The Rock Creek Montessori School is a five day per week program. The main goal of the program is to help children develop a rapport with their environment and to support them as they develop physical, social and intellectual independence. The teacher follows each child’s progress and presents carefully designed lessons and materials on a one-to-one basis as the child is ready. The following areas of exploration are included in the classrooms.
Language
The classroom is a language-rich environment. Through a variety of language activities and materials, the children become familiar with sounds and symbols and begin the process of writing which naturally leads to reading. The children are also encouraged to form opinions and to express themselves verbally. Throughout the day students in both the Toddler Program and the Primary Program also have the opportunity to interact in both Spanish and English.
Mathematics
The children begin to explore mathematical relationships by manipulating concrete materials that are designed to isolate a concept and prepare them for abstract reasoning. The goals of the program are for each child to develop a love of numbers, problem-solving strategies, computational skills and confidence in using numbers in everyday life.
Practical Life
Through practical life activities, children acquire many daily living skills: preparing food, fastening clothes and caring for the environment. These activities also help the children extend their powers of concentration, develop coordination, and build ideas of sequence and logic.
Sensorial
These materials focus on the five senses, allowing the opportunity to experience one quality in isolation. Sensorial exercises heighten powers of observation, enrich descriptive vocabulary, teach classification and establish the physical and mental foundation for further learning.
Science
Living plants, animals and hands-on materials are part of the classroom, allowing the children to develop skills in scientific observation and comparison. Simple experiments aid in the understanding of basic concepts.
Social Studies
Children learn about the physical characteristics of land forms and bodies of water. They work with maps to aid in language and memory development. The children also learn about the cultures of different geographic regions through songs, stories, crafts and artifacts.
Music
The children work both individually and in groups for music. They learn about rhythm and melody. The materials help them recognize tonal differences, compose and play. The children also play games and sing in groups. Songs are sung in English, Spanish and Japanese.
Art
The children have many different art activities available to them. Among these are painting, drawing, tracing, cutting and sculpting. In addition, prepared materials are used to teach appreciation for great works of art by various masters.