Elementary 6-12 years
Montessori Elementary
Although we no long offer this program, this is a very informative article.
Completion of the Montessori preschool and kindergarten program does not mark the end of the Montessori experience. In fact, it is a new beginning in the child’s learning potential. By age six, the child is ready to build upon the concrete learning pathways of preschool and move to the more abstract concepts in the elementary program. As Montessori wrote, “The successive levels of education must conform to the successive personalities of the child.” Therefore, the educators of Hawaii Montessori elementary program are committed to meet the child’s new developmental needs through use of a balance of hands on materials, experiments and higher level thinking assignments.
Curriculum Expectations
Of course, the program also offers the same benefits of the preschool program: individualized education, cooperative group work, choice of activity and independence. The children also learn how to manage their time and resources as they are held accountable for completion of daily, weekly and long term assignments. They quickly learn that privileges are earned and consequences experienced when time is or is not utilized efficiently. Because we cannot predict what our ever changing world will require our children to know 15 or 20 years from now, our goal is to maintain high academic standards and teach the skills to discover new knowledge. Therefore, study skills, presentation techniques, computers, reference books, as well as the basic skills of reading, handwriting, creative writing, spelling, and mathematics are all part of the program. Geography, physical science, zoology, botany, and history are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Long Term Benefits
Many people ask how well a child will later transition from a Montessori setting to a traditional school. Because our teachers blend the Montessori math, language, science, and geography materials with the use of some traditional materials such as workbooks and textbooks, the children are well equipped at any age to transition out of Montessori. We expose the children to a vast variety of learning materials, and also emphasize life-long learning, respect and cooperation. A typical Montessori elementary child is not only intellectually competent, but also possesses leadership and collaboration skills, as well as a love of learning. An early Montessori education often leads to later successes in the form of high school leadership positions, scholarships, and acceptance to respected universities.