CMS Elementary Program

Lower Elementary Classroom: 1st - 3rd grades

Upper Elementary Classroom: 4th - 6th grades

For the already accelerated preschool child, the Montessori elementary classroom provides a smooth transition to the larger world beyond Kindergarten. The scientific investigations of the four and five year old leads, in elementary, to the indepth study of the natural sciences and physical sciences. The study of geography during the early years leads to research about lifestyles of civilizations. Arithmetic mastered in Kindergarten is the springboard to Algebra and Geometry in the elementary program. Reading moves to chapter books and research and greater comprehension of a variety of writing styles.

Elementary students attend school from 8:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and are under the guidance of certified Montessori teachers.

The Elementary Curriculum Includes:

  • Honor
  • Personal Responsibility
  • Work Ethic
  • Manners and Courtesy
  • Christian Education
  • Reading in the Content Area
  • Literature - Reading and Discussion
  • Phonemic Awareness Skills
  • Creative and Directed Writing
  • Arithmetic and Mathematics
  • Research in Science, History, and Geography
  • Cultural and World Studies
  • Physical Education
  • Spanish
  • Art

Elementary Reading in the Montessori Classroom

As a child begins elementary school, his or her reading skills are analyzed to determine the child's phonetic awareness. It is the teacher's job (and joy) to decide what instructional method(s) work best for your child. This determination is continual and flexible, and parents are aware and informed of this journey through weekly progress reports.

Phonetic Awareness includes the sounds of letters, the names of letters, the shapes of letters, and the knowledge of combinations.An individual educational plan for reading is written for each student in the elementary program as is the Montessori commitment.

Comprehension of written material is emphasized. The use of context clues becomes increasingly important at the elementary level as students gain vocabulary and critical thinking and abstract thinking skills.

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation is introduced and expanded to increase context information for reading.

Example for punctuation and capital letters: when he reached the river weasel thought he had found dinner weasel went toward the porcupine porcupine turned her back weasel crept closer and closer

Experience with words leads to greater comprehension, fluency, writing skills, and spelling proficiency. Experience with words and concepts create vast wells of information that aid in the reading process.

Exploring words themselves (entomology) increases a student's ability to comprehend previously unseen words by first decoding them and then thinking about what they already know about the word.

Example: re (to return, to do again)

rearrange

recharge

rebuild

remove

Reading, writing, speaking, and spelling are connected skills.

Reading requires physical, emotional and mental maturity.
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