Primary Curriculum

Language Arts

In preschool, children first work to master pre-language skills.  Children are taught that everything has a name and challenged to question and research any object to define its meaning. Building visual discrimination skills to develop necessary tools to differentiate letters, children work with matching objects, pictures and things that are visually similar.

Moving into things that go together, finding what is missing and rhyming further assist in the development of reading skills.  When a child masters pre-language skills, they may move into more advanced Language skills in both English and Hebrew at their own pace.

Curricular Goals:

Hebrew Language

  • Letter recognition by sight & sound
  • Building words with Hebrew letters
  • Nekudos
  • Reading from a Siddur
  • 25 shoroshim
  • Writing Hebrew letters
  • Recognition of script Hebrew letters

English Language

  • Letter recognition by sight & sound
  • Lower & upper case letters
  • Phonetic reading
  • 50 sight words
  • Writing English letters
  • Reading at early First Grade level
  • Writing name

Mathematics

The Math Area contains a full set of materials to take children from conceptual understanding of numbers to numeral recognition and right on up through understanding of multiplication and division. Children work with various manipulatives to fully comprehend and experience sequence, operations and memorization of basic facts.

Through their choice of Math activities, children develop a concrete understanding of place value, fractions, telling time and many other vital foundational skills for our students’ mathematical development.

Curricular Goals:

  • Six Days of Creation
  • Sequence of Parshiyos
  • Basic introduction to Yomim Tovim
  • Concept of Hakaras Hatov
  • Concept of Acceptance of Others
  • Concept of Loving Hashem
  • Understanding of the importance of 6 Days of Creation

Parshas Hashavua & Chagiim

Through use of Rabbi Jonathan Rietti’s timeline materials, children explore their history from Creation to date. Walking through the parshiyos each week with hands on materials as well as art projects, children get a full spectrum, hands-on experience with each week’s parsha as well as chagiim as they come along in the yearly sequence.
Curricular Goals:

  • Understanding of one-to-one correspondence
  • Numerals
  • Counting from 1-1000
  • Understanding of place value through thousands
  • Addition facts 1-12
  • Addition with carrying through place values through thousands
  • Multiplication
  • Subtraction
  • Basic understanding of division
  • Introduction to fractions
  • Introduction to telling time

Sensorial

The Sensorial Area provides direct preparation for Math and all that is included within (Algebra, Geometry, etc.). Here the children will explore with various materials to gain skills in visual and auditory discrimination.

Working with blocks decreasing in size in multiples of ten will help in skill building for spacial awareness and geometric configuration. Creating shapes through use of varying sized triangles and learning the names of the figures as well as use of concrete geometric solids help build creative thinking skills and an understanding of space and shape.

Curricular Goals

  • Building in sets of ten with change in size
  • Identifying names of geometric solids
  • Matching geometric shapes with varying sizes
  • Development of visual discrimination
  • Development of auditory discrimination
  • Development of tactile discrimination

Practical Life

This area helps children develop the foundational skills for all other areas of the room.

By working on Practical Life activities, children develop: Order, Concentration, Coordination and Independence. Through the development of the whole hand and its muscles, children gain fine motor skills necessary for proper pencil grasp and handwriting.

Likewise, the materials provide a direct effect on building confidence, self-respect and responsibility.

Curricular Goals:

  • Development of order
  • Development of concentration
  • Development of co-ordination
  • Development of independence
  • Refinement of pencil grasp
  • Care of self
  • Care of environment
  • Development of derech eretz

Darchei Noam Montessori is a special place that children can call their own.

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