"Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence."
 

~Maria Montessori

Toddler

The purpose of the toddler environment is to help each child develop independence, motor coordination, language and social skills. The teachers assist children in this development through careful preparation of the classroom and through their interaction with the children. Our toddler classroom affords the two-year old child a unique year of self development in a tender atmosphere of special understanding, respect and support.

The teachers observe the children each day and monitor their development and readiness. The Montessori environment offers toddlers opportunities to participate in songs, dance, large muscle activities and crafts. The children are given freedom of choice in order to develop independence and skills needed before entering the Children’s House. The Toddler environment is a simpler and slower paced classroom than the Children’s House.

It is vital for young children to have a trusting relationship with the classroom staff. It is a priority to provide consistency in staffing and schedules to make our toddler environment a secure and inviting place for young children.

Children entering the toddler classroom must be two years of age by the first day of school. Children do not need to be potty trained for this classroom.

Children’s House (ages 3 to 6)

Practical Life
When children enter the classroom they are immediately welcomed. It is a warm and friendly environment. The children are shown around the classroom and find familiar items in the Practical Life area. Children have an understanding of how many of these activities work, because they have seen them around home. Maria Montessori describes the exercises of Practical Life as the foundation for all future learning. The children will develop concentration, coordination of movement, order and independence through these exercises. Practical life exercises can also be identified as daily living activities. The areas of practical life include preliminary exercises, grace and courtesy, care of self, care of the environment, control of movement and food preparation.

Sensorial
Through the use of the sensorial material, the children refine their senses. Children develop an understanding of dimension, size, shape, color, texture, sound, smell and taste through the use of the material. The children use a series of activities to discriminate among many objects by using their senses. The sensorial and practical life areas prepare children to enter into math, language and cultural studies.

Math
The Math program begins with the learning of one to one correspondence and the mastery of 1 through 10 and the concept of zero. The next step is learning the entire decimal system. This is the where the golden bead work is utilized. Children learn the physical reality and conceptual quantity of units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. The children are then introduced to mathematical operations using the golden beads with which they are now familiar. An important concept of exchange is taught in concrete format so that even young children can understand that once you reach ten units we must now exchange the units for tens and that ten units makes one ten. After concrete operations the children then learn the same operations in abstraction and begin paper and pencil tasks of adding and subtracting numbers to the thousands with exchanging. Memorization of math facts is also introduced and practiced. Other math concepts such as patterning, money, time, measurement and fractions are taught.

Language
The children in the Montessori classroom learn to write and read phonetically. This means they learn to encode and decode words by learning the sounds in the English language. Children begin their language experiences with many kinds of games and activities that build phonemic awareness and pre-reading skills. Children move through the language curriculum working toward total reading and writing.

Culture
Children explore physical and cultural geography using a variety of exciting hands-on materials. The children learn about the continents and oceans. They explore land and water forms. The children use experimentation to learn concepts in life science, physical science, earth-space science. Our program also includes extensive botany and zoology studies.

Music and Movement
Children sing songs and learn finger plays, listen to music and work on fine and gross motor skills daily.

Art and Crafts
Children are given the opportunity to work on craft projects daily. Our program also features art history and appreciation. The children are given presentation in the elements of art such as line, shape, texture, color, light and space.
 

Elementary (ages 6 to 12)

Chesapeake Montessori School views the child as a whole person and we take into consideration their academic, social, emotional, and physical growth. Our goal is to help the child grow into an independent, confident and inquisitive person. The Montessori elementary program is based on developmental needs common to 6-12 year old children; however, it continues to be an individualized program in many ways.

The Montessori elementary curriculum emphasizes the interconnectedness of the knowledge and experience the child has. As such, the Montessori elementary program is not sectioned into boxes as that is not how children experience the world. Making connections between what they learn excites children, stimulates their imagination, and gives children a sense that they already know so much and can easily learn more. Most importantly, they learn that they are not dependent on the teacher for all their information; rather, they acquire habits and methods of learning on their own.

In observing a Montessori elementary program, it is common to see children working productively even though there are no external rewards or consequences. Children who work independently and with purpose tend to experience more significant learning with longer-lasting results than those children who work to complete product associated activities. Testing is not a common occurrence as the teacher knows each child well and keeps records of their work.

There are six major areas of study in the Montessori elementary curriculum; language, math, geometry, biology, history, and geography. The teacher's role is to present key information and material in an area of study and then to guide the children in developing projects to explore different aspects of the subject area. Children at this age are encouraged to and want to learn more about the "hows" and "whys" of things. This inquiry and curiosity leads to more research, discussion, and large-scale projects. At this level, children may be introduced to more science and social studies in an effort to meet the growing needs of the child's intellect.

Language
The Montessori language program for the elementary level includes the learning of the history of language, grammar, reading, writing, and spelling. Grammar is continued in the same manner as it is taught at the Children's House level. The symbols used in functions of words exercises are seen again at the elementary level. Children study history of words, word study, analysis of sentence structure and parts of speech. Children practice their reading, writing, and spelling skills in their work in all subject areas. The children continue with the reading program and expand their horizons by reading in various subject areas while doing research for projects. Writing continues in a scientific format as children do research and also in a creative format to encourage self-expression.

Mathematics and Geometry At the elementary level, the children continue in their development of mathematics skills from a concrete to an abstract level. The child moves from abstract operations to memorization of facts. Other mathematical concepts taught at this level include fractions, the squares and cubes of numbers, as well as multiples and factors. Geometry is taught with manipulatives as is the rest of the Montessori math program. This provides the children with opportunities to make their own discoveries about geometric principles and relationships.

Biology
In the elementary classroom, children are given the opportunity to learn about the behavior and physiology of animals and plants. Animal and plant kingdoms are presented and extensive studies are done in each area. Children are incredibly curious in this area to name, classify, define, and compare the objects they study. Real experiences are provided in this area as much as possible.

History
The history of humans begins with a look at basic physical and spiritual needs of people and the ways in which cultures have tried to meet them. This naturally leads into a study of different cultures and their unique characteristics as well as what these cultures have in common. This study of history also re-emphasizes the interconnectedness of things as well as the connection between people and their environments.

Geography
The study of geography begins with the various theories of the beginnings of the Universe and the forces of physical science involved. The study then continues with a look at the forces of nature that have helped shape our world such as: erosion, volcanic forces, wind, and the properties of matter. Again, children are provided with experiences through demonstrations, activities, and experiments they perform individually, in small groups, or as a class.

Art, Music, Drama, and Physical Education
In art, children continue their instruction in the techniques of art and the various media used in art. Music, art, drama, and other cultural forms are part of the daily life of the class. The work with ear training with both the diatonic and chromatic scales began in the Children's House. In the elementary classroom we build upon these experiences, taking children into the beginnings of reading and writing music. Beautiful singing is, of course, a part of every day in the classroom.

Rather than art projects, we teach techniques and media for artistic expression. Children use colored pencils, clay, paints, collage, and other media to illustrate the work they do in all subjects. Since art, like any other work, is not limited to short "art class" periods and projects, children's creativity has a chance to truly grow and bloom as a part of everyday activity. Music, art history and appreciation are also included as a part of the children's study of human culture and can lead to "going out" to attend a performance or visit a gallery.

Drama is a very noticeable part of a Montessori classroom. It is a special love of many children this age, and serves a number of purposes. Making an original play or skit about something they have rencently learned is one way in which children truly make knowledge their own. It can also be the occasion for learning to write dialogue, or how to stage or perform in a play. Students also may research and create character performances as part of their study of history.

Children are physically active continuously throughout the day. Nonetheless, there is a need for the aerobic activity and skill development that physical education provides. Staff teach activities as diverse as yoga, soccer, and other group games at different times during the year. Always our emphasis is on skill-building, to develop consciousness and control of movement, to enhance personal confidence, and to teach techniques and values of teamwork and cooperation.

Life After Montessori
Many parents observe the school and say, "It's a great program, but what happens when they leave Montessori at age 9 or 12? How will they adjust to more traditional schools?"

The children leaving CMS have had successful transitions regardless of whether they move to public or other private schools. We are confident that, although children will notice the differences between schools, the self-motivation, self-discipline and love of learning which children experience and make part of themselves here, will serve them well in whatever environment they find themselves in later in life.