The Primary Program - First, Second and Third Grades

Our Lady of Grace's primary program is a planned, purposeful blend of Montessori disciplines and traditional curriculum that build upon the readiness of the primary student to accept broader academic challenges.

Like our early childhood classrooms, the primary environment provides an atmosphere that encourages intrinsic motivation, spontaneous activity and self-education. Cooperative learning through peer teaching and social interaction are also part of the mixed-age classroom.

"The Elementary child has reached a new level of development. Before he was interested in things: working with his hands, learning their names. Now he is interested mainly in the how and why...the problem of cause and effect."

-- Maria Montessori --

The Curriculum

Our Lady of Grace's primary program challenges our students through the following disciplines:

Language Arts....reading, grammar, appreciation for the spoken word through presentation and speech, the art of the written word through descriptive and report writing, note-taking, poetry, and publishing short stories.

Mathematics and Geometry...independent thinking and problem solving, math vocabulary and concepts, word problems, relationships and patterns, arithmetic, geometry and algebraic correlations, mastery of math manipulatives.

Social Studies...identification of continents, bodies of water, countries, capitals, map work, history and geography.

Sciences...earth and physical science with areas of interest including plant and animal life, structures and functions, solar system, hands-on physics and chemistry applications.

French Language...emphasis on the spoken word and written word.

Religion...recognizing the dignity and spirituality of all children through study, preparation for the sacraments, monthly and seasonal liturgical celebrations, and daily prayer.

Music...Visual & Performing Arts...Physical Education...Library...Computer Skills

Mixed-Age Groupings

Students in the first, second, and third grades are grouped together in the same classroom. Mixed-age grouping provides children with opportunities for broad social development.