Lower Elementary

 

Our Lower Elementary classroom strikes a fine balance between systems and spontaneity to help foster in the student both accountability and a love of learning. In this environment, children ages 6 through 9 learn to balance assigned work with self-guided follow-up. Students learn to manage their time while taking responsibility for the work that is expected of them.

Child-Centered Approach

Maria Montessori spoke of the elementary years as those where students needed only to have their imagination sparked. At this time in their lives, children are eager to know the why of everything. With the foundation of Children’s House behind them, students are ready to take off with new knowledge.  Lower Elementary then is a time to instill a lifelong love of learning and help students take responsibility for that learning.

Unlike a traditional classroom with the teacher as the focal point, Montessori elementary classrooms are child-centered. Children are given lessons in small groups or individually. They work independently or with other students who have received the same lesson. Teachers are available to help guide students’ activities and assist them when needed.

Systems and Spontaneity

The Lower Elementary prepared environments includes systems and tools designed to promote organizational skills and accountability. Students use work journals to record their lessons and work; as they grow in maturity students use this process to take responsibility for their work and their time in the classroom.

Students are given daily and weekly goals, both on a classroom and individual level. Goals help students keep focused on the work they need to complete throughout the day and week. Individual goals are determined through teacher-student collaboration. Students meet one on one with teachers once a week to review the week’s work and plan for next week.

Following the Montessori principle of freedom within limits, students have the opportunity to choose their own follow-up activities to lessons. Since a variety of materials are used to teach a central concept, follow-up activities are varied and personal as students demonstrate mastery of a topic while pursing their own interest.

Click here to view a PDF of Lower Elementary Curriculum Overview.