LOWER ELEMENTARY PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The lower elementary program serves children in the second plane of development. Children, ranging from ages 6 to 9 years-old, work cooperatively in a multi-age, 3-year level classroom, that is designed to entice and engage the curiosity of first, second, and third graders.
Unlike traditional classrooms where children sit for long periods of time, working on the same lesson at the same time, children in the elementary Montessori classroom move about freely, driven by freedom of choice, and their natural inclination to learn what they like at their leisure.
The Montessori classroom environment is carefully prepared to foster and champion independence, ingenuity, self-discovery, self-discipline, cooperation, and ownership. Whether the motivation is found in the lessons presented by a certified Montessori guide, or in the didactic materials on the shelves, or perhaps in the diverse personalities co-exiting in the classroom, children are intrinsically driven to learn more about their world through the exploration and acquisition of culture. For this reason, the sensitive period for which the child acquires more about their living world, rich content about planet earth is staged in the Montessori classroom environment. Also, the outdoors is very much a part of the learning prepared environment.
The Montessori curriculum is a highly engaging, comprehensive, educational program that fulfills the sensitive urges of independent and social thinkers who enjoy exploring and discovering new things about their world; they enjoy the freedom to chat, learn, and work cooperatively in pairs or small groups. Because Montessori lessons follow a progression from the concrete to abstract, these researched-based lessons are sequenced and synced to accommodate a child’s growing academic, intellectual, physical, social, and emotional needs. During the school year, children are given impressionistic lessons about the cosmos which entrance their imagination and compel them to seek answers to the burning questions they often ponder about the universe. This thirst for knowledge then gives birth to a burning desire to explore their questions through life science, astronomy, chemistry, geography, physics, geometry, mathematics, language, music, art, and history. Through the lens of these subjects, students begin to grasp the interconnectedness of the universe and unpacking segments from the impressionistic lessons—the base of the elementary Montessori program.
All the various learning styles are addressed in the Montessori environment. Each day students get to manipulate learning materials with built-in, self-corrective support. Exercising their independence, the children check their work for accuracy and feel a sense of accomplishment when they work at their own pace to manage tasks using a daily work plan. Lessons often allow for follow-up work and extended studies. Resources are made available for children to create projects, conduct experiments, illustrate, create presentations, read, write, and even teach their peers. Students in the lower elementary Montessori program exceed state standards in most content areas because they are free to follow their interests, move at their pace, and work cooperatively with an older or younger peer on different ability levels.
