Upper El (4th-5th Grades)
The elementary curriculum is based on the Montessori preschool experience. The environment reflects a new stage of development and offers the following:
- Imaginative stories are used to capture the children's interest and reveal the interconnectedness of the origins of the earth, life and human communities.
- Precise scientific language is used which presents the children with accurate, organized information and respects the child's intelligence and interests.
- Visual and hands-on materials are used within a sequence that aids in the understanding of complex concepts in math, science, geography and history.
- Montessori-trained teachers are able to integrate all subjects, not as isolated themes, but as connected parts of a whole.
- Children are encouraged to research and study in depth the topics that interest them. They are encouraged to ask questions and are guided in their quest for answers.
- Field trips to make use of community resources beyond the classroom.
As in the preschool, the Montessori materials are a means of development. They are intended to evoke the imagination, to aid abstract reasoning, and to generate a vision of human responsibility and purpose. The study of natural history and world ecology combines geology, biology and anthropology.
The program is made up of related stories called great lessons which organize and integrate knowledge. Great lessons refer to the history of the universe from its beginning, the origin of the solar system and earth and life forms to the emergence of human cultures and civilizations. Aided by charts and timelines, the study of detail from the great lessons leads to children's admiration and respect for the totality of human knowledge.
The integration of curricular areas results in the following:
- Mastery of subject matter
- An appreciation and respect for life
- A fundamental belief in progress and the contribution of the individual
- The universality of the human condition
- The meaning of true justice
* Adapted from Montessori Public School Consortium
Learn about transitioning from Lower Elementary to Upper Elementary at Community Montessori: