Pre-K and Kindergarten Class

Students at the end of their three-year learning cycle reach the Pre-Kindergarten class where all of their skills are cultivated into learning more advanced subjects. Children ages four through six are naturally drawn to more complex work and as a result become more meticulous and determined in finishing their work. Pre-Kindergarten students have already worked with many different types of Montessori materials and thus have gained a higher sense of self-confidence, independence and discipline. Our older students take great pride in working closely with younger peers within our mixed-age setting. Working with younger peers allows our older students to exercise the knowledge they have gained during their time in a Montessori environment. The Pre-Kindergarten age is where the culmination of developed skills gained through the Montessori curriculum becomes evident. Our students become well-rounded, socially diverse and emotionally capable, independent people with skills and cognitive preparation for more complex academic work.

Pre-K and Kindergarten Class students focus on mastering these important skills:

  • Understanding, comprehension and ability to follow classroom rules and directions (verbal and non-verbal)
  • Respects classroom materials, environment and other students
  • Able to obtain and return materials to the shelf properly
  • Ability to raise hand quietly to be recognized by teacher without interrupting
  • Ability to function independently and confidently in the classroom
  • Expression of needs and/or emotions clearly and understandably
  • Can work and share in a group or team consistently
  • Can focus and complete an activity with little to no adult supervision
  • Can clearly write and spell first and last name
  • Ability to memorize and recant a detailed story, sing a detailed song, etc.
  • Knows letters and sounds (beginning and ending)
  • Knows consonants, vowels, beginning blends and digraphs
  • Has completed phonetic workbooks A, B and C
  • Holds a pencil properly with a strong 3-finger grasp
  • Has proper formation of writing numbers and letters
  • Use the movable alphabet to build 4 and 5-letter words and sentences
  • Learning the proper structure of a sentence
  • Beginning grammar (article, adjective, pronoun, verb, etc.)
  • Basic sight words (articles)
  • Skip counting by (1’s, 2’s, 3’s, etc> up to 10’s)
  • Knows numbers (1-100 with number symbols), rote counting to 100
  • Basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
  • More advanced arithmetic operations with two number problems
  • Mastering the idea of carrying over
  • Learning the visual algebraic concept of Pythagorean theorem   with the bi-nomial cube
  • Learning the visual algebraic concept of  with the tri-nomial cube
  • Geometric triangle boxes: ability to create different shapes such as diamonds, parallelograms, etc. with various triangle shapes.
  • Use of metal insets to promote hand strength and fine motor skills for writing
  • Naming each metal inset shape, using metal insets with activity variations and extensions
  • Differentiating between and matching patterned objects
  • Refining of the senses through various activities (hole punching, cutting paper, etc.)
  • Botany: Parts of plants, how plants grow, taking care of plants. Study of roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds.
  • Zoology: Parts of different types of animals, amphibians, reptiles and dinosaurs. Where animals live and how to take care of animals
  • Science: Simple experiments to develop an understanding of physical science and how it relates to planet Earth.
  • Geography and Culture: Earth’s landforms and continents, recognizing and naming continents, native plants and animals from each continent, different cultures and traditions from each continent, flags associated with different countries.
  • Mandarin Instruction: Use of songs, vocabulary and conversational Mandarin (numbers, months, days of the week, colors, etc.) introduction to basic Chinese characters.
  • Spanish Instruction: Use of songs, vocabulary and conversational Spanish (numbers,  months, days of the week, colors, etc.)
  • Art: Use of a variety of art mediums to create student-driven creative art
  • Music & Movement: Singing and dancing to new songs every month, learning gross motor development and control of movement.
  • Famous Composers & Artists: Students study the well known works, societal contributions and life of one different composers and artists every month.
  • Gymnastics: Gross motor development activities through: tumbling, balancing, stretching, jumping, hopping, etc.
  • Computers: Students use Apple iMac Wi-Fi computers to supplement phonetic and mathematics work with computer programs.