Montessori
Content
Constantia Kloof Montessori
Curriculum
At Constantia Kloof Montessori, lessons are
introduced simply and concretely in the early
years and are reintroduced several times during
the following years at increasing degrees of
abstraction and complexity.
The following is a brief overview of our
curriculum and since students progress at their
own pace; it is not possible to divide up the
curriculum by grade levels.
Reading and Language Arts
Pre-reading
Due to the vertical age grouping, the younger
children are exposed to the older children in the
class who are already reading. It tends to create
in younger children a spontaneous interest in
learning how to read. We begin to teach reading
as soon as that interest is expressed.
- The children are taught through many early
approaches to listen for and to recognise the
individual phonetic sounds in words.
- We introduce the children to literature by
reading aloud and discussing a wide range of
stories.
- We help our youngest students to recognise
the shape and the phonetic sound of the
alphabet with the use of “sandpaper letters”, a
tactile alphabet.
Reading
- Sounding out simple three or four letter phonic
words
- Early exercises to practice reading: labelling
objects, naming things that interest the
children, botany and zoology classified cards.
- Learning to recognise verbs: exercises in which
the child reads a card with a verbal command
(run, skip, etc.) and demonstrates his
understanding by acting it out.
- Reading specially selected or prepared small
books on topics that interest the children.
Handwriting
Control of the hand in preparation for writing with
the movable alphabet.
Tracing letters into sand.
Later, writing on blackboards.
Later, writing on exercise books.
Compose words through oral dictation.
Spelling
Children begin to spell using the movable
alphabet to sound out and spell words.
- Learning to sound out and spell simple phonic
words (pink and blue language series.)
- Learning to recognise and spell words
including phonograms (green language series.)
- Developing a personal dictionary of words that
they can now spell.
- Learning to recognise and spell “sight words”.
- Learning compound words, singular/plural,
synonyms and antonyms.
Grammar
- The study of grammar starts immediately after
the child begins to read. It continues over
several years.
- Children are introduced to the function of the
different parts of speech, through geometric
symbols that represent each element of
grammar (for example, the verb is a large red
circle). Children place the symbols for the
appropriate parts of speech over each word.
- Once the children have mastered the concrete
symbols, they use grammar boxes that allow
them to analyse sentences by their parts of
speech.
Mathematics
Children are usually introduced to numbers at
age 3 learning the numbers and symbols 1 to 10.
They use sandpaper numbers, number rods,
spindle box, cards and counters and sight
recognition.
The introduction to the decimal system follows
with the units, tens, hundreds and thousands
represented by concrete material (one single
bead = 1, a ten bead bar = 10, 10 bead bars
fastened together = 100, a cube 10 units wide,
10 units long and ten units high represents
1000).
The children recognise the quantity, then form
numbers and read them back.
Learning teen numbers: 12=10+2. This is done
using a concrete material (Sequin Board A) and
the children recognise the numbers then form
them and read them back.
Learning ten numbers (10 to 100). This is done
using concrete equipment (Sequin Board B),
where the children recognise the numbers form
them and read them back.
The development of the concept of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division is done
through work with the Golden beads materials.
Children build numbers and solve operations
correctly. They are also exposed to the concept of
dynamic addition and subtraction.
Adding and subtracting numbers under 10
without the use of concrete materials.
Development of the concept of long
multiplication and division through concrete work
with the stamp game and the beads material.
Introduction to money: recognition of the
different coins and paper money, change and
concept that 10x10 cents piece equals to 1 Rand.
Geometry
Recognising and naming basic shapes and
geometric solids using concrete materials.
Recognising and naming more advanced plane
geometric solids and various polygons.
Geography
The shape of each continent is recognised
through the colour globe.
The early concept of land and water is formed
through the use of the sandpaper globe.
The puzzle maps represent each continent and
allow the children to name the different countries
of each continent.
Land and water forms: concrete materials to help
the children understand the basic land and water
formations (island, lake, bay, cape, isthmus,
peninsula, strait, etc). The children recognise
them first at a three dimensional level followed
by the recognition of shapes on maps and
photographs.
Maps and compass: introduction to longitude and
latitude.
Formation and structure of the Earth: formation
of the oceans and volcanoes, study of natural
disasters.
Study of the regions, cultures and natural
resources of South Africa.
Study of a continent, then a nation at a time.
Study of the basic needs of man (food, shelter,
clothing, transport, culture, spirituality, etc).
Concept of time through telling the time on the
clock.
Timeline of the Earth.
Science
Differentiation between living and non-living.
Differentiation between animals and plants.
Observation of animals in nature.
Learning about the animal’s kingdom, habitats,
and life styles.
Puzzles representing parts of flowers, trees,
plants, root systems.
Puzzles representing the anatomical features of
different animals.
Use of nomenclature cards, identifying, naming
and labelling the different parts of a plant or an
animal.
Introduction to ecology: habitat, life cycles, and
food chain.
Practical Life Skills
- Dressing oneself
- Learning home address and telephone number
- Pouring liquid without spilling
- Carrying objects without dropping
- Carrying liquid without spilling
- Walking carefully avoiding bumping into
people
- Using knifes, forks and scissors with good
control
- Putting material away where it belongs
- Working carefully and neatly
- Dusting, polishing, sweeping
- Table setting
- Folding cloths
- Simple use of needle and thread
- Using tweezers, tongs, eye-droppers, locks
- Food preparation
- Weaving and bead stringing
Sensorial Area
Visual discrimination
- Discrimination of size and dimension
- Discrimination of length and width
- Discrimination of colours
- Learning primary, secondary and tertiary
colours
Auditory discrimination
- Listening for sounds
- Matching sounds
- Matching sounds to pictures
- Grading sound cylinder
- Tone bars
Sense of touch
- Mystery bags
-
Thermic bottles
Baric tablets
Touch boards
Touch tablets
Sense of smell
- Identifying scents
- Labelling scents
- Matching scents
Sense of taste
- Identify tastes and language
- Labelling tastes
- Matching tastes
Stereo Gnostic sense
- Sorting objects by touch
- Sorting shapes by touch
- Sorting sizes by touch
- Mystery bags.
Curriculum
At Constantia Kloof Montessori, lessons are
introduced simply and concretely in the early
years and are reintroduced several times during
the following years at increasing degrees of
abstraction and complexity.
The following is a brief overview of our
curriculum and since students progress at their
own pace; it is not possible to divide up the
curriculum by grade levels.
Reading and Language Arts
Pre-reading
Due to the vertical age grouping, the younger
children are exposed to the older children in the
class who are already reading. It tends to create
in younger children a spontaneous interest in
learning how to read. We begin to teach reading
as soon as that interest is expressed.
- The children are taught through many early
approaches to listen for and to recognise the
individual phonetic sounds in words.
- We introduce the children to literature by
reading aloud and discussing a wide range of
stories.
- We help our youngest students to recognise
the shape and the phonetic sound of the
alphabet with the use of “sandpaper letters”, a
tactile alphabet.
Reading
- Sounding out simple three or four letter phonic
words
- Early exercises to practice reading: labelling
objects, naming things that interest the
children, botany and zoology classified cards.
- Learning to recognise verbs: exercises in which
the child reads a card with a verbal command
(run, skip, etc.) and demonstrates his
understanding by acting it out.
- Reading specially selected or prepared small
books on topics that interest the children.
Handwriting
Control of the hand in preparation for writing with
the movable alphabet.
Tracing letters into sand.
Later, writing on blackboards.
Later, writing on exercise books.
Compose words through oral dictation.
Spelling
Children begin to spell using the movable
alphabet to sound out and spell words.
- Learning to sound out and spell simple phonic
words (pink and blue language series.)
- Learning to recognise and spell words
including phonograms (green language series.)
- Developing a personal dictionary of words that
they can now spell.
- Learning to recognise and spell “sight words”.
- Learning compound words, singular/plural,
synonyms and antonyms.
Grammar
- The study of grammar starts immediately after
the child begins to read. It continues over
several years.
- Children are introduced to the function of the
different parts of speech, through geometric
symbols that represent each element of
grammar (for example, the verb is a large red
circle). Children place the symbols for the
appropriate parts of speech over each word.
- Once the children have mastered the concrete
symbols, they use grammar boxes that allow
them to analyse sentences by their parts of
speech.
Mathematics
Children are usually introduced to numbers at
age 3 learning the numbers and symbols 1 to 10.
They use sandpaper numbers, number rods,
spindle box, cards and counters and sight
recognition.
The introduction to the decimal system follows
with the units, tens, hundreds and thousands
represented by concrete material (one single
bead = 1, a ten bead bar = 10, 10 bead bars
fastened together = 100, a cube 10 units wide,
10 units long and ten units high represents
1000).
The children recognise the quantity, then form
numbers and read them back.
Learning teen numbers: 12=10+2. This is done
using a concrete material (Sequin Board A) and
the children recognise the numbers then form
them and read them back.
Learning ten numbers (10 to 100). This is done
using concrete equipment (Sequin Board B),
where the children recognise the numbers form
them and read them back.
The development of the concept of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division is done
through work with the Golden beads materials.
Children build numbers and solve operations
correctly. They are also exposed to the concept of
dynamic addition and subtraction.
Adding and subtracting numbers under 10
without the use of concrete materials.
Development of the concept of long
multiplication and division through concrete work
with the stamp game and the beads material.
Introduction to money: recognition of the
different coins and paper money, change and
concept that 10x10 cents piece equals to 1 Rand.
Geometry
Recognising and naming basic shapes and
geometric solids using concrete materials.
Recognising and naming more advanced plane
geometric solids and various polygons.
Geography
The shape of each continent is recognised
through the colour globe.
The early concept of land and water is formed
through the use of the sandpaper globe.
The puzzle maps represent each continent and
allow the children to name the different countries
of each continent.
Land and water forms: concrete materials to help
the children understand the basic land and water
formations (island, lake, bay, cape, isthmus,
peninsula, strait, etc). The children recognise
them first at a three dimensional level followed
by the recognition of shapes on maps and
photographs.
Maps and compass: introduction to longitude and
latitude.
Formation and structure of the Earth: formation
of the oceans and volcanoes, study of natural
disasters.
Study of the regions, cultures and natural
resources of South Africa.
Study of a continent, then a nation at a time.
Study of the basic needs of man (food, shelter,
clothing, transport, culture, spirituality, etc).
Concept of time through telling the time on the
clock.
Timeline of the Earth.
Science
Differentiation between living and non-living.
Differentiation between animals and plants.
Observation of animals in nature.
Learning about the animal’s kingdom, habitats,
and life styles.
Puzzles representing parts of flowers, trees,
plants, root systems.
Puzzles representing the anatomical features of
different animals.
Use of nomenclature cards, identifying, naming
and labelling the different parts of a plant or an
animal.
Introduction to ecology: habitat, life cycles, and
food chain.
Practical Life Skills
- Dressing oneself
- Learning home address and telephone number
- Pouring liquid without spilling
- Carrying objects without dropping
- Carrying liquid without spilling
- Walking carefully avoiding bumping into
people
- Using knifes, forks and scissors with good
control
- Putting material away where it belongs
- Working carefully and neatly
- Dusting, polishing, sweeping
- Table setting
- Folding cloths
- Simple use of needle and thread
- Using tweezers, tongs, eye-droppers, locks
- Food preparation
- Weaving and bead stringing
Sensorial Area
Visual discrimination
- Discrimination of size and dimension
- Discrimination of length and width
- Discrimination of colours
- Learning primary, secondary and tertiary
colours
Auditory discrimination
- Listening for sounds
- Matching sounds
- Matching sounds to pictures
- Grading sound cylinder
- Tone bars
Sense of touch
- Mystery bags
-
Thermic bottles
Baric tablets
Touch boards
Touch tablets
Sense of smell
- Identifying scents
- Labelling scents
- Matching scents
Sense of taste
- Identify tastes and language
- Labelling tastes
- Matching tastes
Stereo Gnostic sense
- Sorting objects by touch
- Sorting shapes by touch
- Sorting sizes by touch
- Mystery bags.
