Practical Life
Practical life activities are designed to help the child develop fine motor skills, provide immense satisfaction and help the child develop independence so that he or she can learn to take care of his or her own personal needs and help to care for the environment. These activities also prepare the child for later academic work and should be highly valued.

Sensorial Activities
Materials and activities in this area encourage children to use all of their senses. Children learn not only by sight but also by touching, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling. The sensorial materials allow the children to use their senses and to refine their sense perceptions. This heightened sensory awareness enhances the child’s learning in all areas. Materials in this area help the child to learn about colors, sorting, sizing, tasting, smelling, feeling, comparing, organizing, listening, and problem solving.

Language Arts
Many exciting individualized language and reading activities are available in every classroom. In addition, oral reading, group activities, story telling, and dramatic play are an integral part of the program. The Montessori reading program is used for children who are ready for more formal reading activities. This program emphasizes the phonetic approach, beginning with selected consonant sounds and short vowel sounds and combines reading and writing. All children are introduced to letters and sounds in a manner consistent with their developmental level. We start with lower case letters.

Mathematics
The math area contains a variety of concrete materials from simple to complex which children use at their developmental levels and which lay a foundation for mathematical thinking for life. As children get older and develop more skills, the number and kinds of mathematical experiences increase and become an integral part of life in the classroom. Math materials include the Montessori didactic materials which are guaranteed to help the child understand and internalize mathematical concepts. Since these materials are inviting and attractive, children enjoy using them. Children introduced to these materials at an early age often develop superior ability, heightened interest and improved mathematical comprehension

Science and Geography
The science and geography areas provide opportunities for experimenting, exploring and learning more about our world. The study of cultural geography helps children develop knowledge of and appreciation for their own and other cultures. Maps, globes, land forms, puzzles and specially designed activities provide “hands on” experiences which the child will incorporate into his or her own mental framework to become a cumulative part of the body of experience and knowledge integrated into the self.

Music and Art
Singing and dancing are included in the curriculum in every classroom. Group music and dance as well as individualized music and art activities are available. The wide variety of art media provides an opportunity for children to experiment and to develop their innate artistic abilities. Pre-Kindergarten children are also involved in multi cultural folk dancing and in music and art appreciation activities which broaden their horizons. In addition a professional music teacher, sponsored by the parents group and the school provides music experiences weekly.

Dramatic Play
The dramatic play areas include the housekeeping area and the block corner. Some teachers vary these activities, sometimes offering a sand table filled with different kinds of materials and a variety of utensils and the housekeeping area with furniture, dolls and dress-up clothes at other times during the year. These are satisfying experiences which help children express themselves and interpret the world around them.

Block play promotes creativity and scientific thinking as the child creates new forms and establishes new relationships using the same materials. Building with blocks also provides the child with mathematical experiences as he or she experiments with geometric shapes and experiences length, area, volume and number.

Multi Cultural Education
The greatest indication of multicultural education at The Model School is the composition of the staff and the student body. Our school is enriched by the daily experience of playing and working with people from a rich variety of cultural backgrounds and experiences.

It is the intent of The Model School to offer its programs in multi cultural, multi ethnic settings. Multi cultural education is an integral part of the curriculum. Through their experiences and the study of cultural geography, children learn to understand, accept and appreciate their own cultural backgrounds, and to respect and appreciate the cultural backgrounds of others.