UPPER ELEMENTARY
In the second half of the SECOND PLANE OF DEVELOPMENT, upper elementary students are beginning to enter the realm of formalized thinking. New concepts are still taught with concrete, manipulative materials, but students more quickly move away from the materials to work in the abstract. Because of their early immersion into academic subjects, these students are ready to tackle areas more frequently saved for later grades, such as pre-algebra, higher level Botany and Zoology, and writing formal research papers.
Characteristics of White Rock Montessori Upper Elementary Environments
Two upper elementary classrooms, each consisting of eighteen to twenty students, ages 9-12 (roughly 4th through 6th grades)
- Each classroom directed by one teacher and the student/teacher ratio is 18:1
- Weekly classes with specialists in music, visual arts, environmental science, and Spanish
- Physical Education daily (two classes per week with specialist)
- All students attend five days per week from 8:30 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
- Students remain in the same classroom with the same teacher throughout their upper elementary years.
- Self-paced/Individualized
- Concrete, manipulative materials organized into the following curricular areas:
- Math
- Geometry
- Pre-algebra
- Language
- Research and Creative Writing
- Foreign Language (Spanish)
- Everyday Living Skills
- Geography
- History
- Civics
- Visual Arts
- Drama
- Music
- Science
- Computer Science
- Environmental Science/Gardening
- Physical Education
Goal setting, time-management, and personal accountability skills stressed.
