Elementary | Grand Lake Montessori

Elementary
6 years to 12 years

Orientation to the Universe

“A long, long time ago, people gazed up at the stars and wondered, where did all this come from?” This is the beginning of the first ‘great story’ in the Elementary Classroom. An elementary aged child is curious about their place in the universe, and we use storytelling as a powerful vehicle for sharing about the wonders of the universe—from the history of people to the history of language, the invention of zero to counting in bases, using geometry, writing poems and plays, and more. The children use the great stories as a starting point to pique their interests and to develop their own projects, work, or field trips. In this follow-up work, the child pulls in many other disciplines.

Learn more about Montessori Elementary classrooms and curriculum at: https://montessoriguide.org/elementary-age-work

elementary 07

Society as a Tool for Learning

An Elementary aged child is ready to see beyond their family and school communities. A child at this developmental stage has a keen interest in the greater society and has a genuine need to expand their horizons. The Elementary classroom is purposefully prepared to only encompass the initial stages of research—with the rest of the information left to be found “outside” the classroom. We call this “going out”. A child who may have heard the story of the “work of the flower” may get very interested in bees and through research, might find out that the Oakland Museum has an exhibit on bees and a Entomologist on staff to answer questions. The child would make all the arrangements, including transportation, chaperones, admittance fees, and setting up the appointment. They would then prepare a report or project based on what they learned to share with the class. In this way, the children pursue their learning by using the tools and resources within society, learn how to navigate the greater society, and are able to enrich their classroom community with the new information they learned.

elementary 03

A Reasoning Mind and Imagination

Before about age six, children are sensorial learners who need to wrap their hands around something to understand it. An Elementary child relies less on the sensorial and more on the development of their reasoning mind. An Elementary child now must wrap their mind around something to understand it. Their reasoning mind makes way for the child’s imagination to help construct their learning. The Elementary classroom is designed to honor this change. Concrete materials are still used to introduce many of the topics covered, but the goal is for the children to work abstractly as soon as they are able.

elementary 04

Social Development

The Elementary classroom is a mixed age classroom whose ages range from 6-12 years. In a multi-age classroom, there is an opportunity to talk to someone who knows more than you or someone who knows less than you. A child can be the student or the teacher in any subject area, depending on their level of knowledge and experience. The Elementary classroom honors the child’s need to connect within a group and children are therefore given the freedom of movement and communication. Both of these freedoms allow for the development of their social being as they communicate freely with different groups, work together or apart, and freely move around the classroom making different choices throughout their day. They are able to resolve conflicts, share resources and knowledge, and support each other.

elementary 01

Donate

Friends of GLM Fund

$ Donation Amount:

Make this donation every

Select Payment Method

PayPal
Offline Donation

Personal Info

First Name *

Last Name

Is this donation on behalf of a company?

Company Name

Email Address *

Make this an anonymous donation.

Comment

Create an account

Donation Total: $100.00 One Time