Primary 3rd-year students (Kindergarteners) love Library day! Each week they visit the Horizon Library for their Library special. They learn how to respect the quiet library environment and treat books with care.
Montessori philosophy tells us that children have stages, or planes, of development. The first of these is from birth to age six. During these years, called the Absorbent Mind Period, children go through sensitive periods of order, language, movement, reading, writing, etc. The 3-year cycle in a Montessori Primary program reflects the second half of this plane of development and the sensitive periods that accompany it.
The program ensures that 3rd-year children have ample experience and instruction in all subject areas, including mathematics, written and spoken language, sensorial activities, physical science, geography, biology, Spanish, and peace education.
Dedicated library time is part of the reading and writing curriculum. Third-year students will have gained pre-reading and pre-writing skills. They will continue to compose and read more complex short vowel words, long vowel (or silent-e) words, sight words, and phonograms. They will solidify the decoding skills of reading and will have plenty of practice time as they read aloud to their teachers, classmates, and parents, and follow written directions in their work and their goal pad.
