MONTESSORI BILINGUAL SCHOOL
Characteristics of children aged 6 to 9 :
From the age of 6, the child consolidates his previous learning. He goes from an absorbing mind to an understanding mind. From 6 to 12 years old, he is constantly reasoning and questioning, buildings himself up:
- Socially: as a member of a community, he seeks the company of his peers. He likes to be with friends, to act in a group.
- Morally: he develops an awareness necessary for social and community life. He has a great sense of justice and wants to distinguish what is right from what is wrong. He asks himself questions about what is acceptable or unacceptable.
- From the point of view of the imagination: it allows access to what is not visible or directly perceived by the senses. This creative faculty allows it to rise abstractly.
- Culturally: the child acquires culture
- Intellectually: the child is interested in everything and has the ability to access much more than we think.
The child having gone from "I" to "us", is able to decentralize himself and turn towards the world.
Thus, Montessori pedagogy encompasses the child in History: the history of the Earth, language and mathematics. By involving them in this way, particularly through the great stories, we make them aware of what they owe to those who have gone before them. It also makes them responsible for the continuation of history.
THE PROGRAMME
The 3-6 years / 6-12 years cut (which can be cut into 2 cycles 6-9 and 9-12) may seem artificial. It is not free. It corresponds, according to Maria Montessori, to two very distinct planes of child development.
As stated above, the child before the age of 6 is entirely centred on the construction of his or her own intellectual and emotional personhood from what surrounds him or her. After the age of 6, he becomes capable of decentring, of entering into abstraction and using his imagination to conceive of what is far from him, in time or space.
LANGUAGE
Writing and reading
To know how to write is both to know the shape of letters, to know
to draw them and connect them together while respecting the horizontal: an action
physical. But it also means knowing how to compose words, sentences and phrases
in a physical way. paragraphs, texts: an intellectual action. As with reading, one must
learn the tool "the code" and the aim of the tool "the meaning of what is written or read".
There are many steps to making a child a good reader and to really master writing. All
of them are indispensable, to Montessori, each of them is carefully broken down into
using the right equipment for each phase.
Word analysis
In the Montessori curriculum, 6 years old is the age of "Great Stories", which transport
the child in time and space to tell him what has happened before him since the
appearance of the Universe.
One of the stories is about the invention of writing, another is about the invention of
our language. It is therefore alive, it evolves, it has a story. Learning its history allows us
to better understand the words. Learning the history of the language sometimes even
allows us to understand words we don't know.
Conjugation
In the field of conjugation, the Montessori approach offers a real step-by-step discovery.
It is not a question of putting the child in difficulty when faced with a verb
conjugated to all people by telling him to memorize them.
There is first of all a work of approach with the distinction between the noun and the
verb, the discovery of the different aspects of the verb and the sensitization to the notions of past, present, future.
The child has also already worked on pronouns, which will of course make it easier for people to understand the conjugation.
Explore the sentence to understand the function of the words
The purpose of this activity is to direct the child's attention to the function of words or groups of words so that he or she can better understand and interpret what he or she is reading. At this stage, the child needs to be able to read with ease and must have worked on all types of words (noun, adjective, verb, etc.). He will now analyse the structure of the sentences by experimenting with how each part is related to the verb using the material provided.
Written expression
Grammar, vocabulary and spelling are not ends in themselves: they are tools for expressing communication and artistic creation. There is another tool not to be neglected: style. This allows us to express ourselves in a way that is adapted to particular goals and audiences. It is important to learn and develop the tools and qualities of style, as well as imagination.
Oral expression
The child should be helped, as early as possible, to express himself/herself easily in public. A child from a Montessori school is normally not afraid to speak in front of others, because he is confident and is used to talking in groups with his peers. He should be shown how to organize his ideas and taught the art of captivating his audience.
MATHEMATICS
"The Story of Numbers" helps children understand the power of mathematics and motivates them to continue exploring numbers.
The progression in the Montessori mathematics curriculum is not strictly linear. Maria Montessori envisioned mathematics as a three-step progression:
the first level consists of numbers from one to ten, the value of the place
and the four operations.
the second level is dedicated to the memorization of mathematical facts.
the third level is where children study hierarchy, i.e. how numbers in the decimal system are related and grouped together.
Initially, they work from units to millions. Later, they learn that the concept of number is infinite. Children are free to climb from one level to the next while exploring different concepts of mathematics simultaneously.
By working with Montessori material, he will absorb these concrete notions which will later lead him to more abstract notions. From this point on, the child will have the potential to understand and appreciate mathematics. He will be able to build his own capacity for thinking and reasoning. This will be required for later abstract work.
Geometry
In a Montessori class all mathematical materials have a geometric aspect. Children between 3 and 6 years old study lines, angles and flat figures, as well as linear and cubic measurements. From the age of 6, children use boxes of cubes (binomial, trinomial) and prisms. Through their learning, children are able to discover abstract concepts of algebra, using materials that were once part of their sensory experiences.
NATURAL SCIENCE
Plants and animals are an essential part of the 6-9 year old environment. Children study the anatomy, physiology, and classification of living things using classroom resources such as books, nomenclature maps, and diagrams. They write reports starting with a simple study of one organism to a more advanced study of several organisms. On the comparative study of life forms, children make connections between today's organisms and their predecessors on the life timeline. As conditions on earth have changed, organisms that have been more complex have evolved.
GEOGRAPHY
Maria Montessori called her course for children from the age of 6 "cosmic education". There are two directions involved in this concept. Firstly, teaching always starts with a study of the "whole", which gives children a unique vision and a holistic basis for their education. Secondly, it is emphasized that each part of the cosmos is linked to and contributes to the whole. As children study geography and other subjects, they become interested not only in the world and how it works, but also in their individual roles and the part they can play in the continuing history of humankind.
The Great Story of the "Creation of the Universe" provides a broad overview, and then moves on to more detailed studies of the earth and its place in the universe.
HISTORY
The child's sense of personal time is the starting point for the history programme. By noting the passage of days, months and birthdays, children develop this sense of time awareness. The historical sense of time through the timelines of life and first people is also taught, followed by the B.C./Apr. time line. These visual aids, presented with stories, specimens and artifacts, help children understand the evolution of life and the development of civilizations.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, GERMAN
The Little Seed Bilingual Montessori School believes that the teaching of foreign languages corresponds to the general objectives of Montessori pedagogy. The study of foreign languages is only one way to humanize another culture. From 1H to 3H, the objective is to expose children to the sounds of English in order to put them at ease by listening, repeating and speaking it with simple words and phrases. By 4H, we aim to develop the students' vocabulary and grammar so that they can begin to manipulate and use the language. In addition, they begin to read and write in English in class and at home. In 4H, the language allema
MUSIC
Elementary music builds on the foundations of the "Sensory" curriculum in the 3-6 year-old section. Students have developed reasonable control of movement, improved their listening skills, and have had opportunities to sing, make music and move to music. Elementary music instruction seeks to balance skill development with free exploration and encourages a natural desire for self-expression. It also aims to develop the child's musical vocabulary and awareness of all kinds of musical expression. Music has the potential to develop the intellect and also social skills. Many skills related to music contribute to cognitive functioning.
ART / CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
Elementary art education aims to strike a balance between the teaching of skills and free exploration to encourage the child's natural desire to express himself or herself, to build the child's artistic vocabulary, to make him or her aware of artists and their techniques, and to provide knowledge of the various forms of artistic expression, from architecture to painting, sculpture and computer graphics.
Through artistic adventures, children become aware of the contribution of the arts and artists to societies and cultures, past and present. They develop a respect for this contribution. They develop a lasting appreciation of art from the dual perspectives of the participant and the audience and that it can be a non-verbal method of expressing opinions, perceptions, feelings and history.
GYMNASTICS
Elementary physical education is based on balance and motor skills practiced in the 3-6 age structure. Montessori School seeks to instill in children a love of physical activity, a healthy interest in staying in shape and an appreciation of the emotional well-being that regular physical activity can provide. The elementary physical education programme gives children the necessary experience with the basic principles of good sportsmanship. Competition is maintained at a healthy level with an emphasis on teamwork and cooperation, the development of good sportsmanship and the ability to move as a means of achieving lifelong well-being.
