The MSSA Primary level program is organized around the developmental needs and tendencies of students within the 3-to-6-year age range. Classes are conducted in mixed-age groupings, which provide rich peer stimulus and opportunity for continuity. The three-year age span affords students the ability to develop leadership skills and consideration for others. Montessori materials are attractive and displayed in an orderly way to inspire repetition and continued use. Each classroom is arranged to promote independence and contains child-size furniture.
To optimize each child’s learning experience, the main mode of instruction at the Primary level is one-on-one. Lessons in the uses of Montessori materials are presented according to student readiness.
Learning is an active and experiential process at the Primary level. Students are guided through using materials that move from concrete to abstract and are free to choose work from a carefully prepared “menu” of purposeful activities that correspond to developmental stages. Materials are placed in an orderly sequence on child-sized shelves for easy access. These materials and their arrangement on the shelves reflect the young child’s need for order, repetition, orientation, purposeful movement, and independence.
Students are guided to interact freely and responsibly with their peers and the adults in the classroom environment. Younger students benefit from the example of older students, and older students serve as role models for younger students. Mutual respect and compromise are values that are established through lessons in grace and courtesy, and these lessons provide students with the tools for successful social interaction.