The Program at MIC

The Junior Primary Program at MIC 

In the Junior Primary School (Years 1 to 3), learning is centred on the unique needs of children between the ages of 6 and 9. Our teachers serve as guides for the children’s explorations as they acquire skills, pursue interests, and develop their unique potential. Ignited by the materials and lessons, these children use their imagination and reasoning minds to widely and deeply explore the universe. The Great Lessons offer inspiration and open doors to new areas of investigation.

You walk into a room of our Junior Primary children and you stand in wonder as you observe the social dynamics of children working productively in a busy environment. One child is quietly concentrating on the checkerboard to learn long multiplication, nearby two others are resolving a conflict at the peace table, while another small group is planning a ‘going out’ to the planetarium relating to their recent study of the solar system. The variety of subject matter being explored is interconnected and feeds the individual needs of the child as a whole.

This is a normal day in a Montessori Junior Primary classroom.

The morning opens with each child using their personal diary to plan and organise their day. They can choose to repeat a given presentation, request a new lesson or make new learning discoveries. There is a continuous flow of children moving within and outside of the classroom. They are given the freedom to do yoga, garden or jump rope in the outdoor environment in order to develop deep concentration in their work.

The drawing of a map of South America becomes a study of the continent; a child becomes interested in the customs and culture of Brazil and digs deeper until she discovers the Amazon forest and the nearly extinct Golden Lion Tamarin Monkey. She is so excited she can’t wait to share her knowledge with her classmates and prepares a presentation on her discoveries. In our classrooms children turn real-life experiences into ideas and concepts, so they can make sense of the world they live in. It’s hands-on learning.

Our children discuss, scrutinize, question, unearth, make friends, play, resolve conflicts, and grow.