Lower Elementary children continue working with the concrete materials used in the Primary Program. They proceed to work with the specially-made Montessori elementary materials which continue to be concrete but have progressively more difficult concepts to demonstrate. Lessons that introduce the beginning of new concepts are frequently called key experiences. These lessons are special in that they capture the child’s attention, provoke excitement, and incite in him the desire to learn more. Key experiences can be lessons demonstrated to the whole group, a small group, or to an individual child.
Language Arts: The language arts program meets the child at his individual level in word study, reading, handwriting, creative writing, spelling, and grammar. The children continue in a phonics-based approach to reading and writing as they did in the Primary Program, but with increasing complexity.
Reading: Time spent reading increases through the elementary years. Reading aloud to the teacher is done daily. Reading for pleasure and to follow interests is encouraged. Comprehension skill-building is a daily activity, done independently for more advanced readers and more teacher-directed for those who need guidance.
Word Study: Children continue to use the movable alphabet to build words, create sentences, or short stories. As the children become fluent readers, their exposure to difficult words increases. Word study includes the study of compound words; singular and plural; alphabetizing; prefixes and suffixes; synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and homophones; contractions; punctuation and capitalization; and dictionary study.
Creative Writing: Creative writing is encouraged through the habit of daily journaling. Beginners draw pictures and describe their work with simple phrases. Older children are able to write more about whatever is on their mind. Eventually, as their writing skills improve, the children learn to express themselves freely in writing. Studies in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction help shape their knowledge of written expression.
Penmanship: Penmanship is an important skill which has its roots in the Primary program. Most children begin their elementary years knowing cursive writing. They continue learning cursive handwriting throughout Lower Elementary. The Montessori cursive sandpaper letters and movable alphabet provide a basis for instruction. The children are excited to learn this style of writing.
Computer Skills: Using the computer to express written thoughts has become an important feature in twenty-first century communication. Most children are very familiar with computer functions through games they have at home. At school, the focus is on how the computer serves as a learning tool. The Lower Elementary children have opportunities to be exposed to beginning keyboarding.
Grammar: Basic grammar concepts are introduced beginning with nouns, adjectives and verbs. The function of words is an important study which steadily leads to much more advanced work in grammar during the elementary years.
Spelling: Lower Elementary students have a spelling list each week with a quiz on Fridays.
Math: In the math curriculum, Montessori provides a wealth of beautiful concrete materials that make concepts come alive to the child. The child begins with the manipulative materials and uses them until reaching an abstract level of understanding and the materials are no longer needed. The Lower Elementary child steps into a classroom with familiar math tools like the colored beads for counting and the golden beads for the decimal system. They immediately explore place value and learn multi-digit operations in addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division with the golden bead materials. Working with a variety of equipment, the child comes to the memorization of math facts for all four operations. In addition to computation skills, the children study geometry, measurement, graphing, story problems, time, money and fractions. The math curriculum continues to spiral and the materials become more abstract as the child’s understanding of a concept deepens.
Science: Science is an integral part of life in the Montessori elementary classroom. The children are innately interested in their physical world and are ready to explore the fascinating things in their environment. The basic components of biology, the study of plants and animals, as well as chemistry and physical science are all brought together as the Five Great Lessons introduce the students to the Timeline of Life. Classification of the Plant and Animal Kingdoms lead the children into detailed studies of the attributes and functions of life forms. Beautifully prepared materials help the children learn the parts of a wide assortment of animals and plants.
History & Culture: A child’s imagination is at its peak in the elementary aged child. Montessori’s Five Great Lessons are designed to pull out the child’s imagination and open up a wondrous universe to unfold before the child. Montessori preferred to begin with the “big picture” and work down to the details of a subject. She thereby gave the child a context for organizing the world around him. The Five Great Lessons are the basis for the elementary cultural studies curriculum. They consist of abstract stories designed to capture the child’s imagination while introducing him to the subjects of history, science, social studies, and geography. The children study cultural geography: people, transportation, climate, economics, and location. Meanwhile, the concept of time makes a memorable impact on the story of history.