Elementary Program

Upper Elementary Curriculum

We believe it is important to prepare a child for “what’s next” after they move on from our school. For many students, it is to a traditional school. Therefore, students in the fourth grade and higher take an annual standardized test both to prepare them for taking these types of exams in the future, and to benchmark the education we provide. We teach students how to think rather than what to think. The best result was the feedback we received from the students themselves when they finished the exam. Their comments included, “That was fun!” “Can we do more?” and “That went fast!” How often do you hear a child ask for more testing? 

Language:

This area includes writing curriculum using the Six Traits of Writing and grammar studies. Throughout our language studies, teachers guide children in noticing the connections between their grammar studies and the application of those skills in their daily writing.


Upper elementary reading moves from decoding and fluency into literary analysis. Students learn to “think about their thinking” in literature circles and expository texts.

Math

Montessori upper elementary math progresses from the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers to these same basic operations with rational numbers such as fractions, decimals, and percents. Older students are introduced to algebraic concepts such as negative number operations, variables, expressions, and equations. Square and cube roots, and bi and trinomial equations are also discovered using materials students used at a sensorial level in Primary.

Geometry

Upper elementary geometry uses discovery learning to guide students in realizing the connections between mathematical and geometric concepts. Students explore the relationships between angles, squaring, cubing, area, perimeter, and volume studies.

Cultural

In the Montessori curriculum, the term cultural encompasses the sciences, geography, social studies and history.

Science:

Our Upper Elementary science program continues with botany and zoology, and our older students also move from physical science into an introduction to chemistry and biology.

Geography/History:

In geography, our older students explore more advanced land and water forms and in history, we zoom in on our timeline of life and study the coming of humans, ancient civilizations, and eventually, US history. 



The entire Montessori cultural curriculum focuses on human accomplishments, always with an eye toward how humans have come together throughout history to create scientific, architectural, and societal wonders!

Specials:

Weekly specials classes include art, instrumental music, Spanish, physical education/health, science lab, and technology.

Montessori Model UN:

As Montessorians, our students are taught early on the principles of peace education. What better way to learn about the value of peace and cooperation than to participate in a working model of the world’s peace keeping organization, the United Nations. The Montessori Model UN allows students to immerse themselves in the diplomatic process of the UN and become delegates as they learn about different countries and work together to solve global issues.



Our teachers became certified MMUN coordinators when our school was selected to participate in this program. The students research their assigned countries and topics. Different topics ranged from Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation to Convention on Biological Diversity to the Empowerment of Rural Women, to name a few. Our student delegates work diligently for many hours both in and out of school to become experts on these real-life global issues that their countries are facing. This part of the curriculum culminates in an international four-day MMUN conference in New York City.