LOWER & UPPER ELEMENTARY

 

In our Elementary classrooms, children ages 6-12 have the opportunity to follow their sense of wonder, develop essential academic skills, practice peaceful community building, and grow in their understanding of the world around them. At these levels, Montessori serves elementary-aged children through a program that promotes learning by offering exploration of big questions about the universe, time, civilizations, communication, and more.

Within this science-based curriculum, subjects like math, geometry, geography, and history naturally coalesce and deepen, creating a truly personalized education limited only by the breadth of a child’s imagination. Students work independently and collaboratively here. They are offered group lessons and individual experiences. Each is celebrated as a valuable and responsible member of our community. Peace education and mindfulness are integral parts of our day. In addition, we meet or exceed the Common Core and Texas State Standards. We do this by observing and assessing children, offering guidance as they move along their individualized learning paths.We value movement and spending time outdoors. Elementary children spend between 1 to 2 hours a day outside, including a healthy daily dose of free play. We also tend gardens, go on nature walks, learn to track animals, and watch clouds.

Formal Physical Education is offered 2 times a week. We offer music, visual and dramatic arts, creative writing, yoga, and computer skills within our curriculum. We love elementary-aged children at Mariposa Montessori and it shows. Our classroom holds high standards but feels like home. Children blossom in our program, becoming leaders, artists, poets, explorers, and promoters of peace in the world.

Benchmarks for our Lower Elementary (6-9 yrs) Program

Benchmarks are a series of skills a student will acquire over the course of their time in a program. A key component of the Montessori approach is the 3-year age groups. Our curriculum is laid out in a three-year schedule as opposed to traditional programs that use an annual curriculum. The three year groups are based on phases of child development which allows us to deemphasize grade levels. We respect each student’s own unique path towards mastery. It is normal for children to learn in spurts and have periods of time when the acquisition of certain skills takes precedence over others. Many of the skills listed are introduced at this level and expanded upon throughout our Elementary program. It is important to stay in communication with your child’s Guide to get a clear picture of their progress. Our format allows students the gift of time while still ensuring they meet state curriculum requirements.

 

Practical Life/Development

  • Classroom responsibilities (rotating jobs)

  • Responsible for composting and recycling

  • Practices in-classroom greetings

  • Practices problem solving, active listening, and meaningful apologies

  • Practices table manners

  • Practices respecting personal space and boundaries

  • Practices organizing personal materials

  • Learns strategies for identifying and navigating feelings

Language

  • Grammar

    • Identifies grammar symbols and their stories

    • Identifies the function of words (parts of speech) in the context of a sentence

    • Word study: Alphabetizing, rhyming, compound words, syllabication, plurals: regular and irregular, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, contractions

    • Basic sentence analysis (subject, predicate, direct object)

    • Uses complete sentences that include subject and predicate

    • Understands subject-verb agreement

    • Uses simple tenses

    • Understands the rules for capitalization and punctuation

  • Reading

    • Informational

      • Can identify and use text features (title, subtitle, bold, italic, highlights, captions, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, etc.)

      • Comprehension: WWWWWH questions using text evidence

      • Can identify Main Idea and Supporting Details

      • Can compare and contrast information

      • Can distinguish Fact from Opinion

      • Can explain the steps of a process/sequence

      • Can identify an author’s purpose

      • Can interpret vocabulary and read multisyllabic words

    • Narrative

      • Demonstrates comprehension: setting, plot, characters, themes/lessons

      • Can identify point of view

      • Introduction to literacy devices (simile, hyperbole, etc.)

      • Can compare/contrast characters, setting, plot, theme

      • Can make connections using text evidence

    • Poetry

      • Identifying rhymes, patterns, theme/message of common forms

  • Writing

    • Uses manuscript lowercase and uppercase

    • Uses cursive lowercase and uppercase

    • Spelling: blends, diphthongs, digraphs, short and long vowel patterns, common prefixes (re-, pre-, etc.), common suffixes (-tion, -ly, etc.), common rules: when to change y to I, f to v, doubling final consonants, etc.

    • Introduction to the writing process (brainstorm to draft, edit/revise to final copy, publish/present)

    • Introduction to basic informational paragraphs (topics sentence, supporting details, conclusion statement)

    • Introduction to crafting a narrative story (first, second, and third person perspective; including story elements like setting, character introduction, initial problem, events leading to climax, events leading to resolution)

    • Knows how to answer questions completely by restating questions in answers and using specific subjects initially before using pronouns

    • Introduction to common poetry forms (haiku, acronym, couplet, etc.)

    • Understanding paraphrase

Math

  • Memorization of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division fact families 0-10

  • Develops an understanding of the relationship between addition/subtraction and multiplication/division

  • Demonstrates mastery of abstract dynamic addition/subtraction with regrouping, making exchanges and borrowing across zeros

  • Multiplication and division moves from concrete to abstract work with single digit multipliers and divisors

  • Can place value to millions family

  • Fractions – identifying numerator and denominator, comparing fractions, fraction equivalency for ½, 1/3, 1/4, adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators, finding lowest terms and equivalency using fraction pieces

  • Understands the laws of divisibility for 2, 5, 10, 25

  • Can read a number line

  • Telling time, familiarity with time phrases, calculating time passed, etc.

  • U.S. Money – knowledge of coins and bills their names and values, coin combinations, adding and subtracting with dollars and cents, making exchanges for coins

  • Measurement – using a ruler, practice with both Imperial system measurements and Metric systems measurements

  • Reading graphs and analyzing information (bar, pie, line, picto)

  • Familiarity with common word problems – question words and what operations they indicate

Geometry

  • Types of lines and relationships of lines

  • Types of angles and their measurements

  • Plane figures, types of triangles, types of quadrilaterals

  • Solid figures

  • Equivalence and congruence with metal insets

  • Introduction to symmetry

Cultural

  • History

  • Timeline of People

  • Fundamental needs of humans

  • Ancient civilizations and their contributions

  • Basic structure of government and citizenship

  • Life Sciences (Biology, botany, ecology)

    • Introduction to:

      • Timeline of life

        • Kingdoms and introduction to classification

        • Living vs. Nonliving features

        • Parts of plant and functions

        • Food chains and webs in an ecosystem

        • Life cycle and anatomy of animals from different classifications

        • Animal defenses (camouflage, mimicry, etc.)

  • Physical Sciences (Physics and Chemistry)

    • Introduction to:

      • Scientific method and inquiry

      • Identify and classify forms of matter: solid, liquid, gas

      • Combining mixtures

      • Magnetism and gravity acting on objects

      • Push/pull/force acting on objects

  • Earth and Space (Geology and Geography, Astronomy and Cosmology)

    • Introduction to:

      • Work of water, wind, and air

      • Layers of earth

      • Sun, moon, and earth systems, solar system

      • Continents and oceans

      • Land and water forms

      • Plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthqakes

      • Weather patterns, Fahrenheit vs. Celsius

      • Reading a map (title, legend, compass rose, scale, grid sections)

benchmarks for our upper elementary (9-12 yrs) Program

Language

  • Spelling

    • Multisyllabic words with closed syllables, open syllables, VC’s syllables, vowel teams, including digraphs and diphthongs, r-controlled syllables and final stable syllables

    • Words with consonant changes, including /t/ to /sh/ such as in “select” and “selection” and /k/ to /sh/ such as “music” and “musician”

    • Spelling words using knowledge of affixes, including how suffixes can change base words such as dropping e, changing y to I, and doubling final consonants

  • Grammar

    • Firm understanding of the parts of speech and sentence analysis

    • Uses print or digital resources to determine meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, and word origin

    • Uses context within and beyond a sentence to determine the relevant meaning of unfamiliar words or multiple-meaning words

  • Writing

    • Understands the writing process, including proof reading and editing

    • Understands basic formats for formal writing

    • Practiced in various types of texts including essays, summaries, poetry, letters, and stories

    • Familiar with writing process including author’s voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, etc.

    • Familiar with the practice of peer editing

  • Reading

    • Familiar with a variety of literary genres

    • Demonstrates reading comprehension skills including:

      • Ability to identify Main Idea and details

      • Understands Plot Development

      • Ability to create character analysis

      • Ability to make inferences

Math

  • Can use multiplication/long division with 2-3 digit divisors/multipliers

  • Pre-algebra concepts: Variables, parentheses, brackets, equations/inequality

  • Understanding of the Sieve of Eratosthenes (Prime numbers) and familiar with factor trees

  • Understands fractions:

    • Can identify numerators and denominators

    • Equivalent fractions

    • Familiar with proper, improper, and mixed fractions

    • Familiar with +/- like and unlike denominators

    • Understands fractions as division

    • Familiar with simplifying fractions using the greatest common factor

  • Understands decimals:          

    • Decimals as fractions

    • Understands comparing and ordering

    • Understands computation with operations

  • Can read a Number Line

  • Understands U.S. Currency

  • Understands Graphing (positive numbers, ordered pairs, finding the rule)

  • Familiar with Metric conversions

  • Familiar with interpreting data: Probability, Median, Mode, Range, and Mean

  • Familiar with reading graphs (bar, line, pie, scatter, picto, etc.)

  • Can solve multi-step word problems

  • Understands Mathematics in practical life (baking, measuring, accounting, time, etc.)

 Geometry

  • Understands basic geometry concepts, including:

    • Points, Lines and Planes

    • Types and relationships of lines

    • Polygons: congruence, equivalence, and similarity

    • Lines of Symmetry and Rotational Symmetry

    • Perimeters of Polygons and Complex Shapes

    • Finding the Area of Quadrilaterals, Complex Shapes, Triangles, and Circles

    • Finding Volume for Geometric solids

Sciences

  • Life Sciences (Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Human Anatomy)

    • A knowledge of how living organisms are organized in science

    • The use of a microscope

    • Study of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

    • Familiar with the different Kingdoms

    • Study of Botany

    • Study of the Biomes of the world

    • Human Anatomy

  • Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry)

    • Physics

      • Understands the Scientific Method

      • Study of Buoyancy, Gravity, Inertia, Newton’s Laws of Motion)

      • Study of Simple Machines and Magnetism (Inclined Plane, Log Roller, Lever, Wheel and Axel, Crankshaft, Pulley)

      • Study of Electricity (Static, Simple, Circuits, Conductors, Simple Switch, Series Circuits, Parallel Circuits, Morse Code)

      • Study of Sound (Waves, Moves Outward, Feeling/Seeing Vibrations. Direction of Sound, traveling through water, Echoes, Pitch and Frequency of Sound)

    • Chemistry

      • Understands the States of Matter

      • Understands Physical and Chemical changes

      • Understands Mixtures and Solutions

      • Study of Viscosity

      • Study of the Periodic Table of Elements, Atoms, Compounds, Energy, and Chemical Reactions

      • Understands Applied Chemistry

  • Physical Sciences (Astronomy, Geology)

    • Astronomy

      • Study of the Stars, Planets and Solar System

      • Understanding of Meteorology

    • Geology

      • Study of the Layers of the Earth, Meridians, Latitudes and Longitudes, Hemispheres

      • Study of a Rock Cycle, Mountain formation, Volcanoes

      • Study of Minerals, Geodes, Fossils

Geography

  • Study of Pangea

  • Study of Texas geography

  • Study of the Oceans of the World

  • Study of the Maps of the World

  • Study of Types of Maps and Map Skills

  • Understanding of Functional Geography

  • Study of U.S. Geography by Region

  • Study of the Continents and their Nations

History

  • Texas History

    • Study of Texas history from the First Peoples to the Twentieth Century

  • U.S. History

    • Study of U.S. history from the First People in the Americas through the early Twentieth Century

  • World History

    • Study of World History including Prehistory, Early Civilizations, and the development of Civilizations on all continents

Outdoor Education

  • Understands basic gardening: weeding, planting, watering

  • Familiar with wood working

  • Knowledge of Plant Identification and Classification

  • Familiar with animal care

Music

  • Understanding of reading music

  • Practice with Tone Bars and Scales

  • Knowledge of Music terms

 Art

  • Practice with various forms of media including: origami, watercolor, pencil, collage and paper mâché

  • Study of Art Concepts

  • Study of Functional art

 Practical Life/Development

  • Study of Identity and Diversity

  • Study of Executive Functioning Skills and application

  • Study of Equity and Justice

  • Study of Communications Skills

  • Experiences with collaboration