Upper Elementary

Elementary Program

Upper Elementary Curriculum

Language:

Our upper elementary language curriculum consists of reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary and critical thinking. In true Montessori fashion, our curriculum picks up at the individualized level where each student leaves off in lower elementary.  

Our writing curriculum uses the Six Traits of Writing to guide children from basic sentence structure, to paragraph structure, to the three-paragraph and then the five-paragraph essay. The program focuses on the writer’s ideas, organization, voice, word-choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Our grammar studies include advanced sentence analysis, second level function of words, verbals, parallelism, and advanced comma rules. Throughout our language studies, teachers guide children in noticing the connections between their grammar studies and the application of those skills in their daily writing. 

Upper elementary reading moves from decoding and fluency into literary analysis with the use of our meta-cognitive comprehension strategies. Students learn to “think about their thinking” in our weekly literature circles and their nightly reading diaries. Elements of literary analysis are examined in the higher grades such as character, setting, plot, and theme. Expository texts are explored through our weekly Scholastic magazine which also includes current events. Spelling skills also pick up where lower elementary left off. After an initial assessment and review, each child continues with their current level and progresses from there. New vocabulary words are taught in the context of our entire elementary curriculum, focusing on etymology and structure. Students are encouraged to use all four aspects of vocabulary including listening, speaking, reading and writing new words.

Math

Montessori upper elementary math progresses from the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers to these same basic operations with rational numbers such as fractions, decimals, and percents. Older students are introduced to algebraic concepts such as negative number operations, variables, expressions, and equations. Square and cube roots,and bi and trinomial equations are also discovered using materials students used at a sensorial level in primary.

Geometry

Upper elementary geometry uses discovery learning to guide students in realizing the connections between mathematical and geometric concepts. Students explore the relationships between angles, squaring, cubing, area, perimeter, volume studies.

Cultural

In continuing with our unified elementary curriculum, our upper elementary cultural curriculum also continues where the lower elementary curriculum ends. Using the give great Montessori lessons as a cross-curricular framework, we also have three subjects of exploration:

Science:

Our upper elementary science program continues with botany and zoology. However, where our younger students study the external parts of plants and animals, our older students explore the more internal, body and vital functions of different plants and animals. Older students also move from physical science into an introduction to chemistry and biology.  

Geography/History:

In geography, our older students explore more advanced land and water forms and in history, we zoom in on our timeline of life and study the coming of humans, ancient civilizations, and eventually, US history.  

The entire Montessori cultural curriculum focuses on human accomplishments, always with an eye toward how humans have come together throughout history to create scientific, architectural, and societal wonders!

Specials:

Our upper elementary students also participate in weekly classes in art, chorus, instrumental music, spanish, physical education/health, science lab, and technology.

Unified Elementary Annual Themes:

Each year both elementary programs explore different themes that coincide with and enhance our curriculum. Some examples of our independent study projects are: women’s history month, black history month, president’s Week, poetry month, and peaceful leaders projects. All students learn grace and courtesy lessons and peace and conflict-resolution skills. Students also focus on seasonal themes throughout the year which are supplemented by field trips. 

Model UN:

As our Upper Elementary and Middle school continues to grow, we continuously look for ways to enrich our program with meaningful opportunities for our students. Our teachers and administrators were brainstorming ideas for the upcoming year and the Montessori Model UN came to mind. We began researching more about the year-long program and knew it would be a perfect fit. As Montessorians, our students are taught early on the principles of peace education. What better way to learn about the value of peace and cooperation than to participate in a working model of the world’s peace keeping organization, the United Nations. The Montessori Model UN allows students to immerse themselves in the diplomatic process of the UN and become delegates as they learn about different countries and work together to solve global issues.


The teachers attended classes over the summer to become certified coordinators as our school was selected to participate in the program. When the school year begins, we will be learning about the UN organization with the students and discussing different global issues. The students will then start researching their assigned countries and topics. Different topics ranged from Youth, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation to Convention on Biological Diversity to the Empowerment of Rural Women, to name a few. Our student delegates will work diligently for many hours both in and out of school to become experts on these real-life global issues that their countries are facing.

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