The fourth great lesson

Human beings have always used language, pictures and symbols to communicate with each other. From grunts and hand gestures to the advent of the written alphabet and ultimately, the printing press, man has always sought ways to create a written record of what he sees and how he feels.

It is here in the Fourth Lesson that Montessori teachers detail the study of folk stories, mythology, language, alphabets, grammar, sentence structure and word study. From cave paintings to Egyptian hieroglyphics to Greek, Latin & Arabic letters, the lesson allows children to focus—as they see fit--on reading, writing and language.

The extended lesson focuses on understanding human beings by our common history, stories, literature, poetry and music.

The fifth great lesson

The common language of the human race is mathematics. Over our 30,000-year history, man has built a system of numbers that has evolved from concepts of zero and one to arithmetic to geometry and ‘to infinity and beyond.’

The story of numbers helps students branch out to learning about the applications of these numbers in such arenas as the invention of the calendar, systems and units of measurement and economic geography.