Montessori education does not end with the preschool experience . It continues into the child's elementary-and often adolescent-years, constantly building upon itself to change with the changing developmental needs of the child. Maria Montessori wrote, "The successive levels of education must conform to the successive personalities of the child." As the elementary-aged child gradually moves from the concrete learning pathways of preschool to the more abstract ones of elementary, Montessori meets his developmental needs each step of the way.
David Kahn, NAMTA
The elementary school child occupies what Maria Montessori called the "second plane of development." Children at this stage are in a period of rapid intellectual growth as they develop the ability for rational thinking. They want to know the how and why of things. Through exploration and experimentation, the child discovers the qualities and facts of the world. Unlimited, wide ranging imagination is a characteristic attribute of the age as is enthusiasm and creativity. Self-education is the mode through which the elementary child learns most effectively. The teacher's role is to provide and enable; to foster and protect this all-important endeavor.
Dr. Montessori developed what she called the "cosmic curriculum" for this educational level. In the cosmic curriculum, children discover the history of the world and the human race, and in this process begin to define their own place in the life of human kind and of nature. Sequentially, all things are naturally related to the creation of the universe and our earth. We encourage the child to begin asking questions in any direction they choose. Children pursue and research their historical, scientific, artistic and cultural interests. Information is gleaned from a rich variety of literature, experiments, art projects, tapes, films, trips to the library, and from the adults in their world.
During the elementary years, the child explores the academic world in depth through the related disciplines of Mathematics, Reading, Penmanship, Creative Writing, Research Methods, Art , Music, Science, Botany, Zoology, Anatomy, History, Geography, Social/Cultural Studies, Drama, and Physical Education-all taught as parts and contributions to the whole. Multiage classrooms and a spirit of cooperation rather than competition allow children to grow emotionally and intellectually at their own pace.
Elementary Goals and Standards of Progress can be found on pages 20-21 of the Parent Handbook.