Lower Elementary
1st - 3rd grade
Lower Elementary Ages 6-9, Grades 1-3. As the child transitions emotionally from their primary years, their style and focus of learning changes; from doing individual work, they now work in social groups. They are concrete thinkers. Work is driven by the child’s own interest. Through exploration from research, they get a better understanding of how everything is interconnected in the world. Manipulative materials help to solidify basic concepts that serves to build a strong foundation for advanced work in upper elementary.
Overview
“Education is a natural process carved out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experience in the environment” –Maria Montessori.
The Montessori Elementary is a continuum program that covers ages 6-12 for grades 1-6. The physical and psychological changes in the Elementary prepares the child to take the world by storm. Montessori takes a holistic approach, taking into consideration the social, emotional and intellectual needs of the child at this level. They work collaboratively, have discussions about their work, engage in problem solving, and attempt to resolve conflicts naturally. Children develop self-discipline from strong work habits that engage their imagination, curiosity and exploration of the world. This is a time of tremendous intellectual growth. Lessons in mathematics, language, geometry, history, geography, botany, music and art are approached with deeper meaning allowing students to study first at a fundamental level and later at an in- depth level. The curriculum opens up with Great Lessons, which are stories that excite the imagination.
A Self-Directed Path to Learning
The child’s own questions form the basis for exploration and research. Students engage in open-ended research and in-depth study using primary and secondary sources, charts, and timelines rather than textbooks. Montessori education capitalizes on the elementary child’s insatiable desire to understand the universe and their place in it.
Student-Planned Experiences
Our Elementary program incorporates many student-planned unique experiences:
- Student-led Book Clubs
- Junior Great Books discussions
- Student-directed Class Plays
- Camping
- Gardening
- Planning, shopping & cooking class lunches
- Student planned “Going out” trips
- Poetry Reading of original works
- School Newspaper
- Hiking
- Community Service
- Overnight & Day Trips to Echo Hill
The Elementary Curriculum
The Elementary curriculum includes geography, biology, history, language, mathematics, science, music, Spanish, physical education and art. The subject areas are integrated into interdisciplinary fields. One of the goals of the elementary program is to foster the child’s feeling of connectedness to all humanity, and encourage their natural desire to make contributions to the world.