The First Plane of Development
Maria Montessori said, “There was no method; there was only a child.” According to her, a child is actually the center of education, and all practice should be built on that core.
According to Montessori, there are four planes of child development. The first plane of development is from ages 0 to 6. From birth to age 3 years, children are like sponges. All learning occurs through exploration of the senses and interaction with the environment. During the second half of this plane, from ages 3 to 6, children enter the conscious stage of learning. They learn through hands-on materials in a prepared environment. Children develop a sense of order and physical independence at this stage. You will hear a lot of “I can do it myself.”
There is a sensitive period within the first plane of development when the child is most creative and highly motivated to learn. This is the time when the child learns best with hands-on materials provided in a prepared environment.
At Unity Academy of Chicago, we believe in “following the child.” The role of a teacher is that of a guide, supporter, facilitator, and, most importantly, observer. The children are provided with beautiful, inviting, hands-on materials. Learning is not linear, and the materials are designed to allow each child to progress at their own pace. In a Montessori classroom, the children make active choices about the work they find most compelling. They are given uninterrupted time to explore the work deeply. The classrooms are multi-age to foster collaborative learning communities.
The following are the highlights of our Montessori primary program:
- Multi-age Classrooms: In our primary classrooms, older children model behaviors and skills for younger children, reinforcing their own learning while supporting others. They inspire younger students, while older ones gain confidence and mastery through teaching moments. Self-directed learning empowers children to choose their own activities within our carefully prepared classroom environments.
- Three-Year Cycle: The classrooms function as small communities where cooperation, respect, and independence are cultivated. Staying with the same teacher for three years provides consistency and a strong teacher-student relationship. This consistency provides a rich environment for self-paced learning, culminating in the third year, when students polish, refine, and consolidate their skills.
- Hands-on Materials: Materials are arranged logically and within children’s reach, promoting independence and a sense of order. Our classrooms are organized to support children’s developmental needs and interests. We have both indoor and outdoor environments to promote gross motor skills and engage students in purposeful activities.Children engage in self-directed exploration of the materials, enabling them to discover, practice, and master the learning outcomes for each material at their own pace.Teachers deliver individualized, targeted small-group presentations, focusing on one concept or skill at a time with the help of material that addresses a particular need.
- Holistic Development: We focus on the whole child, nurturing their independence, self-discipline, love of learning, and spiritual growth.
One of the key principles guiding teachers is designing and implementing a learning environment where every child has an equal opportunity to learn, and the belief that every child has the innate ability to learn and develop their full potential. The hands-on, experiential learning approach helps the child develop a love of learning and confidence in their abilities, critical thinking skills, and social-emotional growth, becoming a well-rounded individual.
Our classrooms are stimulating environments where children practice good work habits, self-discipline, creativity, and moral and spiritual growth. We teach children respect, kindness, compassion, and empathy for others. We emphasise nurturing the whole child and fostering skills and values that serve them well throughout life.
The Primary Program
In response to the needs of children in the first plane of development, our Primary curriculum is divided into five distinct areas:
Practical Life
Practical life in Montessori comprises purposeful activities of everyday life that help a child develop motor control and coordination, concentration, a sense of order, independence, fine and gross motor skills, and a sense of pride upon completing a task.
Practical life can be further divided into the areas of care of self, care of the environment, care of the world, control of movement, and grace and courtesy.
By practicing practical life skills in an orderly, highly sequenced manner, the child develops a high level of concentration and a sense of order. The child takes pride in completing a job, increases independence, and develops respect for the surroundings and community members.
Sensorial
A child learns about the world through his senses. The information acquired during this stage (from birth to age 6) serves as the foundation for intellectual development. Maria Montessori developed and designed sensorial materials to refine the senses and powers of observation. These materials also help children build order, compare, observe, and reason, which are necessary skills for the study of Mathematics.
Sensorial materials help children understand their environment by organizing sensory inputs, building a foundation for logical and critical thinking.
Mathematics
The mathematical mind is not built on abstract concepts or rote memorization but on concrete experiences that are real and tangible to the child. In a Montessori classroom, materials are designed to allow children to work with concrete materials until they internalize the concept and can work independently with it. Children are introduced to math in an engaging way using materials such as golden beads, the Stamp Game, the Snake Game, and the Banker’s Game, among others.
The Montessori math curriculum is a dynamic, rich program tailored to each child’s individual needs. In our mixed-age classrooms, students get opportunities to explore and learn at their own pace.
Language
Language is the symbolization of thoughts. It is learned to communicate ideas, thoughts, wants, needs, and emotions. Language learning begins in the first few days after birth. By six months of age, the child recognizes basic language sounds. They respond to many more words than they can actually say, which is why the child resorts to extensive gesturing.
In the Montessori method, we teach sounds (phonemic awareness) and the skills that support writing as early as 3.5 years, when children show readiness. Children around age 4 begin to understand how sounds combine to form words. Reading readiness occurs slightly later than writing in most children. Once a child has acquired a small number of sounds, they may be ready to embark on the creative process of writing. The Movable Alphabet allows children to express their ideas even before they can write efficiently with a pencil.
A great deal of care is taken in the Montessori environment to provide children with developmentally appropriate and engaging language materials. The use of tangible materials and hands-on activities makes the abstract concepts of language easier for young minds to understand.
We encourage children to explore books and engage in conversations about stories, thereby supporting language development. Our curriculum encourages children to think critically and to express themselves creatively, both essential for lifelong learning.
Cultural Studies
The cultural area of a Montessori classroom is diverse and highly engaging for a child. It invites exploration and experimentation, opening the doors and windows of the world. Through lessons in geography, history, art, botany, and zoology, children learn about their relationships to space, time, nature, and one another.
Children are guided to explore the world’s geography using hands-on materials. These materials ignite the young child’s curiosity about the world. Students grasp the planet’s vastness and diversity by studying continents and countries, using Montessori globes, puzzle maps, and continent boxes with artifacts from around the world.
Students also explore the global environment, including ecosystems and biomes. They also learn about the interconnectedness of animate and inanimate objects in nature.
The Montessori history curriculum introduces the concept of time by teaching students to tell time on the clock, by creating timelines of a child’s life on their birthday, and by examining timelines of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities.
Children learn about animals and plants by exploring nature, working in outdoor environments, going on nature walks, working with botany and zoology puzzles, and using nomenclature cards.
The possibilities for following the child’s interests are endless in our classrooms. Physical science, geology, and astronomy lessons are given to spark the child’s appetite. Every question asked is not answered; it sparks shared inquiry and investigation through critical thinking, leading to the joy of discovery.
In this area of the classroom, children learn that they have a special place as citizens of the world. They are given the first lesson in cosmic education to give them a vision of the interconnectedness between different aspects of the natural world and human society. Most importantly, through these cultural studies, children come to appreciate the Creator’s power and compassion, thereby initiating a relationship with Allah (swt).
Islamic Character in the Primary Program
The ultimate success will be for the pious ones! [7:128]
As human beings, when we look at the entirety of existence, we are struck with awe. Whether our gaze goes up to the limitless heavens, down to the subatomic level, outward to complex societies, or inward to the unfathomable soul, we see His Face. To live in this sense of awe is the state of taqwa or piety.
To engender taqwa and an Islamic character in our students is the primary aim of our school. Islamic character is a way of being in the world and not mere knowledge or skill. The Montessori method is well-aligned with this idea of character development and spirituality. Thus, we infuse our Montessori programs with acts of worship and the sources of divine guidance that can lead us to the “ultimate success.”
The Islamic character curriculum at the Primary level is structured to assist students in building a relationship with Allah (swt), the Quran, and the Ahlul Bayt (as) through the following approaches:
Quran & Arabic
The purpose of the Quran and Arabic curriculum at the Primary level is to introduce students to the language as a foundation for comprehension:
“Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you may apply reason.” [12:2]
To begin the journey of reading the Quran, it is important to learn the basics of the Arabic language. The goal is to read age-appropriate Quranic words with proper pronunciation as a precursor to the skill of tajweed.
Students are taught how to recognize and pronounce each letter of the Arabic alphabet. In addition, students begin to learn movable letters, short and long vowels, and how each letter is pronounced. This understanding is developed through letter tracing and sensory activities. In addition to pronunciation, students eventually advance to writing by connecting the letters into words and short phrases.
Worship
At the primary level, children start practicing the prerequisites of worship. These prerequisites include learning the etiquette of salaah and memorizing the Quran, adhkaar, supplications, and ziyaraat. Students participate in a teacher-led assembly every morning, where they learn a short surah and a dua, which is reinforced through collective practice and repetition. Furthermore, teachers lead the formal prayer, and students are invited to follow the movements and recitation.
Virtues Calendar and Role Models
The touchstone of our Islamic tradition is in the two ‘weighty things’, the Quran and the Ahlulbayt, which our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s) left for coming generations. Our goal is to uphold this noble legacy by fostering a connection to the verses of the Quran and the Ahlulbayt. Each month, students are introduced to Quranic virtues connected to significant dates in the Islamic calendar–virtues such as patience, truthfulness, and charity, all of which are exemplified by the Ahlulbayt.
Object Lessons
Object lessons are used to make the Islamic character visible and tangible. One such object lesson that is reinforced every day is through the sixth verse of Surah al Fatiha:
“Guide us to the straight path” [1:6]
