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Curriculum

With a grasp of the Big Picture and strategies to classify and organize information, 9 – 12 students, as part of their journey inward, shift their attention to unpeeling the layers of what they know, curious about the hidden, what is not readily obvious. In science, for example, they explore the systems within plants and animals. How does life and the world work?

In each area of the curriculum, students return to basic concepts and dig deeper. The essentials of the 6 – 9 curriculum form the core of 9 – 12 study. The beauty of Montessori education is the way in which it inculcates a sense that knowledge is a continuum of inter-related ideas. The more we uncover in our quest to understand and satisfy our curiosity about the world, the more we realize how interdependent everything in the world is. The unknown is always derived from the known and the unknown is infinite.

Language - Reading, Grammar, Written and Oral Communication, and Handwriting form the backbone of the language curriculum. Students receive instruction in all components on an ongoing basis as progress in one area is interdependent with progress in the other two.

Reading becomes a matter of reading to learn as opposed to learning to read. With a variety of strategies to extract meaning from text, students focus on strengthening their use of reading as a primary source of information.
Grammar reaches a more complex level. Using the sequence of Montessori and related exercises, students conduct an exhaustive study of the various forms of the different parts of speech to include the construction of all of the verb tenses and forms. As they master parts of speech, they move to sentence analysis, discovering how parts of speech function in a sentence and how sentences are put together. Grammar work supports the development of writing skills.
Written Communication encompasses Spelling, Vocabulary Development, Creative Writing, Functional Writing, and Usage and Research Skills.

Spelling encompasses mastery of syllabication, contractions and abbreviations, and basic rules and exceptions for spelling.
Vocabulary Development combines a focus on the structure of words and the meaning of prefixes, roots, and suffixes, the etymology of words, literal and figurative connotations of words, and the acquisition of advanced words and culturally specific words for use in their oral and written work.
Creative Writing covers the use of graphic organizers to plan writing, exploration of a variety of creative writing forms, conventions of presentation, such as dialogue and paragraphs, and experimentation with writing both informal and formal letters.
Functional Writing concentrates on basic principles of research and presentation of a report.
Usage and Research Skills, intrinsic to good writing, cover the pragmatics of writing, how to structure sentences and use appropriate punctuation, how to ensure accuracy in their use of terminology and vocabulary, how to organize content in a meaningful and logical manner, and how to use references in support of their work.

Oral Communication, as in 6 – 9, covers Speech, Auditory Skills, Social Listening and Appreciative Listening. For all areas, a variety of materials is used to strengthen skills with a heavy emphasis on modeling and group interaction.
Handwriting shifts to the development of keyboarding skills, and students are encouraged to secure a computer program that allows them to practice skills at home as well as at school.

Mathematics - Concrete materials continue to dominate the process of discovery of mathematical principles; however, students are more inclined to reach for abstraction as soon as possible.

Numbers and numeration continue to cover Concept of Numbers; Numeration; Place Value, Number Theory; Place Value, and Mathematical Languages and Notation.
Operations and Relations is now directed first toward decimals and then logically toward fractions as they discover the nature of the relationship between decimal and fractional numbers. As they grow fluent moving from decimals to fractions and vice-versa, they are introduced to percents and the relationship of percents to decimals and fractions. They cover proportion and the concept of ratio.
Graphing introduces the various types of graphs and their uses, discovering how to present data in the form of a graph and which graph might best represent information. As an expectation in the social studies and science area, students are expected to incorporate graphs into extended research projects.
Preparation for Algebra includes working on principles of binomials and trinomials and practicing the expansion of equations. Additionally, they use a variety of supplemental textbooks to reinforce mastery of mathematical terminology. As they grow secure in their understanding of concepts, they advanced to square and cube roots with Montessori materials to guide them in solving complex problems.

Geometry - The Montessori curriculum stands out in its inclusion of geometry as a course of study at this level of development.

Plane Geometry includes more intensive exploration of angles, their relationship to each other, how to measure them, how to construct them, how they relate to geometric shapes. Through Montessori exercises, students discover formulas for perimeter for closed straight and curved lined figures. Working from the known to the unknown, they explore strategies to calculate area. They work on the nature of congruency, similarity and equivalency and apply these concepts to identifying the relationship of various geometric figures and determining area for advanced polygons.
Solid Geometry provides students with the opportunity to secure mastery of properties of three dimensional straight line and curved figures. Using Montessori materials, they explore methods to determine surface area and volume arriving at formulas they can apply to solving problems.

Science - In the 9 – 12, students return to the framework of the Story of the Universe and the Time Line of Life and peel away the external to gain a glimpse at the internal and the nature of the organization of systems that support physical laws and plant and animal life. There is a continuing emphasis on classification of information as a means of ordering knowledge in a way it can be retrieved to solve problems and prompt further inquiry. Students are encouraged to do research on an on-going basis, using guide sheets setting expectations, refining their skills in designing inquiries and locating reputable resources. By sixth year, they engage in complex projects, applying skills they have mastered.

Zoology allows students to observe life cycles of vertebrates, explore the relationship between animals and the environment, and examine the physiology of humans and vital functions.
Botany studies focus on the understanding of taxonomy toward building knowledge of classificatory nomenclature as a tool to identify plants. A course in plant physiology reflects an emphasis on systems within and how they support life.
Physical Science activities provide a foundation of understanding of basic laws of physics and chemistry. Using concrete materials, students develop knowledge of the characteristics of nonliving elements on earth and learn about the structure of atoms.
Scientific Inquiry as a course of study specifically addresses the scientific process, applying skills of questioning, researching, formulating hypotheses, designing valid experiments, recording observations, drawing logical conclusions, articulating future questions for more complex investigations, and preparing in-depth reports on their work. Some experiments are directed; others derive from the students. Students work individually and collaboratively on projects.

Social Studies - In the 9 – 12, students continue their journey through the Time Line of Life now turning their attention to Dr. Montessori’s Great Lesson of the Coming of Man. This lesson, as with all of Montessori’s Great Lessons, provides an overarching framework of understanding of the evolution of humans with an emphasis on culture and the impact of climate on how people lived and survived. Students begin with the time of pre-history and track the process of evolution from hunter gatherer to urban civilization.

History covers Ancient Civilizations, United States History, and Environmental Studies in a 3 year program.
Geography deepens students' exploration of geology, examining characteristics of various rocks and minerals. Physical geography includes a study of advanced land forms, advanced concepts of the construction of maps, and the use of geographical reference materials. Political geography emphasizes mastery of countries, capitals, major cities and land forms. Students refine their skills in using and reading maps. Economic geography concentrates on the relationship of geography to the way people meet their needs.
Civics encompasses developing classroom ground rules, reaching deeper into what it means to be a responsible citizen of our world. During community meetings, spontaneous discussion of current events is encouraged, drawing students into an appreciation of the complexity of issues facing people in the world today.
Spanish continues to develop students' use of another language of communications, practiciing previously learned skills and moving toward complex sentence structure.

Fine Arts - Fine Arts encompasses both Art and Music.

Art is presented in a three year cycle of work that covers the use of various media in the expression of ideas to include architecture and concepts in art history. Students acquire skills in analyzing and interpreting art work and comparing and contrasting the styles of artists. They study Form and Dimension, Space and Perspective, Texture and Value.
Music covers Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Form, Movement, and Expressive Qualities and uses the Orff Schulwerk method of instruction. Students also have the opportunity to begin participating in an extra-curricular band program.

Physical Development - Physical Development encompasses Gym and Health and Safety.

Gym includes, in addition to traditional activities, off-site swimming during the fall and off-site ice skating during the winter months with an additional special program each year. Examples of this program in the past are KidWorks Drama and Flamenco dancing.
Health and Safety addresses considerations of personal cleanliness and hygiene and public health. Students also practice interpersonal skills, learning strategies to manage feelings an emotions and discussing how emotions can impact the community. They begin to form relationships with adults as a resource to discuss problems and concerns.

Brickton Programs

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Upper Elementary (9-12 years of age)