The Primary Program & Kindergarten
Program Overview
At BHMS the Primary program is the first of the mixed-age programs, which is a significant and critical component of the Montessori approach. It creates a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the sensitive period in a child’s life between the ages of three and six, when the mind acts as an “absorbent sponge” for information. In the first two years of the cycle, the materials used help children to develop order, coordination, concentration, and independent work habits, which are essential for the more advanced skills and materials they will encounter at ages five and six.
The Primary program offers children the opportunity to develop in a Montessori environment that focuses on the independent self within a community. Through the structure of the classroom and guidance from the teachers, children learn to take responsibility for their own learning. Small groups and individual instruction characterize the Preschool. Teachers move throughout the classroom, facilitating children’s work choices and social interactions.
The child enjoys three specific roles within the mixed age group — being the youngest, the middle, and the oldest. Each provides a particular social and academic vantage point in the class and aids children in developing empathy and acceptance of different viewpoints. It also gives children a longer period of time to practice developing skills than a traditional classroom allows. It offers the older students the opportunity to consolidate newly learned skills and concepts by teaching what they know to younger classmates, which in turn creates a deeper and more lasting knowledge base.
In the mixed-age classrooms, children are given the opportunity to teach themselves, learn from one another, and to assume leadership roles. The classrooms offer a wide range of developmentally appropriate educational materials that are easily accessible and inviting. In addition to traditional Montessori materials, many classroom activities are designed by the teachers; they monitor and adapt activities according to the needs and interests of the children.The classrooms are divided into several distinct areas designed to engage children’s interest, with each section containing activities offering varying degrees of challenge. Ranging from simple to complex, the graduated activities are designed to increase concentration, focus, fine motor control, and organizational skills.
Each year of the three-year cycle has its own unique characteristics. Students in the first year of the cycle are very focused on the practical life and sensorial works — keen to flex their ability to do for themselves and to master tasks that support them in this. Our main goal for them is to develop a strong work cycle. Second, or middle, year students are excited to discover new and stimulating tasks, and are quite concerned with the social aspects of what others are doing and who is their friend — a position that can change from day-to-day as they experience what it means to be a friend.
The final year in the age 3-6 cycle, the Kindergarten year, is one of integration and challenge — previously difficult tasks and concepts begin to fall into place. Children know the routines and social mores of the class and step up in the roles of leader and mentor to their younger classmates. They can work independently on many activities in the room, and whether showing familiar tasks to others, or working on newly introduced materials, they work for mastery and to consolidate their knowledge. They are excited to work on special projects such as an alphabet dictionary, an art and writing journal, or their autobiography. In addition, students are working on the more advanced Montessori math and language materials. They begin to develop an understanding of number patterns, such as counting by 2s or 10s, and start to recognize nouns, verbs and adjectives and how they function in sentences.
Kindergarten students truly “own” the classroom and are proud of their senior role. As such, they meet regularly and partner with their teachers to determine which works will provide a new level of challenge for them, and which need continued practice. In discussing their assignments with the teacher, third year students begin to take ownership of and responsibility for their learning. In the latter half of their final year students visit the Lower Elementary classes to prepare for their move to Grade 1. These visits mark a turnkey moment and psychological shift in their school experience, which underscores their growth and readiness for the next step in their Montessori Journey.
As young children experience the world around them through the constant engagement of their senses, the Sensorial materials were designed to help sharpen these and to categorize the many impressions received through them. The materials isolate one defining quality or attribute at a time, and provide exercises that lead to the gradation of qualities, such as size, shape, color, texture, and sound. Children learn how to distinguish differences and use quantitative terms — large/small, rough/smooth, loud/ soft. Children learn to organize their sensory impressions, distinguish between and categorize them, and then relate new information to what they know about these qualities.
The Practical Life area is designed to teach care of self and the environment, and lays the foundation for all other areas in the room. Embedded in this area are indirect lessons in the organization of one’s work space, proceeding in a task from left to right, and the cycle of work needed for self-direction: to choose, work on a task until completion, and return it in readiness for the next person. Children choose from a variety of activities such as spooning, pouring, cutting, buttoning, and other related experiences. Grace and courtesy is cultivated — teachers spend time throughout the year on social graces ranging from washing hands before eating or sneezing into a tissue or elbow, to various stages of conflict resolution.
In the Math area, Montessori materials provide concrete, hands-on exploration of the concept of number. Children begin to grasp one-to-one correspondence, further develop quantitative terms (less than/more than), and learn to recognize numerals and match quantities. Children are also introduced to the concepts of addition, subtraction, division, multiplication and geometry through structured math materials and daily classroom practices and activities, providing the stepping-stones for deeper understanding and skill development in the Lower Elementary Program.
In the Language Arts area, both pre-reading and early reading and writing skills are supported through a variety of phonemic awareness materials: sandpaper letters, shapes for tracing, movable alphabet, matching activities associated with different letter sounds, letter blending and sequencing. Children are read to in large and small groups, as well as individually. As they develop, they learn how to retell stories, understand plot, elaborate ideas, generate stories, generate rhymes, and make comparisons. The classrooms have cozy reading centers filled with books and at times listening stations are set up for children to use.
In the Science area, children experience a curriculum that encourages them to explore their place in the world and the Universe. The children engage in simple experiments and observation tasks, including feeding and observing the class pet. Over the course of the three-year cycle, They learn about the seasons, the solar system, and the human body, and study the cycle of life through observing animal and plant life. Every spring, children begin an ecology curriculum, starting with seed planting in the classroom and culminating in gardening on the roof. They also study the life cycle of insects, including the butterfly and ladybug.
Our Cultural world is explored through the study of different biomes and cultures each year. Through biome studies, children begin to understand how different climatic conditions affect the way people live and meet their fundamental human needs. Through information shared in the Family Questionnaire, teachers will encourage families to visit the classroom and share traditions, foods, stories and songs specific to their cultural heritage.
Geography—separated into physical and cultural—is another element of the curriculum that introduces children to their place in the Universe. The year starts with understanding the properties of land, air, and water, and progresses to identifying the continents, before moving on to other elements of physical geography, such as landforms. The curriculum expands as children learn about different aspects of the physical world. Biomes, such as rainforests and deserts, are explored and students enjoy researching the similarities and differences of these ecosystems across the world.
The Art area provides exposure to a variety of media, to brush and writing tool techniques as well as a variety of methods to layer paints and use paper to create two- and three-dimensional structures. Children create self-portraits at the beginning and the end of each year. The proper care of materials is also stressed. Children are free to pursue their own creative instincts in this area — emphasis is placed on “process over product.”
In preschool Music, children are introduced to songs, chants, and games both familiar and from around the world. Third year students (5s) also learn to make and follow simple rhythmic patterns, sing rounds, and play instruments in their separate weekly music classes.
In preschool Music, children are introduced to songs, chants, and games both familiar and from around the world. Third year students (5s) also learn to make and follow simple rhythmic patterns, sing rounds, and play instruments in their separate weekly music classes.
Kindergarten students are introduced to Spanish through playful activities, sing-alongs, the use of concrete materials and TPR (Total Physical Response). The TPR method combines listening and physical gestures to help students gain comfort, confidence and skill with a new language. The TPR skills of observing, listening to, interpreting, executing and giving commands increase in difficulty as the students advance. Students start learning the names and sounds of vowels and learn the names of objects and animals whose names start with each letter. Our program uses the Montessori methodology, as a way to make Spanish more realistic and significant.
In Kindergarten, the Physical Education program emphasizes the development of the ABCS (agility, balance, coordination, and speed). Students are introduced to fundamental locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. In addition, students develop listening skills. Grace, courtesy, and other cooperative skills are taught and modeled. Students will develop skills independently as well as cooperatively. The focus is on learning through movement, play, and repetition.