Elementary: Ages 6-12

Scope:

Montessori East's Elementary Program is dedicated to strengthening the minds, hands, and hearts of children for leading lives of wonder, work, and love. A Montessori plan for the elementary-aged child builds on the foundation established in the primary years and prepares them for the adolescent years ahead. It is designed specifically to meet their developmental needs through a child-centered and whole child (intellectual, social, moral, physical, and spiritual) approach.

Character:

The aim of this program is to nurture the child's natural drive to learn so that their potentialities in the following areas may flourish:

• Self-Reflection - self-concept increasingly shifts to one that is relational with a willingness to begin learning more about the human condition and examination of the question "Who am I?"

• Independence - confidence and competence in expanding abilities while mastering new tasks over time

• Curiosity - becoming voraciously self-motivated and inquisitive in following his/her interests, from asking "how?" and "why?" to asking “why not?” or “what if?”

• Moral and Social Formation - becoming increasingly oriented to the developmental tasks of social roles; and sense of justice

• Joy - motivation to learn is increasingly intrinsic and grounded in autonomy, interest, competence, and relatedness

• Reverence - feeling or attitude of deep respect and awe for the world of nature, history, and the contributions of our ancestors

• Gratitude - readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

• Empathy - understanding another person's condition from their perspective to increase prosocial (helping) behaviors

• Self-Determination - natural intrinsic tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways for a life of learning

• Interdependence - developing an increasing awareness of the bonds and relatedness between things.

Community:

Montessori East’s elementary program has a rich connection to our community. Either as a whole class or in small groups children are encouraged to take their learning to the streets, managing and organizing trips large and small. Some Elementary trips have included: an overnight stay to Knoxville, The Tennessee State Museum, farms, The Country Music Hall of Fame, and more! Children 6-12 are ready to engage with their whole world and we support them in this drive.

Curriculum:

Students in our classroom are exposed to Cosmic Education by an AMI Montessori Trained Master Teacher in all areas of study. We offer hand on learning experiences in reading, grammar, biology, earth sciences, history, social studies, geometry, algebra, arithmetic, animal husbandry, cooking, music, and art.

A typical day could consist of completing core work in math and language, moving on to learning the parts of a leaf, followed by composing a song, followed by continuation of research on the indigenous peoples of Peru culminating in embroidering a gift for a friend.

Montessori East is committed to protecting the sacredness and preciousness of childhood and that extends to our oldest children. Deep friendships and authentic childhood experiences can be formed when societal pressures to grow up too fast and comparison and competition amongst peers are removed.

Nature:

Half of Montessori East’s 3.5 acres is a wooded forrest which our elementary studetns use daily. Their use spans from guided meditation, building forts, rescuing salamanders to science experiments.

We also take frequest trips to our nature campus at Honey Run Farm, which exposes the children to animal husbandry, land use, waterways and so much more.