PROGRAMS AT CARLETON MONTESSORI SCHOOL

School Year Session 2008-2009
Programs run from Monday through Friday,
September 02/08 – June 19/09

Full day program: 9:00 am – 3:30 pm.
Half day program: 9:00 am – 11.30 am & 1:00 pm - 3:30 p.m.
After school program: 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Spring Break Session
Program available for the week of Spring Break.
Details to be announced in January 2009.
Please inquire at the school if you are interested
in enrolling your child.

Summer Session
Summer session 2008 programs run from July 02nd to
August 22nd.
Full day program: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Please call the school if you would like to enroll your child for the summer program.

Program Components
Program components incorporate the Montessori teaching methodology and the Montessori materials.

1. Practical Life
The directress of the CMS guides and directs the children to function in the environment using four main areas of exercises:
- Exercises to refine fine motor skills.
- Exercises to care for the classroom and the environment.
- Exercises to care for oneself by learning to remove coat
shoes etc and place in proper place.
- Exercises to develop grace and courtesy.

2. Sensorial Materials
By using Montessori sensorial materials such as the pink tower,
colour tablets, the cylinder blocks, the sound boxes etc. the
directress guides amddirects children to identify colour, size,
sound, texture or shape.

3. Language Materials
The language materials include objects and pictures which are
named, matched, labelled and classified by the children in order to develop vocabulary. Writing is developed by using textured letters that allow the child to feel and see the letters of the alphabet. The movable alphabet helps the child develop the sequential skills required for reading.

The child first blends sounds, then makes simple three letter words and gradually progresses to more difficult words in controlled steps.

4. Mathematics Materials
By manipulating concrete materials the child learns number
concepts, and matches symbols for quantity. Spindle boxes
develop the zero concept and the child is guided to more advanced concepts such as number theory and decimals system using bead bars.

5. Culture/Geography Materials
The directress introduces physical and cultural geography using
wooden puzzle maps. Activities for international celebrations such as songs, stories drama, food crafts are incorporated into the program through out the year.

A Montessori classroom is a child centred classroom bustling with activity. It is a “little society” where each child chooses his or her own activity in one of the four areas that are presented to the child by the directress.

There are a range of activities to choose from at all levels.
All activities are referred to as “work” as they are “purposeful activities”. Before a child is given freedom to choose respect for structure, discipline and boundaries are developed. A child
can work on an activity as long as she or he wants.