Lower Elementary

• Children during 1st to 3rd grade are actively social and begin to demonstrate an ability to think abstractly. The natural flow from our Primary Program (3-6 year olds) facilitates the desire to move from concrete materials to more of an abstract concept.

• Children start to become more self aware and this is an important time for teachers to continue to help foster confidence and the love of Montessori education.

• Through observation, teachers outline individual plans for each child’s developmental level. Children are encouraged to learn both in cooperation with each other and independently. A multi-age group, 6-9 years of age, provides a community of support. Having a peer group is essential for appropriate emotional and social growth.

  The Lower Elementary classrooms

  The Lower Elementary classrooms feature:

• Colorful, attractive layout which is accessible to the child

• Outdoor work and a discovery space with a garden area.

• Children have jobs and feel a sense of ownership within their environment.

• Individuality and self paced work using work plans designed to meet each child's needs.

• In house and external field trips to help foster educational needs which cannot be met within the classroom alone.

  
  

Curriculum Overview

• Without the ability to picture what is beyond the senses, a child could not grasp the great mysteries of our universe.

• All elementary education begins and flows from the lessons of history: how the universe was formed, how life formed on earth, how man developed, and how man met his fundamental human needs of communication through the development of math and language.

• These studies result in an awareness of our interdependence and an inner gratitude for life. Our children will become the future world peacemakers.

  There are many important subject areas your child will learn about each year, including:

• Cursive/penmanship

• Writing/grammar

• Reading

• Math/Geometry

• Physics

• Zoology

• Botany

• Geography

• Science

A Typical Lower Elementary Day

• The classroom opens at 8:45am and school starts at 9:00am. When the students come in, they put their belongings away and look at the schedule to see what they should do next (read, write in their journal, or start morning work).

Morning work

• The teacher will inform the students that it is time for morning meeting. During morning meeting, they go over the schedule of the day, lessons that will be given, and works that will be due that week. The teacher will review each student’s planner individually and ask the child what he or she is going to work on when the morning meeting is over.

• 11:45am– Finishing up and getting ready for lunch and recess.

• 12:00pm-12:30pm – lunch

• 12:30pm – The students finish lunch and then go to recess.

• 1:00pm – After recess, the children read quietly.

• 1:15 – Children continue working in the afternoon or participate in specials, which include: Spanish, Music, Gym, Art, and Reading, depending on the day’s schedule.

• During the afternoon, the teacher observes and works with individuals as needed.

• 2:45pm – The children clean up once again: organizing their work, putting it away and doing their job.

• The children will get their mail and belongings ready for dismissal.