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The principal learning centers in the Early Childhood/Kindergarten class are:
PRACTICAL LIFE
Practical Life activities form a bridge between the home and school
environments, and they are the foundation for all other areas in the
Montessori classroom. The Practical Life area focuses on the child's developing sense of order and on increasing the child's concentration span.
While working on self-help skills, the child develops large and
small muscle coordination and achieves motor control of the body.
This permits the child to develop inner control, a longer attention span,
increased self-confidence, independence, and self-discipline.
The practical life exercises foster growth in thinking and organizational skills, which promotes the logical, sequential thinking necessary for language and mathematical studies.
SENSORIAL
The Sensorial area provides perceptual training to expand the child's
sensory perceptions and knowledge of the world. The child learns to name, sort, differentiate, and sequence colors, dimensions, weights, forms, textures, sounds, odors, and tastes. Having mastered the skills of naming, making finer discriminations, and sequencing, the child is ready to move on to the language, math, geography, and science areas.
LANGUAGE
Emphasis on vocabulary building begins when the child enters the
classroom for the first time and continues throughout the curriculum.
The phonetic reading and writing program uses sandpaper letters to teach
the basic phonetic sounds and recognition of the lower case letters. Having
acquired a sound phonetic foundation, the Montessori student is prepared
for spelling and reading.
The primary goal of this area is not to teach each children to read, but to
help them to enrich and refine the ability to express themselves and understand the expression of others.
MATH
Math principles are acquired through indirect preparation in the
Sensorial area and through manipulation and observation of the
Montessori math materials. By practicing and handling these
multisensory exercises, the child forms a solid foundation for
understanding the basic concepts of our number system: quantity,
sequence, hierarchical position, and the functions of the operations.
These materials are concrete rather than abstract. They will be
touched, manipulated, and counted. Concrete experiences are the vital
first steps in developing a full understanding of abstract mathematics.
GEOGRAPHY
As in all areas of the Montessori classroom, the young child's
introduction to geography begins with the multisensory approach.
Through a variety of globes, maps, picture cards, photographs, toys, and books that center on various cultures, the child satisfies his curiosity about the people of the world.
ART
Once the children have mastered the motor skills necessary to handle
scissors, pencils, crayons, paint brushes, etc., they are free to
construct their own creations. Care is taken to allow the children many
avenues of expression using various media. The child is encouraged to plan, set up, actively create, and clean up each project.
SCIENCE
Science in the primary level stimulates curiosity, encourages active
observation, and builds scientific vocabulary at a time when the child
is absorbing new language effortlessly. Materials evolve sequentially
from the inorganic to the organic. The younger child experiments, and the older child is able to verbalize what happened and why.
MUSIC
The approach to music in the Montessori school combines singing,
playing, listening, moving to rhythm, and creating in a steady
progression toward musicality. It is during the early years that the
sensitive period for music occurs, and the child develops the skills of
listening and communication that are essential in the mastery of both
music and language.
SPANISH
Spanish is a regular part of the Riverbend program starting in the
Kindergarten year and continuing through the Elementary level. This is
an introductory course that emphasizes oral communication. Riverbend's
goal is to promote an emerging oral proficiency in the language and
cultural awareness and appreciation.
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