Upper School
1st – 6th Grade
The Upper School includes children in the age range of 6 to 12 years, the traditional elementary years, and offers students a combination of challenging academics and extensive enrichment experiences.
7:00 am to 6:00 pm
The school day begins at 8:30 am and ends at 3:30 pm. We provide Before Care between 7:00-8:30 am and Extended Day options from 3:30–4:30 pm or 3:30-6:00 pm.
1:18 Ratio
The student–teacher ratio for elementary is 1 teacher for up to 18 children.
Elementary
Our Elementary program offers multi-age classrooms, with curriculum that spans more than 3 years in each room. Rather than providing daily instruction to an entire class, students typically receive small group or individualized instruction from the teacher, though there are also whole-class projects and presentations. Students follow a weekly work plan to guide them through the curriculum, 4-days each week, while Fridays are devoted to Enrichment classes. Students choose how to accomplish the work on the work plan, providing for continual practice of time-management skills. Students must be very independent to be successful in a Montessori Elementary environment.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Children in the Elementary program study Cultural Subjects (Botany, Zoology, Physical Science, Geography, and History), Language Arts, Writing, Mathematics, and Geometry using a fully integrated curriculum and incorporating project-based learning. This interdisciplinary approach helps children understand the interconnectedness of the universe as they develop creative and critical thinking skills.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
During this time of development, children’s reasoning transforms from concrete to abstract and they have a strong desire to develop connections with their peers. We provide opportunities for social interactions and collaborative learning that strengthen peer relationships.
PHYSICAL AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Our classrooms offer freedom of movement, large open spaces for indoor and outdoor learning, and uninterrupted blocks of time for students to complete their work plans. Additionally, our daily fitness education program provides cooperative games to help develop gross motor coordination while emphasizing the benefits of teamwork.
CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
By experiencing the value of working cooperatively in a community of trust, the students have a strong sense of their place in the world, including respect and responsibility for themselves, their community, and the environment, and an understanding of the importance of becoming a productive, caring community citizen.
Enrichments
Enrichment classes, taught by specialized instructors, occur in the afternoons on Monday through Thursday and all day on Friday. Afternoon enrichment classes include Spanish, Computer Lab, and daily Fitness Education. Classes attended on Enrichment Friday include:
In the spring, there are performance opportunities in Music and Drama for 1st – 6th grade students and in Latin for 4th – 6th grade students.
Three-Year Cycle
The Elementary Program is divided into two groupings, based on a three-year cycle of child development:
Lower Elementary
The three-year curriculum is designed so that children revisit, build on, and deepen their understanding of many broad topics with each encounter increasing in complexity and reinforcing previous learning.
Integrated Curriculum
In each classroom, Cultural Subjects such as Botany, Zoology, Physical Science, Geography, and History are integrated into the curriculum along with Language Arts, Writing, Mathematics, and Geometry.
Personalized
Teachers provide personalized instruction in Mathematics and Language Arts to meet the needs of each student, while instruction for the other subject areas are by grade level.
Enrichments
We enrich the Montessori curriculum through Art, Music, Spanish, Fitness Education, Computer Lab, Health, Science Lab, Drama, and Conflict Resolution; a study of Greek & Latin Roots starts at 3rd grade.
Upper Elementary
The Upper Elementary program builds upon skills introduced in the Lower Elementary program, expanding study in all curriculum and enrichment areas.
Self-Directed
Equip students with tools for successful learning as self-directed learners and group members, including the use of technology for research, writing, and presentation.
Projects
Provide opportunities for individual student projects, cooperative group work, and community service projects.
Collaboration
Strengthen skills in leadership, collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, conflict resolution, organization, and time management.
Beyond the classroom
Provide opportunities for learning beyond the classroom through off-site volunteering programs, on-site community service, and four-day trips to Nature’s Classroom Institute.
Video Resources
Volunteering at the Tarrant Area Food Bank
Our students have many opportunities for helping others, like volunteering at the local food bank, running bake sales to benefit local charities, and conducting clothing drives on their way to becoming productive, caring community citizens.
Find out more about the Elementary Montessori Classroom from AMS
Our Lower Elementary Lead Teacher, Mrs. Proctor, took part in making an American Montessori Society video which provides and overview of how an elementary Montessori classroom works.
