, etc.

Rough & Smooth Boards Develops tactile sense, preparation for writing

Mystery Bag Concentration, develops the power to visualize

mentally, builds sense of touch

Baric Tablets Concentration; ability to distinguish between light,

heavy, lightest, heavier, etc.

Sound Boxes Training ears to listen carefully

Geometric Solids Recognizes geometric forms around their

environment

Geometrical Cabinet Develops visual memory of shapes, discrimination

of form, develops geometry vocabulary

Constructive Triangles Enables child to see what forms develop when two

or more triangles are joined in different ways,

vocabulary: sides, base, vertex, names of geometry

figures

Binomial Cube Higher forms of puzzle, pieces represent equation

(a+b)3

Trinomial Cube Higher forms of puzzle, represents (a+b+c)3

Math: Sandpaper Numbers Teach recognition of written symbols and how to

form them

Spindle Box Introduction of zero, sequence of numbers 0-9



Cards and Counters Recognition of numbers 1-10, visual impression of

odd and even numbers

Golden Beads Visual impression of units, tens, hundreds and

thousands; enables the child to see, feel and totally

understand math problems

Number Cards Acquaint child with written form of units, tens,

hundreds, and thousands

Sequin Boards Learns names and sequence of 11-19 and 11-99,

associates names with quantities

Language: Metal Inserts Child gains control of the pencil while studying

geometrical designs and color combinations

Sandpaper Letters Recognizes forms by touch and sight and knows the

sounds of the letters; lets the child gain muscular

memory of the forms of the letters; preparation for

writing

Movable Alphabet Analysis of words as a preparation for reading,

writing, and spelling

Geography: Sandpaper Globe Rough = land; Smooth = water

Painted Globe Introduction to word: continent

World Map Learn to recognize continents, vocabulary: North

America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa,

Australia

North America Map Names: Canada, Alaska, Greenland, United States,

Mexico, Central America

United States Map Names of the 50 states

Foreign Language: To let the child become familiar with words of

another land. This leads into study of nations and

their people. The child becomes aware of a larger

surrounding than just his family and city.



Grace and Courtesy: The children are taught basic courtesies that

encompass social conduct, manners, and

respect such as how to shake hands, thanking,

apologizing, (when and how), speaking softly,

waiting turns, covering a sneeze or cough,

holding a door so others may enter, etc. These

are things that form consideration for others

and self control for the child. This is a basic

part of Montessori.

Science: From time to time scientific experiments will

be performed to increase the child’s

vocabulary, knowledge of his environment, and

to develop an inquisitive mind.

These are just a few of the things your child will be introduced to, but most

important of all, beyond any scholastic achievements your child will attain,

we want your child to receive one important gift---THE JOY OF LEARNING.

When we see this inquisitive child eager to learn, we know we have

achieved what we set out to do.


The Role of the Parent

Dr. Maria Montessori viewed the child as a member of the family, not as an isolated individual, and one whose most formative life experiences take place within the family. She recognized parents as a child’s first and most influential teacher. As a parent you are a role model and teacher

Know your child well

Be a patient observer and careful listener Place your confidence in your child

Provide simple, safe and consistent rules encouraging your child to take responsibility and to contribute to his or her home and family

The Role of the Parent and the School Parent, teacher, child, and school relationships are very important in a student’s life. An alliance based on mutual respect and support will enhance all individuals’ understanding, knowledge, and insight; this will offer a cohesive, prepared learning environment. How to give support to your school Be involved, volunteer

Be informed, attend all conferences and meetings

Be knowledgeable, attend Parent Education meetings


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Home Entrance

Have a basket or rack where your child can put their shoes (or in a place in the house where they keep their shoes)

Have a basket for their pigeon and lunchbox.

Install a very low coat hoot where you child may hang his/her own coat.

The Living Room

Have a music corner with a tape or CD player with different kinds of music. Talk about the origin of the music, composer, instruments, etc.

Have a select group of attractive toys such as wooden blocks, puzzles, board games, etc.

Hang pictures at your child’s eye level so they can appreciate artwork.

Have a collection of beautiful books that you can read together or your child can enjoy by themselves. Visit the library often.

Let your child have a place to display their collections such as rocks, shells, or leaves.

Kitchen and Dining Room

Have available child-sized cleaning tools (e.g. mop, small broom, dust pan, dust brush, sponge, etc.)

Put a small pitcher of juice or water on a low shelf in the refrigerator.

Find a sturdy stool so your child can reach the kitchen sink and help with dishes or food preparation.

Let your child help you cook; measure, pour, stir, wash vegetables, etc.

Have a low table with a small chair (their feet should be able to touch the floor)

Have a cabinet that your child can open the drawer easily that contains art and craft supplies.

Talk about the different names of odd vegetables or food. “This is an artichoke.” Discuss the history or origin of the vegetable or food.

Teach your child the different spices and herbs and let them smell them.

Have a calendar at your child’s level.

Let your child set the table.

Have kitchen tools that are appropriate for your child’s hands (e.g. knife, apply corer, egg slicer, banana cutter)

Have a low drawer or cabinet containing your child’s “supplies”. (Cereal in a small container they can pour or scoop from, bowls, cups, utensils, snacks they are allowed to have, etc.)


The Bedroom

Get a full-length mirror for your child’s room.

Have low shelves in your child’s room with toys organized in small baskets.

Avoid installing a television or computer in your child’s room.

Have low racks and small hangers in the closet (this makes it easy to put their own clothes away or to choose something to wear independently)

A low table and chair allows the child to work comfortably.

Pocket holders attached to the bed hold books, writing pads, paper, pens or pencils for quiet time before bed.

A dresser at the child’s height, with drawers that can be reached and opened easily allowing access to clothing.

Rotating toys rekindles interest through changing activities.

The Bathroom

Install a low towel bar in the bathroom so your child can hang up their towel and wash cloth.

Have a stool in the bathroom so your child can reach the sink, brush their teeth, comb their hair, and wash their hands.

Have a small plastic pitcher to pour water in order to rinse with ease and control in the bath tub.

Have water toys that float, sink, squirt, strain; toys that provide enjoyment as well as exploration. Less is more. A few toys at a time, perhaps in rotation can provide variety while eliminating clutter.

Baskets and boxes to store watches, jewelry, headbands, and ribbons.

A sponge or mop for cleaning up a wet mess.

Around the House

Have a small watering can for watering plants around the house.

A clock that is at eye level.

A hamper where your child can easily put dirty laundry. If you have a place for everything, it is very easy to clean up at the end of the day. Label baskets and drawers with what belongs inside. Use photo labels for young children

The Outdoors There is never any bad weather, only wrong clothes.

Have gardening tools that are appropriate for your child’s hand.

Take nature walks and have a basket or bag to gather treasures along the way.

Learn the names of different flowers, plants, trees, birds, etc.

Children love growing their own garden. This may even inspire them to try new vegetables.


“Help me do it by myself.” Sometimes You Just Have to Polish the Duck:

Lessons for Grownups From a Montessori Classroom Montessori Life, Fall 2003 by Vandegrift, Darcie I am continually taught important lessons by my son's Montessori education. Montessori puts a respectful, loving philosophy into practice. The Children's House classroom makes a place that embraces the Tightness of the child's intentions while shaping the child's ability to line up these intentions with action. How distinct this approach is from what I experienced in my own childhood education. While a few of us might have been defined by the school as "good" or "smart," school was essentially a process that required distrusting and redirecting so that children might be kept "on task" or focused on what they "should" be doing, often ignoring what they would really like to do.

After experiencing a Montessori classroom, I have come to believe the opposite: the classroom structure (and, by extension, the structure of a home) can foster a child's practically innate desire to follow a path toward learning. This environment does not have to shoehorn all children into the same trajectory, but rather sets the stage for each small person to proceed as the way opens for him or her. The deep trust I have in Montessori comes from experience. My son, Anson, had his first Montessori Children's House participation at age 4, weeks after relocating from California to Wisconsin. His transition to his new school in Wisconsin was at first difficult. He cried each morning before school for several weeks, begging us to let him stay home. I shed tears as well, once in front of his teacher as I mentioned how difficult the morning routine had become. Wisely, she advised us to change routines: what if we carpooled with another child to school? This suggestion transformed our mornings almost from the first day we started driving with a friend. I began to suspect that there might be something to this Montessorian emphasis on environment. Anson did not outwardly grieve the transition from familiar California to unknown Wisconsin the way we did. My husband and I missed friends and longed for familiar places. After the carpool started, Anson appeared to pass blithely through the day. At school, however, he chose different activities than the other children. Many of the kids his age worked with number chains, created words with the movable alphabet, or traced the sandpaper letters. My son rarely did any of the things his first months in Children's House, at least not to my knowledge. Teachers told me he often watched other children engage in these activities, but he did not participate. Instead, day after day, Anson chose to practice something he learned as one of his first lessons in the school. He took to the table a small tray containing a cotton cloth, clear shoe polish, and a wooden duck. Then he enacted a simple ritual. Lid removed from polish. Cloth dipped in polish. Polish applied on duck. Lid put on polish. Items replaced on tray. Tray returned to shelf. "What did you do at school today?" I would ask, violating rule number one for how to start a conversation with your preschooler. "I wandered around," he would tell me. "And I polished the duck."


The duck, his teacher informed me the second month of school, was well maintained. "Anson likes to polish wooden objects and repeats this often," his progress report duly noted. I silently calculated how much we were paying per month (with what kinds of financial sacrifices) to subsidize our son's wood-shining habit. This gut reaction arose from the timework messages transmitted to me through my education about what children "should" be doing in school. I mistrusted Anson's desire to learn, longing for him to rush to the things that "kindergartners must know." As parents, we receive messages everywhere about what kinds of evidence our children should provide to demonstrate progress. I jumped to the conclusion that duck polishing was, if not what my son would do throughout his year in school, at least an indicator that he would not create the kind of output necessary to "be a success." In a culture that values product, the seeming passivity of observing others or polishing the duck is slightly suspect. Shouldn't a student immediately jump into producing something, the way I was expecting myself to be producing something in the job I had moved to Wisconsin to begin? Fortunately, the school's director suggested I read more about the Montessori classroom. I learned that children entering this environment normalize, a term that I understand to mean the way kids figure out how to listen to the loving voice within that just a few years earlier urged them to sit up, walk, and speak those delicious first few words. To normalize, children must learn the structure of the Montessori classroom through participation. Polishing the duck was not just cloth on wood (although I imagine that the textures and smells provided daily comfort for Anson during the transition to all places new in Wisconsin). This task, included as part of the Montessori practical life curriculum, helped to teach the order, both internal to my son and external of him, necessary for working in other areas of the classroom. The repetition done at his choosing provided comfort and confidence during the process of learning to work in a Montessori classroom. One year later, as Anson draws maps, manipulates the addition board, and learns to write, his early period of duck polishing ritual has served him well. How much better would all of us be if we learned to trust ourselves the way my son did during this time? I am sure that my first year at work would have been less traumatic if I had been given the opportunity to observe and gain readiness instead of pushing to replicate the output of the best years in my old, familiar workplace. We drive ourselves forward, always wanting evidence of achievement. I am guilty of demanding daily proof from myself that I am productive. Another report filed. Another flowerbed weeded. Another project begun.

Nonstop output is not only impossible, but our expectations that we work in this way exhaust us and set us up for failure. Big, "productive" accomplishments, whether learning to read or writing a novel, require a strong, healthy center that cannot be nurtured in the moment of rushing toward task completion. As my son demonstrated, rituals and routines, while not generating output, help create the environment for success and time for regeneration. The mindful pause, as Anson enacted when polish met wood, can help us prepare for future bursts of growth, and help us to rest after completing such growth. I try to remind myself that this step of regeneration is vital. Sometimes you just have to polish the duck. DARCIE VANDEGRIFT is a Montessori parent and assistant professor of sociology at University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.


Praiseworthy... Angel Carey, Head of Early School

Charlotte Preparatory School

When I first read articles about over praising children, I bristled. As a young mother, I stood firm that in order to thrive, children need an overabundance of nurturing and praise. Just look what happened to those infant monkeys forced to bond with a bare wire mesh surrogate mother during Harry Harlow's pit of despair research! After all, my children were gifted and now my grandchildren way exceed their parents' giftedness...smile...so what's the big deal? Then came the New York Magazine article by Po Bronson, How Not to Talk to Your Kids, The inverse power of praise ( 2007) and a boy named Thomas. By the time he was able to walk, Thomas constantly heard that he was smart, not only from his parents but any adult who witnessed his accomplishments. When applying for kindergarten at a school reserved for the top 1 percent of all applicants, Thomas didn't just score in the top 1 percent. He scored in the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent. But as Thomas progressed through school, this self-awareness that he was smart didn't translate into fearless confidence. Thomas's parents noticed just the opposite. Thomas didn't want to try things he wouldn't be successful at; some things came very easy to him, but when they didn't, he gave up almost immediately. According to a survey conducted by Columbia University, 85 percent of American parents think it's important to tell their kids that they're smart. The presumption is that if a child believes he's smart (having been told so repeatedly), he won't be intimidated by new academic challenges. However, a growing body of research suggests that giving kids the label of "smart" does not prevent them from underperforming; it might actually be causing it. Now before you withhold any future form of praise from your children, let me tell you the part that makes the most sense to me. It's not the praise but what we praise that has the most beneficial impact on children's self esteem. According to Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, "when we praise children for their intelligence, we tell them that this is the name of the game: look smart, don't risk making mistakes, avoid the risk of being embarrassed." Instead, we need to praise children for their effort: "You must have worked really hard." Emphasizing effort gives children a variable that they can control. They come to see themselves as in control of their success. Emphasizing natural intelligence takes it out of the child's control, and brings on an unhealthy response to subsequent failures. Praising effort fosters intrinsic reasons for performing a task and was also one of the tenets of an Italian physician's research on child development: "If work comes from an inner source, it is much more intense and much more fruitful." Maria Montessori, To educate the human potential (1948). Hmmmmm...new age thinking?


Book List

1. Our Peaceful Classroom , Aline D. Wolf

2. How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way,

Tim Seldin

3. Montessori Play And Learn: A Parent's Guide to

Purposeful Play from Two to Six, Lesley Britton

4. Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Angeline

Stoll Lillard

5. A Parent’s Guide to the Montessori Classroom, Aline D.

Wolf

6. Montessori Insights for Parents of Young Children,

Aline D. Wolf

7. Together With Montessori, Cam Gordon

8. Mindset, Carol Dweck

9. Nurture Shock, Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman

Books can be purchased from: www.amazon.com www.montessoriservices.com www.parentchildpress.com

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Lesley%20Britton

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.montessoriservices.com/

http://www.parentchildpress.com/

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