elementary

Lower Elementary (1st to 3rd Grade)

Curriculum Overview

At Whole Earth Montessori, the Lower Elementary course of study proceeds naturally from the work and play of the Preschool/Kindergarten classroom, taking into account the new needs and interests of the children ages 6-9. This is the age of imagination, boundless curiosity, making new connections and a strong desire for community. The Whole Earth Montessori elementary curriculum covers the full breadth of core traditional subjects but reaches far beyond; helping each child to develop a strong sense of excitement about learning, confidence in ones-self, the ability to seek out knowledge and apply it, and the skills to be a compassionate person and a contributing member of a community.

Our curriculum encompasses an integrated thematic approach such that few subjects are taught in isolation. Rather, the curricular areas are woven together to help the child form a mental web of interconnected knowledge. As part of a three-year cycle of learning, children have the opportunity to consider challenging subject matter beginning at a concrete level and later moving towards new levels of complexity and abstraction in the second and third years.

The following is a brief overview of Whole Earth Montessori’s core curriculum in the areas of: language arts, math, history, science, geography, arts, foreign language, peace and community. Please keep in mind that this is only an overview and that the curriculum will be flexible and responsive to the needs, abilities, and interests of the students.

Language Arts

• Reading – instruction in use of reading cues and strategies, comprehension strategies, book selection, genre studies, literature circles
• Writing – penmanship (print and cursive), composition of stories, reports, poetry, letter writing, records of science experiments, news articles
• Spelling – simple phonetic words, words with blends, dolch site words, leveled spelling program, study of words: compounds, synonyms, homonyms, prefixes, suffixes, etc…
• Grammar – students are introduced sequentially to each of the parts of speech

Mathematics

• Number sense – basic concepts, units, tens, hundreds, thousands
• Linear Counting – Counting and skip-counting to 1,000 and beyond
• Math Facts - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Math Operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Algebraic Concepts – order of operations, use of parentheses, squaring and cubing
• Geometry – basic concepts, triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, geometric solids, lines, angles, measurement of angles, perimeter, area
• Fractions – basic concepts, equivalence, parts of a set, parts of a whole, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions
• Problem Solving – use of mathematical concepts to solve “real life” situations
• Money – coin identification and counting, addition and subtraction, making change
• Graphing – reading and creating basic graphs to convey data

Science

• Astronomy – galaxies, stars, and planets
• Physics – basic forces at work in the universe
• Chemistry – sub-atomic particles, formation of atoms, diagramming atoms, the periodic table of elements
• Biology – The Five Kingdoms, Botany, Zoology – in depth study of vertebrates and invertebrates
• Geology – Formation of land and water forms, forces at work shaping the earth and creating weather patterns

Geography

• Land and Water Forms
• Continent Studies – names of countries, major land and water forms, flora and fauna
• Country Studies – major cities, mountains, lakes, rivers, flora and fauna, people, currency, food, languages, religions
• Maps and Compasses – transition from globe to map, reading maps, cardinal directions, basic compass skills
• Cultures and Religions – beliefs, customs, holidays, foods, music, art, stories

History

• Concept of Time – days, weeks, months, years – telling time with a watch, family timelines, birthday timelines
• Formation of the Universe – creation stories, the Big Bang
• Formation of the Earth – formation of the Solar System, cooling of the Earth, layers of the Earth
• The First Life - study of the Eras and Periods – life forms, geological and climactic changes over time
• Humans – the fundamental needs that all humans share: food, clothing, shelter, transportation, communication, love, etc…
• Early Civilizations

Peace

• Peace with self
• Peace with others
• Peace with the larger community and the Earth

Arts
Foreign Language – Spanish

Upper Elementary (4th to 6th Grade)

Curriculum Overview

The transition from a Lower Elementary student to an Upper Elementary student is a time of great change as they transition from the concrete world of their earlier years to entering the world of abstract thinking. The upper elementary child is naturally inquisitive, creative, and social. This is also the age where a child becomes more outwardly aware and is developing a growing sense of morality and justice. Ongoing interaction with their peers, teachers and the environment is an essential part of the way children of this age learn and come to define themselves as individuals. For this reason, many of the learning activities are initiated by the students themselves working in small groups, following their interests that may have been piqued in teacher initiated lessons.  

The upper elementary program is highly integrated throughout the cultural curriculum - science, history, geography and the arts - and builds on the terrific base of information the students have gained in the lower elementary classroom. History provides the students perspective on human interaction and a sense of time and place. Science activities encourage the development of logical thinking and an understanding, appreciation for, and exploration of our environment. In these studies we are able to begin to see how the environment has been a determining factor in the development of peoples through time and the interconnectedness of how human interaction has and continues to shape our world. Physics, chemistry and geography lessons integrate naturally with many aspects of the History curriculum. For instance when studying ancient Egypt and Greece we also learn about the development of simple machines. Economic geography is explored when learning about causes of many of the clashes of cultures throughout the history curriculum. Latitude and longitude lessons as well as learning about global wind patterns are integrated with lessons on the Age of Exploration.

The following is an overview of the Whole Earth Upper Elementary curriculum. By no means is it meant to be exhaustive, though it should serve to give you an idea of the wide range of learning opportunities that are available to our students.

Math

• Develop speed and dexterity in multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication and division moving to mastery of all operations abstractly
• Number Theory- order of operations, divisibility, prime numbers, least common multiples, greatest common factors, exponents, squaring and square roots
• Fractions – equivalence, comparing and ordering, all four operations with like and unlike denominators, conversion from fraction to decimal to percent.
• Geometry – Solidification of 2-D plane figures introduced in 6-9, measurement of angles, finding perimeter and area. Graphing in all four quadrants, congruence and similarity, tessellations.
• Measurement- standard and metric, introduction to time/rate/distance, introduction to conversion between unit measures.
• Problem solving strategies, logic and reasoning, multi-step problem solving
• Pre-algebra: Introduction to variables, ratio and proportion, percent, positive/negative integers

Language Arts
Writing:

• Variety of styles- narrative, persuasive, expository, descriptive, summary, paraphrasing, poetry, reports, essays
• Use of 6-traits model – see handout
• Understanding and use of writing cycle- Ideas - rough draft - revising- editing- final draft
• Development of both verbal and written expressive vocabulary
• Looking for development of ‘passion’ in their writing- ability to make reader ‘feel’
• Cursive and penmanship

Reading: “In grades 1- 3 students are learning to read, in grades 4 - 6 students are reading to learn”

• Reading for content, to follow an interest, for pleasure
• Variety of genres - non-fiction, fantasy, biography, poetry, historical fiction, research
• Reading ‘program’ is novel based – typically award winning children’s literature
• 3 – 4 books per year with follow-up vocabulary work, questions and discussions
• Development of critical thinking skills in follow-up work such as prediction, character analysis, identifying major themes, comparisons etc
• Book reports

Grammar

• Continuation of 1- 3 grammar box work if not yet completed
• Ability to identify elements in a sentence
• Understanding of the function of parts of speech in language – identifying parts of speech in passages from literature
• Comparison of authors’ styles of writing by grammar used
• Sentence analysis- subject, predicate, direct object, etc

Spelling/Vocabulary

• Leveled spelling program
• Rules of syllabication, dictionary use, pronunciation guides, thesaurus
• Homographs, homophones, antonyms, synonyms, etc
• Vocabulary enrichment activities throughout the curriculum, etymology

Cultural Studies
History and Geography (Bi-yearly subject matter)

• Year one: Beginnings of human civilization through the end of Roman Empire and further as time and interests allows. Exploration of how and why events occurred. Example: Why did early civilizations grow near major rivers? What advantages/disadvantages might that bring?
• Year two: New World History – The Americas before and after the coming of the Europeans through the colonization of North America, the Revolutionary War and Civil War
• Integration with political and dynamic geography studies – economic geography, biomes, winds and currents, weather, latitude and longitude, map skills, the atmosphere, etc
• Independent on-going work: Continent studies, studies of a country, research projects
• 6th Year project: The Island Project – an imaginary island project where each student creates the evolution of an island from geological formation to human habitation and to development of an interactive civilization and society. As this is the culminating activity that integrates all areas of the curriculum, it is a year long project. Alternative 6th year projects may include individual researches on a 20th century conflict of their choice.

Sciences (taught in cycles)

• Introduction to the scientific method
• Geology – Layers of the earth, the rock cycle, earth processes, etc
• Biology – Cell structure of plants and animals, plant processes and parts, zoology
• Physics- inertia, gravity, simple machines, magnetism, buoyancy, “laws of the universe”
• Chemistry – atomic structure, periodic table of elements, compounds and bonding
• Additional 6th year studies- Systems of the human body  (“The Great River” )
• Environmental studies focus – We are looking forward to the start of our special project with UW Bothell on geothermal and solar energy

Technology

• Touch-typing/Keyboarding skills
• Word processing and introduction to PowerPoint, Excel
• Internet research strategies and etiquette
• Computer science- overview of parts of computer and their function + hands-on computer building/refurbishing activities each year.

Additional Areas

• Art- formal instruction one hour per week plus work done in connection with classroom studies
• Spanish - twice a week
• Music appreciation – music theory, dramatic arts, voice training, etc

Community/Service

• Escorting younger students to class
• Peer assistance including helping others with their work, opportunities to give lessons
• Service projects – stream mitigation, delivery of NW Harvest, working in the garden, etc
• Building social awareness and empathy through engaging in positive interaction with peers, staff, and community. Positive problem solving.