Five Areas of the Classroom
"Help me learn to do it myself!"
Red Barn has a traditional Montessori classroom layout with five distinct areas; practical life tasks, sensorial learning, math and language learning, and cultural exploration. Everything in the classroom has a very deliberate role. Each "job", as an individual task is called, is arranged to help students cultivate a particular skill or learn a subject through their own process of discovery. Under the close teacher observation, students are encouraged to explore new areas in a way that best facilitates their individual development.
Language
The language area leads children through a natural progression of learning letter sounds, then forming words and learning to read and write. The materials use a multi-sensory approach, including tracing sandpaper letters, blending sounds, spelling words with the movable alphabet (shown above) and writing reports.
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Sensorial
The sensorial area is focused on developing a child's five senses, and in turn cultivating intelligence and independence. The materials explore varying dimensions, colors, shapes, textures, smells, and tastes. The sensorial area also includes geometry and algebra, introducing those subjects to the child through their senses.
Cultural
The cultural area helps the child explore and make connections with the outside world. Cultural subjects include geography, art, botany, zoology, history, cooking, music and physical movement.
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Math
The math area builds on concepts introduced in the practical life and sensorial areas. Materials include manipulatives (like the cubing chain shown above) that allow children to feel and measure different quantities, then grow into addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as telling time and working with fractions.
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