Preprimary

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• Montessori Experience

  Starting in our preprimary classrooms, students' identities are affirmed and their voices have power. Our curriculum centers equity built on a foundation of inclusion. Our classrooms support independence and logic. Every corner holds interesting materials that children investigate and use to understand their world. 

  
  Materials evolve from the simple to the complex; the concrete to the more abstract. Each material isolates one skill or concept, and each is designed to be naturally appealing to the child. The materials are self-correcting, so children engage in a process of checking their own work and grow their ability to solve problems independently. Their explorations inspire them to ask questions and become independent learners and confident risk takers.

  
  In the Practical Life area, children learn to care for themselves and their environment. They develop competence in the skills of everyday living, and grow as independent human beings. The Sensorial area focuses the child's attention on the physical world with activities that use the senses to sharpen awareness, discrimination, and observational skills. The Language area encourages the students' natural interest in language and develops the literacy skills that will lead to reading and writing. The Math area encourages the ability to think mathematically and provides materials for developing number sense, counting skills, and concepts such as equivalence and compensation. The Science area invites students to inquire into the natural world and to develop strategies and understandings for answering their own questions. The Cultural area develops understanding of the many ways that people around the world meet their common human needs. The Art and Music areas encourage expression of the children's creativity.

  
  Students work with the materials in increasingly sophisticated ways as they move through our program. By the time children are in kindergarten, they have moved away from independent parallel activities to more complex, collaborative projects. The work helps to develop intuitive abilities such as observing, sequencing, comparing, and categorizing. This builds the strong academic preparation students need for success at Ancona and beyond.