CURRICULUM

REGGIO CURRICULUM

EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD

At Heritage Montessori School, each child will benefit from a completely individualized, enriching curriculum that is designed to develop the whole child. We specialize in STEAM enrichment. The following important components are incorporated:

Reggio Curriculum

Heart and brain connected by a knot on a

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children make key decisions about their learning path
Thoughts and opinions of children are respected
Practice critical thinking skills through the process of hands-on inquiry
Document and display the learning process to improve memory and allow for reflection
Use imagination to solve problems and represent thinking in creative ways
Encourage students to sort, compare, organize, classify and identify patterns

LANGUAGE & SPEECH

Provide a litercy-rich environment
Routinely engage in classroom and one-on-one discussions with teachers and peers
Writing activities from tracing sandpaper letters to creating stories
Multiple opportunities to sing songs and participate in imaginative play
Build phonemic and phonological awareness through rhyming and word games

MATHEMATICS

Develop the concept of numbers, size, shape, color, positional terms, patterns, and ratios using real world math tools and Montessori materials
Use numbers in various ways in the context of daily routines and play
Perform basic calculations and make reasonable estimates regarding size or amount
Sort and arrange objects by one or more attribute (size, color, shape, texture)
Develop the concept of time through everyday conversations and daily routines.
Verbally and pictorially explain mathematical thinking

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Multiple daily opportunities to participate in the process of inquiry. Children:
- pose questions
- find resources
- conduct experiments
- interpret new information
- report their results
Use appropriate tools to enhance their learning:
- iPad - look up information, interact with maps, type words and phrases
- digital cameras - document learning, record observations, make short films

THE ARTS

Create quality works that represent personal choices and ideas
Create art in two and three dimensions with various materials
Tell a story about what they have drawn, painted or constructed
Sing and dance to familiar and child created songs
Play a wide range of musical instruments (drums, ukulele, keyboard)
Engage in dynamic dramatic play with and without props
Act out familiar stories with imagination.

SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL

Daily collaboration and relationship building with peers and teachers
Exercise patience and perseverance
Help the child to identify intense emotions, determine what caused them, and navigate through them
Respectfully resolving disagreements and offering solutions
How to help others and ask for help; how to decline help
Yoga and relaxation techniques
Participation in the care of the classroom, materials and pets

FINE & GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Children regularly practice cutting, pouring, tying, buttoning, writing and drawing, manipulating small materials, peeling and cutting food, and handling utensils
Teachers provide daily opportunities to enhance kinesthetic sense through a variety of physical activities including throwing, climbing, jumping and balancing

MONTESSORI CURRICULUM

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE LESSONS

The Primary Classroom (age 3-6) is divided into four main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Mathematics and Language. However, subjects are not taught in isolation as the Montessori curriculum is interdisciplinary, interactive and interrelated. The academic growth of each child is very important to us and all the individual areas directly or indirectly support development of academic skills.

Montessori Curriculum

PRACTICAL LIFE

Practical Life exercises instill care for self, others, and the environment. These are real life activities that children may observe at home such as buttoning, tying, washing, sweeping, pouring, sewing, as well as exercises of grace and courtesy. Fine motor skills are refined, ordered steps are carried out and independence is developed. Through these tasks children develop muscular coordination, learn to work at a task from beginning to end and develop their powers of control and concentration.

SENSORIAL

Specially designed materials teach children concepts and vocabulary using their senses. Sensorial exercises allow children to build cognitive skills and learn to order and classify impressions by touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, listening and exploring the physical properties of their environment such as size, shape, color, weight and sound.

MATHEMATICS

Mathematic activities help children learn and understand the concepts of math by manipulating concrete materials that enable students to perform the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. This work gives children a solid understanding of basic mathematical principles, prepares them for later abstract reasoning and helps to develop problem-solving skills.

LANGUAGE

Language development is vital to human development. Our environment fosters oral language opportunities, allowing the children to experience conversations, stories and poetry. Sandpaper letters help children link sounds and symbols effortlessly. Metal insets and movable alphabet encourage the development of written expression and reading skills.

MUSIC & ART

Comprehensive art and music programs give the children every opportunity to enjoy a variety of creative activities including songs, rhythm instruments, movement and finger plays. Art is available daily through collage, painting, drawing, and crafts.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is presented through puzzle maps and land forms. It includes the study of people and cultures in our country and around the world with an attitude of respect and admiration.

BOTANY & BIOLOGY

In our outdoor environment children are able to garden, collect, study, identify and label leaves, flowers and plants. We also study insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and mammals. These lessons and experiences with nature inspire a reverence for all life.

The Third Teacher

THE THIRD TEACHER

The learning environment plays an integral role in fostering an emergent curriculum. Children thrive in environments that are stimulating, offer choices, provoke exploration, and are developmentally appropriate.

The nature-filled environment at Heritage Montessori School is aesthetic, inviting, organized with purposeful materials. It promotes relationship building, communication skills, collaboration, and hands-on exploration. Materials are thoughtfully selected to promote open-ended, meaningful play.

Everyday children and their teachers practice creative thinking and problem solving skills. They ask questions, experiment and use their imaginations. They demonstrate independence, mutual respect and care for their surroundings.

EXPLORING LOOSE PARTS

Building intellect and creativity by engaging all the senses

THE ATELIER

Art supplies are readily available to all children to independently create throughout the day

THE OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT

From seed to table, there are endless academic possibilities across all subject areas

Kindergarten Curriculum

KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

Kindergarten is a critical year for young children. Our program is uniquely designed to provide a comprehensive educational experience that helps children develop the skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Our curriculum is aligned with state standards and is taught by talented and dedicated teachers who understand the unique needs of young learners. We use a variety of engaging and interactive teaching methods in a carefully planned environment to keep children motivated and excited about learning.

We focus on building a strong foundation in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies while also emphasizing social and emotional learning, practical life skills, creative expression, and physical development through whole group and small group activities and play-based learning.

At the heart of our comprehensive kindergarten curriculum are the overarching principles of creative thinking, perseverance, kindness, and collaboration. We believe in nurturing the whole child by providing a safe, supportive and engaging experience that prepares them for academic success and a lifetime love of learning.

If you have any questions about our kindergarten program or would like to schedule a tour, please contact us today!

LANGUAGE ARTS

Our language arts program is carefully designed to help children develop the foundational skills that are critical to becoming confident readers and writers. We use a balanced literacy approach that includes daily whole-group, small-group, and individualized instruction.

Grounded in research-based Science of Reading principles, our targeted, small-group instruction focuses on:

letter recognition
basic concepts of print
phonemic awareness (the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words)
phonics-based reading
common high-frequency words
vocabulary
comprehension strategies
story retelling
fostering a love of reading

WRITING INSTRUCTION

Writing instruction centers around:

Writing each upper and lower case letter in the alphabet
Writing words using phonemic awareness skills
Working as a group to draft a story
Generating story ideas and create pictures to match

By the end of the year students will begin to write with purpose, including functional, creative, descriptive, and narrative compositions.

MATHEMATICS

Our math program is based on the Singapore Math method, focusing on strong number sense and problem-solving skills. Using a combination of Montessori and real-world materials, we offer inquiry-based learning experiences that help children make sense of essential mathematical concepts. Our students learn:

number recognition with 1:1 correspondence through 30
counting and writing numbers to 100
subitizing
place value
addition and subtraction
equal sharing
measurement and data
algebraic thinking
geometry

SCIENCE

Children are naturally curious explorers with unlimited questions. They are born scientists! We use inquiry-based learning experiences that allow children to ask questions, make predictions, and explore the world through hands-on activities in our beautiful outdoor environment and gardens. Our program includes activities that focus on:

The Inquiry process: observations, questions, hypotheses, investigating, modeling, analysis, conclusions and communication
History and Nature of Science: individual and cultural contributions to science
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: understanding the impact of technology
Life Sciences: characteristics of organisms and their environments, life cycles
Physical Science: properties of objects and materials, position and motion of objects, energy and magnetism
Earth and Space: properties of earth materials, changes in earth and sky

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social studies focuses on civics, geography, economics, and history that are relevant to students’ lives. Our program is designed to help children cultivate an understanding of the world around them. We use hands-on, experiential learning that encourages students to make connections between themselves and the world.

ARTS AND MUSIC

Our arts and music program is designed to inspire children to develop their creativity and self-expression utilizing different mediums. We supply a variety of high-quality materials and tools allowing children to explore and experiment with different art forms. Our program also includes music activities that improve memory, support listening skills and nurture an appreciation for different types of music.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Physical fitness and spending time outside are vital for a child’s healthy development. Our physical education program promotes the development of gross motor skills, coordination and strength, listening skills, decision making, and problem solving using a variety of activities and games in our extensive outdoor environment.