Language

The language area includes a comprehensive spelling curriculum, word study (including antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, and compounds), parts of speech (including prepositions, articles, conjunctions, etc.), creative writing, and research skills. Reading of every kind is highly encouraged, as children are introduced to poetry, folk tales, non-fiction, and classic literature. Children are also given many opportunities to read out loud – giving a presentation they have written, or dramatizing the work of another author.

Foreign Language

Students meet for Spanish instruction several times per week where they practice speaking and writing through conversation, games, and activities which reinforce the language structure and vocabulary introduced in the lessons.

Fine Arts

There are specific times designated for the study of the basic concepts of music and art using the Montessori philosophy of discovery and independent study. However, these too are integrated into the work the students do with their cultural studies subjects. The children are taught how to use materials and concepts, then encouraged to employ these skills in their work with the core subjects.

Sensorial

“Sensorial” materials and activities encourage classification through visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile impressions. Fine tuning visual discrimination skills will allow the child to easily distinguish between similarly formed letters for reading. Discovering patterns, similarities and differences builds a strong foundation for increasingly complex math skills. Fine tuning the senses enables precise observation and orderly thought patterns which lay the foundation of math, language, geometry, geography, science, art and music.

Geography and History

Geography and history include the study of civilizations and countries. Wooden puzzle maps of each continent are studied, with children learning the names, flags, animals, cultures, and geographic features of each country. History begins with the study of time, including clocks, calendars, and timelines. As various fundamental needs of people (like shelter, transportation, food, and clothing) are explored, the children research and chart changes in these needs over time and across cultures.

Practical Life

Practical life, which was a separate area in the 3-6 classroom, is now integrated with the day-to-day care of the classroom and its inhabitants. Tasks may include preparation of snack and daily meals and watering of plants and care of animals. Elementary children dust the shelves, organize and straighten the materials, sweep and vacuum, and keep the classroom neat and clean, and have multiple opportunities to help with general upkeep of the classroom and building. 

Mathematics

The math area begins with the Golden Bead material to teach beginning math concepts (place value, quantity/symbol association, and concrete addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The materials bring a “hands-on” quality to the classroom, with children learning through trial and error, self-discovery, and teaching from other children. The materials quickly move the child to an abstraction of math concepts, including problem solving, fractions, borrowing and carrying, graphing, measurement, long division, and algebraic equations. Geometry is a fascinating area of Montessori. Actual wooden shapes are used to master the terminology of all of the plane figures and solids. Matching cards are used to introduce types and positions of lines, types and positions of angles, and special characteristics of shapes. Experimentation with other materials leads children to their own discoveries of spatial relationships, including congruence, symmetry, and equivalency.

Science

Botany and zoology encompass a wide field of biological study. Matching cards are used to learn the characteristics of many plants and animals, and charts aid in the classification of the plant and animal kingdoms. After this first knowledge is gained, children begin to research on their own, using their knowledge of specific plant and animal species.

​The classroom also includes a set of experiments or demonstrations that illuminate basic physical and chemical science concepts called “The Universe Experiments”. Like much of the classroom, science topics are integrated into every part of the classroom allowing the children to explore their interests, research their passions and design their own experiments.