SAN FRANCISCO MONTESSORI ACADEMY​

Timeless Teachings in a Changing World

Practical Life:

This area of the curriculum is designed to invite the young learner to act and work on real-life skills that foster independence, coordination, order, and concentration.

 

Examples include Cleaning, setting the table, dressing, and undressing, folding clothes, washing clothes, making beds, gardening, personal hygiene and emergency preparedness.

 

Sensorial:

The basic sensorial exercise inspires careful observation and calls attention to specific qualities requiring identification of similarities and contrasts. The mind must judge, compare, classify and draw conclusions. These real and meaningful exercises fascinate and challenge the children.

 

Examples include The Pink Tower, Binomial Cube, Color Wheel, Constructive Triangles and Sound Cylinders.

 

Mathematics:

Mathematics in the Montessori classroom can be separated into a few major categories: beginning counting, advanced counting, the decimal system, rational numbers (fractions), and the operations of addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. Concepts are presented in a very concrete way so that children 3-6 are not only able to count but skip count, square numbers and work with numbers in the thousands.

 

Examples include Red and Blue number Rods, Sand Paper Numerals and Spindle boxes.

 

Language:

The Montessori approach in learning language introduces children to sounds and letters first which leads to writing. After several sounds are mastered, they can begin to encode (spell) and decode (read) words by linking these sounds together.

 

Examples include Sandpaper Letters, Sequencing Cards, and Movable Alphabet.

 

Science & Geography:
The Montessori approach to science cultivates children's fascination with the universe and helps them develop a healthy lifelong interest in observing nature and discovering more about the world in which they live. Students work with specially designed maps and puzzles to learn geography. They learn about space, biology, physics (magnets and electricity), basic chemistry and anatomy.

 

Examples include Puzzles, globes/maps, skeletons, x-rays, visiting zoo, and micro-slides.