|
Elementary Program
At
Spruce Pine Montessori School, we are sensitive to the fact that
children have a variety of different learning styles and that the
development of particular skills will occur at different ages for
different children. The three-year age grouping continues into the
elementary level, resulting in one classroom for 6-9 year
old children
and another for 9-12 year old children. This allows the continuation
of older children teaching the younger ones and gaining
self-confidence and leadership skills in the process. Hands-on
experience is the keystone on which the program is built. Long before
a child can understand a concept, he or she has worked with materials
expressing that concept. In the classroom the children are free to
move about, talk quietly, and do the work of their choice, subject to
structure and guidance. The result is children with a keen sense of
time management skills they have developed in relation to their own
needs. Their accountability for their own learning
leads
to a profound sense of independence and confidence; their natural
interests and love of learning are strengthened and nurtured.
Multi-sensory
learning is still important for the elementary age child. All the
Montessori materials build upon skills acquired earlier, leading the
child through a process of self-discovery that can be missing in other
teaching methods.
The subject of
language is central to this classroom. Spelling, penmanship, and the
study of grammar and creative writing are strong components, along
with reading and writing of poetry. The children move from learning
letter sounds to reading words, sentences, stories and books. Time is
devoted to storytelling, vocabulary
enrichment, drama,
and to nurturing the creative process. The mathematics materials that
Maria Montessori designed for the 6-9 year age level allow the
child |
 |
 |
to experience (in
a physical and concrete way) the operations of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division, and into the basics of geometry. The
child is supported in his or her journey towards abstraction.
At the elementary
level a variety of cultural subjects offer a broad vision of the
universe. Enthusiasm is generated in the child to do deeper research
in the subjects of interest, such as geography, botany, or the arts.
Nature study and outdoor education are also important. Classroom
experience is supplemented with field trips on a near weekly basis.
These include visits to historical, art and science museums, cultural
events, concerts, workshops, and environmental sites.
The classroom for
9-12 year old children continues to support high academic standards
along with the goal of fostering
creative, independent thinkers through an experiential child-centered
learning environment. In the language program the emphasis
shifts to writing and reading fluency. Critical thinking and
research skills are emphasized as children learn to question
information sources and develop an understanding of historical
context. Mathematics progresses to higher levels of abstraction,
while children are encouraged
to explore problems of increasing complexity. The program of field
trips continues in conjunction with the study of cultural subjects.
|
|
|
Spend a moment in the 9-12
classroom . . .
Excerpted from "Notes on Observation"
by Katey Schultz
"The first thing I notice is the sun coming in through the windows
and how it illuminates a small corner of the room where the math
materials are. Behind the shelf is Hazel; she has found a perfect
little cave to do her journaling in. Across the room, another boy
is journaling. He is hiding with his buddy against one of the
walls . . .
The next thing I notice is the chatter and movement. It is
constant but not bothersome . . . it sounds joyful; perhaps the level of
concentration is not as deep, but there is a busy energy, like
passengers in a train station moving from one destination to the next.
As the morning progresses, I notice the energy peaked two times during
the uninterrupted work time, but then it died down naturally. The
teacher assures me that it almost always happens that way. It
occurs to me that this uninterrupted work time is like a dance:
careful, free, and with its only genuine purpose being to lose oneself
in the act. For a few of the students I can see the "flow" so
often talked about in Montessori classrooms. A few others could
use a gentle reminder. This is so much like meditation-coming back
to the breath, wandering off, coming back to the breath, staying in your
body, coming back to the breath...
Besides journaling, at first I notice that two students are
observing the mice, two need to refocus, and three are having a spelling
test. I observe these lessons carefully. There are five
different spelling lessons for a classroom of 11 students. Each
small group is therefore guaranteed a personalized lesson to meet their
needs. Later, I get to watch a grammar lesson. I learn that
in order to receive a new grammar lesson for the week, students have to
complete their follow up and corrections from the previous lesson.
We practice sentences but it feels like we are playing a game. The
lesson is short but successful. Not too much, not too little; and
they are off . . ."
| "The first duty of the educator,
whether he is involved with the newborn infant or the older
child, is to recognize the human personality of the young being
and respect it." Maria Montessori |
|
 |
