Pincushion Hill Montessori School

Specialists

Spanish Program

An increasing number of people in the world are utilizing Spanish as their first language, including many of our fellow citizens and those in some of our closest neighboring countries. Studies have shown that exposure to a second language prior to age 10 makes it much easier for the child to achieve proficiency.

The objective of the Pincushion Hill Spanish curriculum is to introduce our children to this increasingly prevalent foreign language. This exposure enriches their understanding of language in general, and we believe that it gives the children tools which will help them to succeed in a wide range of academic endeavors. The content includes developing skills in four major program areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The children begin the study of the Spanish language in their first year of Children’s House, and progress through increasing levels of proficiency with each year at the school.

At the Children’s House level, Spanish lessons are offered once each week for thirty minutes. These lessons involve the introduction of vocabulary about familiar concepts and objects. The units include greetings, numbers from 1 to 30, colors, sizes, living and non-living things, animals, vehicles, parts of the body and clothing.

Each set of new words is demonstrated orally and with corresponding labeled objects and/or worksheets. Frequently, the lesson is enhanced with songs or games such as bingo, role-play, or “I Spy”. The curriculum varies from year to year, and all subjects will be covered during a child’s tenure in the Children’s House. Lessons are adapted to allow for the wide variety of skill levels among the children.

At the Lower Elementary level, it is presumed that the basic vocabulary learned in the Children’s House is retained by the students. Much of this vocabulary is reviewed throughout Elementary level Spanish units. In the Lower Elementary classroom, the children learn new vocabulary around themes such as the days of the week, months of the year, seasons, numbers up to 100, parts of the body, items of clothing, foods and members of the family. They also begin to develop basic sentences in Spanish using this vocabulary, such as “Today is Tuesday”, or “The sweater is green.” The four Spanish articles and the concept of masculine and feminine nouns in the singular and plural are introduced, as well as the Spanish alphabet.

Third year students reinforce vocabulary and grammar concepts already introduced, and continue to develop higher- level language skills, such as adjective matching – masculine or feminine and singular or plural endings are required with Spanish adjectives. Subject pronouns are introduced and some verbs learned. Increasingly complex sentences are formulated incorporating the vocabulary and grammar of each unit.

Music Program

The music program at Pincushion teaches the child self-expression and creativity through listening, performing, and responding. The curriculum is based on the National Standards for Music Education where the child will sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, read and notate music, and understand music in relation to history, culture, and disciplines outside the arts.

Children’s House students will be able to:

Sing on pitch alone and with others
Maintain a steady beat
Perform simple rhythms on percussion instruments
Echo short rhythmic and melodic patterns
Identify different dynamics and tempos
Recognize timbres of various instruments
Respond to music through dance and movement

Elementary students will be able to:

Sing rounds and songs in two or more parts
Perform in groups on percussion instruments, recorders, and hand bells
Compose and improvise within specific guidelines
Read notes on a staff
Identify different genres and styles of music
Describe music using musical terms

Art Program

An effective Art Curriculum provides a sequential program of instruction for Children’s House students and continuing through lower and upper elementary in preparation for higher education. Every student deserves to learn about our common artistic heritage and develop a chance to add creative images to the world, expressing ideas and emotions that cannot happen with language alone. Students should also recognize how art interrelates to other curriculum areas and how world cultures have been shaped and influenced by the arts. Students should develop methods to evaluate the success and effectiveness of their own work, becoming responsible critics, and understand ways in which the arts contribute to contemporary life.

Art should encourage curiosity and exploration of the basics, including reading and writing about artists as part of the other curriculum areas (e.g., history, social sciences, language, and math).

All students are exposed to art analysis: they learn to break down a work of art into the basic elements of line, shape, pattern, texture, and color. The children will learn how artists throughout history, and use the elements of art in their creations. Through the Art History timeline we begin to recognize artistic periods: Prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Classical and Modern. Famous artists from each period and culture will be incorporated into the curriculum. With the production of their own unique creations, the children will apply what they have learned using drawing materials, paints, collage, clay, and printmaking.

At the Children’s House level it is important to:

Explore: color, line, texture, shape, pattern, and composition
Experiment with a variety of materials: crayons, chalk, paint, clay, papers, textiles, and yarns
Create: drawings, paintings, collage, printmaking, weaving, and sculptural constructions with clay and wood
Care for materials: proper use of all supplies and safety precautions
Evaluate works and methods of our own, historical and cultural styles: discussing, identifying, criticizing, and using vocabulary appropriate to the creations

Elementary Students also learn:

A creative way of viewing problems when an ordinary solution may not work
A link to many cultural backgrounds that make use all important to each other
An interrelated connection to reinforce classroom subjects
An introduction to famous artists and their techniques
An encouragement to be successful no matter how much talent, or lack there of, is involved
Self control of both small and large skills that link to all other areas of growth and development
A form of expressing communication that doesn’t need to be verbal
An understanding of the way art involves our daily choices – clothes, houses, cars
A special link with the music program to create a joint opportunity to excel in the arts

Library

As students work to broaden their knowledge or research a topic, the first place to go is the library. The library specialist teaches and guides the students in the use of the library for both recreational reading and academic research.

The student learns:

To know the different between fiction and non-fiction and read in both formats (applies when reading historical fiction versus history)
Simple research skills and information gathering strategies
To use important research tools, ie: dictionaries, almanacs, atlases, encyclopedias, magazines and the Internet
How to use correct bibliographic forms when citing information used for research
To become a life long library user

The Pincushion library is an important part of every child’s learning experience. The library consists of approximately 8,000 volumes arranged according to the Dewey decimal system. Upper Elementary students come to the library once a week to exchange books and may visit more often on an "as needed" basis.

Physical Education Program

The Physical Education Program at Pincushion Hill Montessori School is broken down into three segments. The segments are determined by the time of year as well as space allowed to our instructors.

Segments 1 and 3 are conducted on site at PHMS by a certified physical education instructor, Tracy SanAntonio. Ms. SanAntonio instructs the Elementary gym classes from September through November, as well as from March through May. The program consists of weekly visits by Ms. SanAntonio where approximately 45 minutes of land fitness lessons are provided. During the school year, Ms. SanAntonio’s curriculum will be based on the body in motion, enhancing cooperation and team building skills as well as introducing the students to international outdoor games.