Montessori Primary Curriculum Outline

Like the rest of VanDamme Academy’s curriculum, our K-1 class is focused primarily on academic subjects. At the center of this program are the language arts: composition, penmanship, reading, and grammar. Two central goals of the Montessori Primary class are for students to emerge as independent readers and to be able to write in complete sentences. Math and geometry are also integral to our program. The Montessori math materials offer an outstanding grounding in the base 10 place value system, the four operations, and fractions. History, geography, select topics in science, and practical life skills are also presented to the children. Daily group time with songs, games and conversation, plus outdoor playtime round out our Montessori program.

We do not assume any fluency in reading when we admit students to our Montessori Primary class; rather, we assess each child and tailor our program as much as possible to his level and ability. The flexibility of the Montessori classroom environment allows us to individualize presentations greatly. There is the potential, within this classroom, for the advanced student to move ahead quickly and the less advanced student to spend the necessary time mastering the basics of the three R’s.

The following is a select list of topics that a student can potentially cover in each subject area:

Language:

• Reading fluency
• Penmanship: printing, cursive
• Word study and spelling
• Composition: from prompts, captions, narrations, dictation
• Grammar: parts of speech, sentence analysis
• Enrichment activities
  

Math:

• Numeration to 1000
• The four operations
• Introduction to fractions
• Money and measurement

Geometry:

• Vocabulary of plane and solid figures
• Types and parts of lines, angles, triangles, polygons, and circles
• Concepts of congruency, similarity, and equivalence
• Introduction to area

Geography:

• Land and water forms of the world
• Continents and oceans
• Countries of North America, Europe, and other continents
• States of USA
• Animals around the world

History:

• Concepts of time
• Fundamental requirements of human life, studied across time and across cultures
• Stories and presentations about Ancient History, European History, and American History.

Science:

• Five classes of vertebrates, insects
• Parts of and needs of plants
• Basic topics in physics
• Introductory geology

Practical Life:

• The four seasons
• Telling time on a clock
• Tying shoes and lacing
• Sewing and crafts