Lower Elementary 6–9 years old
Upper Elementary 9-12 years pld
Peace. Children in the elementary communities need one another. Their social being is beginning to bloom and with that comes a need to negotiate rules and communicate boundaries. Through these processes, they learn to both hold expectations for others and meet reasonable expectations of others. These life lessons are vibrantly presented in History and Biology lessons, where the children learn that everyone and everything has a purpose and is very much needed in the intricate web of society and of life itself.
Diversity. In addition to striving to maintain a diverse student population and hire staff from diverse backgrounds, each and every aspect of the classroom is infused with an emphasis on diversity. In one of the first lessons a six year old receives, we explore how people from various cultures satisfy their needs. In one of the last lessons a 12 year old receives, we examine the economic impacts of trade on island nations and first nations people.
Responsibility. One of the characteristics that a child is ready to move to Elementary is that they develop a sense of responsibility. They move from washing tables to fulfill their own need to scrub to washing tables because the tables are dirty. In the Elementary, the children function in a mini-society, taking on the task of establishing their own routines and rules.
Special Activities
For the Elementary program special activities include Orff Music, Spanish, Art and Physical Education as part of the curriculum.
Multi-age Classroom
The Elementary program is a six-year cycle. Like the Primary program, children stay with the same teacher for years, building lasting relationships with the teachers and friendships with children of different ages. The multi-age classroom offers a dynamic social setting where children learn from each other, master skills, and become facilitators of learning for their classmates, creating experiences that build emotional intelligence not possible in traditional single-age classrooms. We know that learning is not linear and that learners have periods of significant growth, plateaus, and even the occasional regression. In a multi-age classroom, children are typically able to work at their own pace without the added pressure of keeping up with the whole group or even being held back by the whole group.
Learning without Limits
Your child will study both broadly and deeply, covering many subjects not attempted in conventional schools. Because there is not a rigid schedule or prescribed curriculum that the whole class must follow, your child can focus intensely on their self-chosen work, with minimal interruption. At the same time, they will collaborate with the teacher to ensure that their work is challenging and purposeful – and that basic standards are met. In that way, the teacher is in charge of the minimum scope of work – your child is in charge of the maximum.
Learning Occurs Beyond the Classroom
We want the children to be comfortable navigating the world, not just our classroom. So, we have a few excellent books, but not a large collection. As a result, the children must ‘go out’ beyond the limits of the classroom to find the information or resource that they need. Think of it as a Montessori Elementary program in Kansas City, MO, rather than just within the walls of Clay-Platte Montessori. A ‘Going Out’ is a planned undertaking by a small group of children. They find a resource in the community, schedule the outing, arrange for their own transportation and supervision (by staff or parent volunteers), prepare themselves for the experience, and conduct themselves with dignity while out in public. Each Going Out is an entire course of study on independence, responsibility, and good citizenship — to say nothing of the intellectual rewards that children get from such experience.
The Teacher is an “Enlightened Generalist”
To quote Bruce Lee: “A teacher is never a giver of ‘truth;’ he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that the student must discover for himself.” We couldn’t agree more. Our AMI credentialed Montessori teachers don’t have a specific area of expertise and we don’t have “specialist” teachers for subjects like art, P.E., or music. Instead, our teachers have a broad knowledge of all subject areas – more than enough to help your child discover interests in any area imaginable and challenge him to deepen the field of study through research. Instead of giving the right answers, the teacher will ask your child the right questions to inspire him to find the answers for himself.
Learning in Context for Deeper Understanding
Unlike in a conventional program with a separate time of the day for each subject, your child will gain a much deeper understanding of concepts by learning in context. The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons;” these impressionistic and scientific stories give your child the “big picture” of language, math, astronomy, earth science, geography, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, music and art. Meaningful learning happens when children understand the “why” as much as the “what” – and are inspired to learn even more on their own.
The Format Mirrors Your Child’s Developmental Needs
Your elementary age child has a strong drive for social connection. He is starting to develop deeper friendships and a connection to the community around him. Why then, would we want him to learn in rows of desks, confined to a chair, while the teacher lectures the class as a group? Instead, we embrace your child’s natural need for social exploration by giving lessons in small groups and encouraging children to work with a variety of others on follow up projects and research into subjects of intense interest. In a Montessori Elementary program, children help children before adults help children, resulting in teamwork, independence, and a true learning community.
Engagement is Essential
Real learning occurs when children are engaged – not when the teacher makes a blanket assignment. Curiosity is championed in our Elementary program, and your child is encouraged to explore concepts to a level of detail only limited by his imagination.
Developing Flexibility, Resilience, and Grit
We believe children learn to be adaptable by supporting them to solve their own problems, rather than solving problems for them. With the help of a supportive adult, your child can, most often, find the solution that is best for them.
Achieving the State of “Flow”
Think about how you do your best work. Is it when you are interrupted by others or when you work to an external time table? Probably not. Why, then, is it any different for your child? Our class day consists of long, open-ended work periods that respect your child’s curiosity and concentration. They may choose to form or join a group to work with concepts introduced in a lesson. And, because they are free to move around the classroom, it’s not uncommon for ideas to spread; children are stimulated not just by the lessons they receive, but by each other.
Learning as its Own Reward
We have high expectations for your child and believe that rewards and punishments appeal to the lowest levels of their intellect. Given a sticker, they will do her best for a few minutes. Given experiences that help them to believe in themselves and their abilities, they will do their very best for a lifetime.
Education for Life
The goal of the Elementary Program is to develop the students’ abilities and self-confidence so that they are able to take charge of their own learning. Students who have gained an appreciation for the enormous scale and resources of the world through the Elementary program are ready to be part of the systems that employ those resources in the Farm School.
