The Montessori School of North Hoffman
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Lotus Montessori School
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The Elementary Program
(6 to 12 years)The Montessori School of North Hoffman offers a Montessori Elementary Program for the first through sixth grades. The Elementary Program has two lower elementary classrooms and one upper elementary classroom. The class is taught by four certified Montessori Elementary teachers and two highly qualified assistant teachers.
At age six, the child moves to what Maria Montessori called the Second Plane of Development, which encompasses children 6 to 12 years-old. There are enormous changes in the needs of the child from those of the First Plane, the years from birth to six years. The child is no longer centered around herself and her family but now has a great need to explore society and the world. If the First Plane is the age of "what," this Second Plane is the age of why, where, who, when, and how.
In the Montessori elementary classroom, we give the child the history of the universe, the world, the coming of plants and animals, and the emergence of humans on Earth and their contribution to language, culture, arts, mathematics and science. This is also the age when the child develops a moral sense, learning what is right and wrong. He strives to find how he can play an important and meaningful role in life. Elementary students at the Montessori School of North Hoffman learn about moral values through the study of virtues and the various aspects of community building.
During this age Children are interested in the world outside the classroom. In our Elementary Program they explore with a purpose: they are given the tools to actively conduct research, not only using books and computers, but also using their minds and imaginations. Field trips called "going out" are scheduled regularly based on the children's work in the classroom and additional interest that they may show in any particular area. The field trip group may consist of the entire class, or it may consist of a few students who share common interest. Some examples include:
Every year the students go on a five-day field trip to Nature's Classroom in Wisconsin to experience learning through natural surroundings;
Every three years the upper elementary students experience real-life situations of our ancient ancestors by living in a primitive setting at Ancient Lifeways in Michael, Illinois;
As part of our cultural, political and civic studies the lower elementary students visit Springfield, Illinois and the upper elementary students visit Washington D.C. every three years;
In 2004 our upper elementary students took an international trip to Costa Rica and worked with local Montessori children there to learn about the rainforest and Costa Rica's reforestation program.
Our elementary students are also involved in outreach and humanitarian programs that benefit children from underdeveloped nations. In autumn of 2005 our sixth grade students will be visiting the United Nations in New York along with other Montessori students from around the nation. They will meet with UN dignitaries and will function as youth ambassadors for the various humanitarian programs of the UN. We also try to bring the world into the classroom by inviting guest speakers, musical ensembles, artists, and local people of interest.
The elementary children are given opportunities to work together or alone to pursue individual or group interests. Their teachers facilitate creativity, independent thinking, and personal responsibility through practical life exercises in the classroom. The students prepare their meals twice a week and are fully responsible for taking care of their classroom and its materials.
Elementary Program -- Core Curriculum
The curriculum in the Elementary Program consists of practical life, language, mathematics, geometry, science, geography, history, Spanish, and Japanese. We also offer art, physical education, and music. The Montessori elementary curriculum is highly enriched and challenging, and is organized into three core elements:
Mastery of fundamental skills and basic core knowledge -- Students explore the realm of mathematics, science and technology, mythology, literature, history, world geography, civics, economics, anthropology, and the basic organization of human societies. Our studies cover the basics found in traditional curricula such as the memorization of math facts, spelling lessons. We also devote considerable time to the study of vocabulary, grammar, sentence analysis, creative and expository writing, and library research skills.
Dr. Montessori's Great Lessons -- The Great Lessons are five key areas of interconnected studies we present to all our elementary students in the form of inspiring stories, related experiences, and research projects. The Great Lessons, intended to give children a "cosmic" perspective of the Earth, include the story of how the world came to be, the development of life on Earth, the story of humankind, the development of language and writing, and the development of mathematics. The lessons, studies, and projects surrounding each of the great lessons normally span many months and the questions that children pose and their efforts to find the answers to their own questions may continue for many years.
Individually Chosen Research -- Elementary students are encouraged to explore topics that capture their imagination. We encourage students to do a great deal of independent reading through both library and internet research. The information is then shared with their classmates on a regular basis. Their oral presentation and written reports grow in sophistication and complexity over the years. Every year our elementary students select a topic to research in detail and present it to an audience on Presentation Night. The presentation is complete with oral and written reports as well as visuals consisting of a presentation board and other related items.
We adhere to the Montessori curriculum but we feel we must also reflect American standards of performance so that when our students leave for other schools they will be secure in their new environments. To ensure this, we administer standardized tests to the children every year and teach them test taking skills and strategies that they will need in the future.
