Elementary

For children in First through Sixth Grade

Lower Elementary groups children in first through third grades.

Upper Elementary groups children in fourth through sixth grades.

Learn more about the two levels below.

Our Montessori Elementary Program provides real world experiences for learning. The Montessori model uses current research, the art of storytelling, compelling timelines, and evocative materials to give students a sense of the size and age of the observable universe, the steady progression of life on Earth, the variety of terrain and climates on the planet, and the history and elements of human evolution, innovation, and civilization.

The Elementary Guide is a storyteller, sharing a series of Great Lessons that create a framework for more focused bodies of knowledge. The Guide invites the students to investigate the details, relate them back to the whole, and link them to their own experiences.

Lower Elementary

This age is characterized by heightened social awareness, imagination, and a sense of morality. Younger children are inspired by the big work of their older peers. The focus is not on forcing the child to memorize facts, but rather to understand concepts and learn how to learn. The elementary classroom supports children’s independence and potential by inviting them to engage in an expansive course of study.

The Elementary Curriculum

Elementary-age students are naturally curious and have a strong internal drive to discover how our world works. Montessori’s Great Lessons, presented every year, provide a starting point for any course of study. For example, the Great Lesson referred to as “The Birth of the Universe” incorporates astronomy, physics, chemistry, earth science, and geography. Using illustrations, scientific demonstrations, and storytelling, the Great Lessons touch on the natural world, as well as the world of humankind in history. They are designed to spark the child’s imagination and to provide a context for all further study. Meaningful learning happens when children are inspired by a lesson and begin to explore the subject and work on their own.

Children may ask, “How does a fish breathe under water?” “What number comes after a trillion?” “What causes a volcano to erupt?” Montessori guides encourage children to find out! Montessori students are empowered to find the answers to their own questions with the materials and resources in a prepared environment. Children enjoy learning that is driven by their passions.

Individualized Learning

Children in Montessori have significantly more input into how they are taught, and control over how they learn, than children in traditional school settings. Their natural learning styles and preferences are respected and supported. Guides keep meticulous notes of which lessons the child has received and which they still need. Montessori students are empowered to advocate for their learning and ask questions because they enjoy fresh challenges.

Cross-curricular Research

Each child’s response to a lesson is unique, and their follow-up work reflects those individual differences. For example, when the Elementary Guide gives a lesson on the Timeline of Life, some children will be especially inspired by this. Some may choose to study invertebrates, while others will want to learn more about dinosaurs, how mass extinctions occur, how plants reproduce, or how a volcano erupts. Some may wish to present their research to the class or a small group of children. The research integrates other skills, such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a meaningful context.

Children work collaboratively and cooperatively

Elementary children have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. For this reason, many of the lessons and follow-up projects in elementary are done in pairs or groups of children. Each day, your child will practice the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his projects: delegation and division of labor, sharing resources, making group decisions, taking responsibility for actions, and celebrating the success of peers. Conflict is not uncommon; it is a necessary and important part of the child’s work. The motivation to resolve it comes from the children and their engagement with their projects. The Montessori Guide models and supports constructive and respectful problem-solving. Learning how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom community is a significant life lesson.

Children are empowered to seek knowledge beyond the classroom

Going Outs occur for a group of children who need experience outside of the classroom in order to deepen their study. For example, a group of children may have been studying sharks for several weeks. After exhausting the resources of the classroom, they find a resource in the community such as speaking to a biologist at the aquarium. They are responsible for scheduling the outing and arranging for their own transportation and supervision (by staff or parent volunteers), and then return to share their research with the rest of the class. In addition to its academic value, each Going Out is an entire course of study on independence, responsibility, and good citizenship.

Upper Elementary

Fourth to Sixth Grade

The Passage to Abstraction

Children in Upper Elementary (4th through 6th grade) are capable of more abstract thought, including the ability to think hypothetically. This also continues to be a time of great moral development. No longer merely concerned with right and wrong, good and bad, the Montessori Upper Elementary student now seeks to understand the motivation behind behavior and develop possible solutions.

In addition, Upper Elementary is a time when children cross the bridge from using hands-on, manipulative materials to acquiring a fully abstract understanding of concepts. Whereas the child in Lower Elementary has been using three or four pieces of material to compute multiplication problems, the older student transitions to paper and pencil.

Upper Elementary is built on Montessori foundations

The Upper Elementary Program builds on the content of the Lower Elementary global curriculum, expanding students’ awareness of their place in society and the world’s history. The three-hour uninterrupted work period continues to be a cornerstone of the philosophy, allowing students to delve deeply into work and develop intense concentration. Students continue to work collaboratively, inspiring and supporting one another in work.

Students are supported in assessing their own progress

Upper Elementary students continue to explore their own interests through self-chosen work with minimal interruption. At the same time, students collaborate with a Guide to ensure that they are mastering the skills in each area of the curriculum. Because students of this age are interested in belonging to the society of their peers, they are internally motivated to meet (and exceed) national and state standards. Time management, organization, and setting reasonable, responsible goals are a priority at this level.

Students exercise leadership skills

The Upper Elementary child is specializing in leadership. Students develop their leadership skills in the classroom and in the community. Students develop their own community service projects, fundraising efforts, and opportunities to mentor younger children.

Children are empowered to seek knowledge beyond the classroom

Students in the Upper Elementary continue to enjoy Going-Out experiences to deepen their study. For example, a group of children may have been studying sharks for several weeks. After exhausting the resources of the classroom, they find a resource in the community (such as an aquarium), schedule the outing, and arrange for their own transportation and supervision (by staff or parent volunteers), and then return to share their research with the rest of the class. In addition to its academic value, each Going-Out is an entire course of study on independence, responsibility, and good citizenship.

The Next Stage – Adolescent Community

As the children complete the sixth grade year, they begin to enter the third plane of development – adolescence. This is a time of immense physical growth and changes, as well as a time of cognitive restructuring. Their focus turns inward, to their own identity, and how they fit into their community. Your child is now ready to move on to the Montessori Adolescent Community.