Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

The Montessori Elementary Program

The core curriculum in the elementary program is designed to capture the child’s growing interest and to challenge the child to further build upon their current knowledge. The children of this age are developing a whole new set of characteristics. They are beginning to understand the concept of time; past, present, and future. The teacher has an academic plan for each individual child based on their level, and current interest. At this age children are now able to be more involved in their own academic planning and they are beginning to set goals for themselves. The elementary children are also better able to grasp the abstract concepts of math, geometry, and science. Based on these developmental stages the elementary classroom includes seven areas of core studies that the children are exposed to on a daily bases. These areas include; Language, Math, Geometry, History, Geography, Zoology, and Botany.

Language is weaved throughout each area of the classroom. The child is learning comprehension as they work with nomenclature and complete research projects. The children learn the parts of speech through a series of interactive lessons that they can apply in their own writing. Knowing the parts of speech better prepares the students to study foreign languages, and improves upon their writing skills. In our classroom we also include spelling tests throughout the year based on each level. We also have a supplementary handwriting program , Hand Writing Without Tears, that allows the children to learn manuscript and also cursive.

The math area is designed to draw the children to manipulate the materials that teach the internal structure and reasoning behind all operations. The children in the Montessori program are exposed to addition, multiplication, subtraction, division, fractions, powers of numbers, word problems, and more. The math area allows the children the time and tools needed to really understand the process behind mathematics. The children learn to abstract each process after they have an opportunity to experience the mechanics that dictate the work they do. As a supplementary text book, we use the Math-U- See program. These workbooks blend the child’s experience with the concrete materials and their ability to work abstractly at different levels.

The Montessori classroom is designed as a multi aged learning environment. Mixed age classrooms have been proven to be successful for a number of reasons. The children in multiple level classrooms have access to a variety of learning tools in a variety of levels that will be challenging yet accessible to their level. Each core lesson is given on an individually or in small groups. This individual lesson plan gives the teacher an opportunity to evaluate children more thoroughly. The teacher is able to track each child’s interest, struggles, and personal growth year to year without starting each year getting to know a whole new group of children each time.

The Montessori program is a proven method that allows the child to learn through experiences that stay with them for life. Children are encouraged to complete the work at their level, at their pace, allowing for genuine internalization. Our elementary children are involved in their academic planning, allowing the child an opportunity to practice setting personal goals and time management. Children working in the multi age class have found to have a better attitude toward school. The structure of the classroom feeds the child’s needs and desire to learn and grow through a customized plan.

~Hilary Engelke