Our elementary program, for ages 6 – 12, has an individually paced curriculum that challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them in later education and in life.
Our elementary program expands upon the learning fostered in the Casa program. For students new to Montessori, it orients them to the joys of responsible participation.
Guides pilot children through a rigorous curriculum individually tailored to their own interests, needs, and abilities. They monitor progress against established benchmarks and expectations for student learning, including academic preparedness, independence, confidence, autonomy, intrinsic motivation, social responsibility, and global citizenship.
Within the Elementary program, the Practical Life curriculum expands from the foundation laid in the Casa prgram. Practical Life at the Elementary level shifts from a focus on self-care and fine motor skills, to skills that help children connect with their interests in the outside world, organize their time, and take part in their community.
While self-care and appropriate social interactions continue to be supported, lessons that teach responsibility are the focus. Use of tools, such as work plans, to support organization and time management skills, are incorporated into the daily routine.
Guides and students often work together to post reminders about assignments, projects, and ideas. Using these, children make independent work choices, prioritize activities, and meet deadlines.
The ideas of number concepts, place value, numerals, and related quantities are reinforced and expanded upon within the Elementary program. Newfound purposes for familiar math materials provide children with the means to consider number concepts, mathematical operations, and more complex functions, helping to expand advanced mathematical knowledge and understanding.
Reading and writing are integral to all subjects in Montessori Elementary, as children express their interests and satisfy their curiosity. Students master conventions with thorough studies of grammar, spelling, and mechanics. They produce final copies with careful penmanship and keyboarding. They read, analyze, think critically, and compare and contrast literature to support personal opinion and perspective. Using these reading and writing skills, they present ideas through formal and informal presentations.
Cultural studies are interdisciplinary and integrate zoology, botany, geography, geology, physical and life sciences, and anthropology. Through these lessons, children explore the interconnectedness of all living things. Additionally, in-depth studies of history, physical and political world geography, civics, economics, peace and justice, the arts, world language, and physical education are introduced.
Interdisciplinary and integrated studies of geology, geography, physical and life sciences, anthropology, and history are built around “Great Lessons,” a series of dramatic stories that explore the origins of the universe, our planet, and the continuous development of human advancement. The laws of physics and chemistry reveal the interdependency of all living things. Beginning with a study of civilization, students explore the contributions of history and what it means to be a responsible citizen and to seek ways to make the world a better, more peaceful place.
Art is one of the many ways children express themselves and experience their emotions. In our environment, children are provided open-ended art activities that help them explore and use their creativity. When it comes to art, it is the process and not the product that is important to the child. The child works to develop their self. Once a child creates something, he does not feel the need to keep the product. It is the process that gives him satisfaction and inner joy.
Multi-age groupings of children ages 6 – 9 and 9 – 12 (or 6 –12) provide a heterogeneous mix in which children can collaborate and socialize. These inter-age relationships strengthen the entire community.
Older children are seen as role models within the community. They support the growth and development of younger children through socialization, assisting with new work, or teaching skills they have mastered themselves. They can also work with younger students in areas of the curriculum in which they themselves may need more practice, without stigma.
Younger children follow the example set by the older students, and have peers to work with in areas of the curriculum in which they may be more advanced. This multi-age community provides opportunities for all individuals to learn from each other, at times leading, sharing, or serving as role models. It also develops an appreciation of differences.
In our Elementary classroom, students work individually or in small groups, at tables or on mats on the floor. Natural lighting, soft colors, and uncluttered spaces set the stage for activity that is focused and calm. Learning materials are arranged on accessible shelves according to curricular area, fostering independence as students go about their work. Everything is where it is supposed to be, conveying a sense of harmony and order that both comforts and inspires.
Children who are new to Montessori quickly feel at home with the inspired teaching that appeals to their deepest interests, and with the distinctive, hands-on learning materials that guides introduce sequentially according to the students’ developmental needs.
For students who have completed the Casa program, the environment offers continuity with familiar routines and learning materials that offer new lessons and opportunities for more complex exploration and discovery.
The classroom is a happy community. Students are focused. They take joy in their work. They invent, explore, experiment, confer, create, prepare snacks, and curl up with books; sometimes they might even reflect in a peaceful, meditative corner. Meanwhile, guides circulate throughout the room, observing the students and making notes about their progress, ever ready to offer support or introduce new material, as appropriate.
Expectations are both exquisitely clear and engagingly open-ended.
Montessori students don’t just memorize facts and figures. They also learn the “hows,” “whens,” and “whys,” ensuring that learning takes place on a deep and fundamental level. Specially designed learning materials that use real objects and actions to translate abstract ideas into concrete form support them in this learning.
Guides introduce materials to students according to their level of development and readiness. Students then work with the materials to make exciting discoveries—such as why, when dividing fractions, we invert and multiply. Inherent in the use of Montessori materials is the understanding of the power of discovering answers on one’s own.
Grammar Symbols use color and shape to embody the concepts of parts of speech. By providing a visual representation of the patterns of language, the symbols ignite curiosity about not just the patterns in the English language, but languages of the world.
Reading and Sentence Analysis Charts expand on the grammar symbols to help students learn to construct meaningful sentences and, eventually, to analyze the sentence structure of authors.
Theorem of Pythagoras materials enable students to construct their own understanding of the relationships between the sides of a right triangle.
The Bead Cabinet contains beautifully arranged chains of beads that suit many purposes. Children begin by counting individual beads and matching the quantity to the numeral. They then go on to learn the skills of counting, which serves as an introduction to multiplication and exponential growth.
The color-coded Stamp Game is used to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and helps students understand the decimal system.
Villa D, Sai Anugraha,
#27/1, Rukmani Street Extn.,
Besant Nagar, Chennai – 600090.
