Lower Elementary (6 - 9 years)

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“The child’s interest in doing better, and his own constant checking and testing, are so important to him that his progress is assured. His very nature tends toward exactitude and the ways of obtaining it appeal to him.”

Dr. Maria Montessori

Overview of the Lower Elementary Program

This is the age of cognitive learning with great production of work output. The world is opening up to the students in every subject area, as they learn to read for content. Our lessons are rooted in a realistic big picture concept designed to spark the child’s interest and imagination, where students can dig deeper into areas of interest. In our classroom, we demonstrate concepts using hands-on materials and allow students to practice independently with the manipulatives. As they move from concrete to abstract, they will master foundational concepts and build on that knowledge to strengthen understanding. The students progress at their own pace based on concept mastery, rather than a pre-determined lesson plan for the week. This keeps students engaged and challenged in every curricular area.

Our program focuses on independence and self-initiative. Students develop weekly learning goals with the support of a classroom teacher, learning how to balance activities, prioritize assignments, and pursue extensions within areas of interest. Lead teachers give a combination of individual, small group and full class lessons throughout the week to introduce new concepts and assess students’ levels of understanding for readiness to move to advanced concepts.

Community involvement and responsibility are also vital at this developmental level. Within our elementary classrooms, students develop a communal understanding of justice while working collaboratively to solve problems. Lower Elementary students regularly use discussion as a vehicle for communication of needs and ideas, as seen through peer conflict resolution, class meetings and individual meetings with teachers. Not only are the students trying to make sense of themselves as learners, they also have a great desire to understand the world around them and how the rules of a community serve them. To this end, the service learning activities and conversations about equity and equality help feed our students’ strong desire for justice and connection to the world beyond Brickton.

Learn how the Montessori elementary years, ages 6 through 12, prepare children intellectually, emotionally, and socially to navigate the next stage of their education through this video prepared by the national Association of Montessori Schools (AMS).