Primer/Kindergarten
2804 W. Britton Road Oklahoma City, OK 73120 (click for directions)(405) 755-3904
Primer/Kindergarten
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Admission Requirements
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Class Objectives
The Montessori Program is geared toward teaching the whole child. Individual instructional needs are met with a variety of methods and techniques. The student’s academic achievement and success are of the highest importance. Equally important are the moral standards of the child which are necessary for personal and social development.
The habits and skills that a child develops in a Montessori classroom are good for a lifetime. These abilities will help him to work more efficiently, to observe more carefully, and to concentrate more effectively, no matter where he goes.
The four basic areas of concentration are: Mathematics, Sensorial, Practical Life, and Language. Additional areas of enrichment are Art and Music Appreciation, Science, Geography, and Spanish.
The following is a basic outline of each area.
MATHEMATICS
The Montessori Mathematics program offers practice in logical thinking, counting, numerical recognition, and understanding quantity. The well-designed materials help a child to move from concrete to abstract thinking. The educational goal is for each student is to develop independent thinking and problem solving skills.
Kindergarten Math objectives are:
- Count and recognize numbers to 20
- One more and One less
- Associate numbers 11-19 with quantity
- Place Value
- Count and recognize numbers to 50
- Greater than and Less than
- Count and recognize numbers to 100
- Graphs and Fractions
- Hundreds board (associate 1-100 with quantity)
- Write numbers 1-10
- Write numbers 1-50
- Write numbers 1-100
- Count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s
- Addition Facts to 12
- Tell time to the hour and half hour
- Single Digit Addition
- Money: penny, nickel, dime
- Single Digit Subtraction
- Understand concept of patterns
Primer Math objectives are:
- Count and recognize numbers to 20
- One more and One less
- Associate numbers 11-19 with quantity
- Place Value
- Count and recognize numbers to 50
- Greater than and Less than
- Count and recognize numbers to 100
- Graphs and Fractions
- Hundreds board (associate 1-100 with quantity)
- Write numbers 1-10
- Write numbers 1-50
- Write numbers 1-100
- Count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s
- Addition Facts to 12
- Tell time to the hour and half hour
- Single Digit Addition
- Money: penny, nickel, dime
- Single Digit Subtraction
- Understand concept of patterns
SENSORIAL
The sensorial purpose is to help the young child meet the world around him through the constant use of all his senses. The Sensorial Materials in the Montessori classroom educates the child’s senses by making him aware of details such as color, weight, shape, texture, size, sound, smell, etc. The materials help the child to distinguish, to categorize, and to relate new information to what he already knows. A child will also develop and exercise fine motor skills by working with the sensorial materials. The vocabulary is also enhanced.
Some examples of Sensorial Materials are:
- The Pink Tower: three dimensional awareness
- The Brown Stair: two dimensional awareness; thick and thin
- The Red Rods: dimensional length: long and short
- Sound Boxes: listening skills
- Knobbed Cylinders: size discrimination and fine motor development in preparation for writing
- Geometric Solids: introduction to the geometric plane and remote preparation for recognizing the different shapes of written letters and numbers
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Metal Insets: Recognizing different shapes and development of fine motor skills by tracing and coloring
PRACTICAL LIFE
Practical Life activities consist of daily living skills, which aid in the development of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. Some exercises prepare for handwriting, reading, good habits of hygiene, social skills, fine and gross motor muscle control, and eye-hand coordination.
By imitating the every day tasks of adults (washing dishes, sweeping the floor, mixing, pouring, scrubbing, etc) the child learns to pay attention to detail. These exercises develop concentration, coordination, good work habits and the satisfaction of a job well done. Through practical life activities, children learn responsibility for their own behavior and the environment around them.
Some examples of Practical Life Activities are:
- Dry Pouring
- Tasting Exercises
- Wet Pouring
- Smelling Exercises
- Washing Hands
- Cutting Exercises
- Washing Chairs and Tables
- Water Table
- Dressing Frames (button, zip, lacing, tying)
- Weaving
- Folding
- Finger painting and drawing
- Mixing Colors
LANGUAGE
Language Arts develops reading and writing skills. Phonics, word decoding, and literature-based techniques are used in the reading program. The foundation of creative story writing is based on the use of the child’s vocabulary and background knowledge of a subject. In creative spelling and grammar, the student is free to express his/her own ideas without the burden of exactness. As the child grows more comfortable with the writing process, the teacher engages in more advanced writing skills such as correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.
Language development is presented throughout the classroom in the form of books, group time activities (songs, naming activities, sound games), conversation, and vocabulary enrichment (nomenclature cards, picture matching games).
Some of the Language objectives are:
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Print first and last name - Print letters
- Obtain meaning from context
- Pair upper and lower case letters
- Beginning consonants
- Listen attentively to story
- Identify letters and sounds
- Ending consonants
- Create stories from pictures
- Understand directionality of print (top/bottom,left/right)
- Middle Vowels
- Dictate individual compositions
- Vowel sounds: long and short
Sight words- Consonant sounds
- Read words in context
- Letter blends
- Reading Comprehension
- Relate experiences in sequence
- Build simple words using phonics
- Configuration clues
- Retell a simple story
- Rhyming words
- Context clues
- Follow two-step directions
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
ART AND MUSIC APPRECIATION
Art and Music Appreciation include a study of both classic artist and musicians. In the classroom, children will view the works of famous artists and listen to music composed by classic musician. A story or brief biography is given about each artist or musician and coloring sheets are provided as reinforcement.
Some of the artists and musicians studied are:
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Bach
- Picasso
- Beethoven
- Monet
- Mozart
- Vincent Van Gogh
- Tchaikovsky
- Michelangelo
SCIENCE AND GEOGRAPHY
The Montessori classroom offers many opportunities for the young child to explore the world around him. Through the use of wall charts, nature cards, colorful books, puzzles, matching games, audio and video programs, and hands-on materials children learn the basics of science and geography.
Basic areas of Science and Geography are:
- Living things and their habitat
- The Solar System
- Non-living things
- Continents
- The Animal Kingdom
- Oceans
- The Human Body
- The United States
- Insect Study
- Oklahoma
- Earth Facts
SPANISH
The Spanish Program has several components, but chiefly uses the “MUZZY” Language Course for Children developed and published by the BBC. According to this program “research now shows conclusively that 1-12 year olds can learn a second, third or even a fourth language much more easily than will ever be possible again during any later time in their lives. The evidence shows that children who are exposed to a second language early in life can achieve higher levels of proficiency in math, music and science.”
The “MUZZY” program uses audio cassettes, video programs, and CD-ROM for vocabulary building and story telling. Other simple computer program and a few worksheets have been added.
Some of the basics are:
- Colors
- Family members
- Numbers
- Animals
- Days of the Week
- Simple conversational phrases
- Months of the Year
REFERENCES:
The Montessori Method, Maria Montessori Maria Montessori, An Historical Perspective, by Tom Seldin A Parent’s Guide to the Montessori Classroom, by Aline D. Wolf Rev. 8-21-08
Guidelines
Class Time:Classes begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. Please help your child to arrive on time.
Meals:
Breakfast Cold cereal and juice is served from 7:00 to 8:15 a.m.
Lunch: Your child’s lunchtime will vary (10:50, 11:20, 11:50) according to the teacher rotation. You may join your child for lunch anytime. We ask you to provide a sack lunch on special occasions throughout the year. However, please do not send sack lunches or personal snacks on a regular basis except for special dietary concerns.
Traffic Safety and Parking Lot Rules:
Morning Drop Off: There should at all times be only one direction of traffic. Please do not let your child out of the car until you are in front of the door.
Afternoon Pick-up: Please use your “car numbers” each day in order for your child to be brought to the car. This service is offered after three o’clock P.M. only. **Please give the office notice and permission if someone other than a parent will be picking up your child. That person must provide identification for the staff member in the front office.
Use a parking space if you desire to come inside in the morning or afternoon. Please do not park and leave your car in front of the door.
Attendance: It is not necessary to notify the office unless your child will be absent for more than 1 day.
Medicine / Illnesses: We do not give medication at school. State laws do not allow us to accept or keep your child if he/she has a temperature, is vomiting, or has diarrhea.
The Purple Folder:
Each Tuesday, your child’s Purple Folder will be sent home. It will contain valuable information such as papers done in class, artwork, notes from the teacher or the office, calendars, lunch menus, and party invitations. Look at it with your child and please be sure to send it back the next day. It is very important in the classroom and is used every day by your child to file and store class work.
Toys:
Please do not allow your child to bring toys to school. Special days to bring “home toys” will be specified on the school calendar or a note in your child’s Purple Folder.
Parties:
Birthday Parties: If your child will be having a birthday party at school, please notify the office the day before. Parties are observed at the 2:30 snack time. Bring all refreshments, favors, etc., to school on the morning of the party. Please be responsible for distributing personal party invitations. You may help your child place them in the children’s “cubbies” before or after school. We cannot pass them out at the door.
Holiday Parties: To help with a special holiday party, please sign the helper list at the front desk. Each class will have a clearly marked list posted about one week before the party. Items should be clearly labeled with your child’s name and his/her homeroom teacher’s name.
Movies and Music:
We have a large selection of age-appropriate movies and music, so please do not allow your student to bring a movie or music to school.
Label Everything! Please label all coats, hats, backpacks, and any other personal items.
Clothes: Please dress your child in clothing appropriate for the weather, the classroom, and outdoor play. Shoes such as flip-flops or slide-in shoes are not appropriate for the playground and are not allowed. Please help your child choose shoes that will stay on the feet and protect them.
