Level One
In Level One, early childhood is understood as a time of immense wisdom and capability. Our youngest students already have deep knowledge, and they have a strong ability to ask questions and find out more. Skillful teachers guide them to share observations and insights while attentively engaging with others’ ideas. Level One teachers know that play and “academics” are not separate. Play is the embodiment of a child’s innate desire to connect — which we might also call learning. Play teaches children to be aware of their intentions and curiosities, and then notice what happens when they are pursued. Level One students learn the fundamentals of literacy and math through this kind of playful process, which is reflected in their huge smiles as they unlock more tools for expression and comprehension!
Strong Roots of Learning
It is a joy and privilege to witness the motivation that Level One students have to learn how to read. Which each milestone of phonemic awareness and decoding text, they internalize how powerful it is to be a reader. Students learn through constant environmental exposure to text and multiple modalities of rules-based reading instruction — kinesthetic lessons, music, games, and art!
Numerical literacy is the exciting connection between numbers and the way we see the world around us. Level One students talk about math as a study of relationships and movement. How do you get from here to there? How do we share more or less? Instruction happens through storytelling, hands-on construction, and group and individual practice.
Level One students have much to say, and they build bridges between themselves and others by learning to be writers. They describe their interior worlds and external observations. A beloved tradition is Awesome Authors, when Level One students read from their own writing, and the school celebrates their literature!
Multisensory Exploration
Level One students engage in long-term interdisciplinary units. During a study of birds, students explore complex interweaving themes such as family structures, animal adaptations, experimental design, climate change, measurement and distance, migration, and more. Here, students test their hypotheses about feathers and physics.
During Choice Time, Level One students practice the cognitive and social skills needed to be autonomous and interdependent learners. They grow in their executive functioning skills as they make plans for what they want to create. Students receive coaching on group communication — how to explain their plans, invite others, and revise and iterate based on other perspectives. They face nerves about trying new activities, treasure one-on-one time with teachers, and build unexpected connections with peers.
Montessori-based practical life activities are beloved in Level One. Students enjoy the sensory development, introduction to math concepts, and the fine-motor practice. But beyond that, Level One students often talk about how good it feels to be patient, to keep trying, and to master the challenges. It’s especially rewarding to witness students teaching and listening to each other; the advice they give is child-centric and relevant in a way that even the most attuned teacher could not replicate.