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Greensboro Montessori School Primary Curriculum
Three to six year olds.(half day for 3- 4 year olds; full day for 5- 6 year olds, depending on readiness.)

The goal of the Primary program at Greensboro Montessori School is to help the child develop independence and discipline from within while learning academic and life skills. Children in this program explore basic concepts and discover their own uniqueness in a carefully prepared environment that provides developmentally appropriate materials and activities, and the right balance of freedom and limits. Well-trained teachers observe children individually in order to see which areas of the classroom they are drawn to and what their interests are. The teachers keep careful records of the child's activities so they may plan lessons accordingly to meet the child's sensitive periods for learning.

Practical Life activities are the foundation for the child's learning in the Montessori classroom. At Greensboro Montessori School we offer the children opportunities to take care of their own needs, such as polishing their shoes and making their own snack, and the needs of their environment, such as watering plants, dusting and washing their dishes. Learning how to manage these practical life skills bridges the gap between home life and life at school and helps build the child's self-esteem. Carrying out these activities also builds the child's concentration, coordination of movement, sense of order, ability to complete a task and aids the development of the will. These qualities are key to the child's success as s/he grows older and develops more academic interests. Grace and Courtesy lessons are also given which aid the child's communication skills and social development.


Other aspects of the primary curriculum at Greensboro Montessori School are:

Sensorial Materials: Hands-on, manipulative materials and exercises having to do with sensory discrimination, observation and descriptive language. These exercises aid the child in organizing and categorizing the sensory impressions s/he receives from the outside world. In many ways the sensorial materials also lay the foundation for introduction to mathematical concepts.

Language: Beginning with phonetic sound recognition the child learns to read and write by connecting the letter symbol(s) to each sound, de-coding and rebuilding words using movable letters of the alphabet, and by developing the coordination of the hand and wrist with specifically designed materials. There are many opportunities for the child to develop her/his receptive and expressive vocabulary in the Montessori classroom.

Mathematics: Activities include counting and number symbol recognition, basic exercises showing the function of the decimal system and the processes of the four basic mathematical operations. Meticulous design of the sensorial and math materials lays the foundation for the child's later understanding of geometry and algebra.

Cultural: Central to the primary classroom are experiences which provide the child with opportunities to learn about geography and various cultures, history, music, art, science and nature. In the spirit of inspiring peace in the world, Dr. Montessori's ultimate vision, the cultural activities help the child respect differences by showing the basic similarities of human beings and other living things.

Second Language Learning: In order to expose children to a second language during what Maria Montessori called “the sensitive period” for absorbing languages, all the Primary classes have Spanish lessons 2 times a week, given by a native speaking teacher. One class has lessons regularly in Spanish and in French. Another class has lessons regularly in Spanish and in Japanese. A third Primary class offers a dual language program in English and Spanish in which one teacher speaks in English and one in Spanish. This class is moving towards becoming a Spanish immersion class over the next year.

The School, in promoting its mission of creating “ global citizens,” offers these multiple languages and cultures to support our students in their knowledge of diversity and in the future progression of global integration.