AIA

Primary Program
The Primary classes are comprised of children between the ages of 2.5 and 6 years old. All children
attend five days per week. The primary program is a three year program.

Primary students work in a classroom that is prepared to meet their needs. The Montessori
materials in the classroom are divided into the following areas:

Practical Life - These activities offer the child the means of caring for himself and his environment.
These exercises help a young child to refine movement, build concentration, confidence and develop
independence. Lessons include activities such as pouring, polishing, food preparation, fastening
clothes, washing hands, arranging flowers, etc.

Sensorial - In the Montessori classroom sensorial materials play a key role. They are designed to
sharpen the senses of the young child by helping him to distinguish and categorize new information
and relate it to what he already knows. Each of the sensorial materials isolates one defining quality,
such as color, weight, shape, size, texture, sound or smell.

Language - This area of the classroom begins with the development of vocabulary and the
identification of letter sounds. By working with the sandpaper letters and the moveable alphabet,
children learn to read and write. In developing a broader vocabulary, children learn to label their
environment, developing more expressive communication which leads to a better understanding of
their world. Children also are introduced to sentences, punctuation and beginning grammar.

Mathematics - In a Montessori classroom children build an understanding of numbers using
concrete materials. All of the math materials help the child to develop an internal understanding of
basic mathematical concepts and processes. Because of a young child's extreme sense of order,
children this age find mathematics simple and satisfying.
Geography, Science and Culture - Children study a wide variety of other topics including animals,
plants, beginning science, world cultures and geography through a variety of concrete materials.
Geography map work is a popular classroom activity that leads to a child's greater understanding of
their big world.

Enrichment
In addition to working with Montessori lessons, Primary students are instructed in foreign language,
art and music.