ELEMENTARY COURSE OUTLINE
Avalon Children's Montessori School provides a quality Montessori Elementary education for our students, aged 6–14 years. The programme is divided into multi-aged classes, Lower Elementary accomodates ages 6 - 9 , Upper Elementary for children 9 - 12 years and Senior Elementary completes the cycle for ages 12-14 years. Each environment offers a curriculum based on the needs of the children, with an interdisciplinary focus on the following areas:
- Language arts
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Culture - history, geography, biology
- Physical education
- Music, Drama and French
LANGUAGE ARTS
In the Casa Montessori environment, children are introduced to the sounds of letters, before learning their names, thereby forming a strong phonetic base - the foundation for reading. Sounds are taught through the sandpaper letters, a tactile alphabet that allows children to see, hear and ‘feel’ the sound of the letter.
Children are then introduced to word building with the movable alphabet. This is an important stage as students realize that words are built by putting sounds together in a certain order. From here, children begin the process of reading, beginning with short phonetic words, progressing to phonograms and then to sight words.
We continue to build upon the foundation of language developed in the Casa environment. In the Elementary environment, children begin to learn about the parts of speech, types of sentences, types of words and spelling rules. Studying and test taking are skills they begin to learn with the introduction of weekly spelling tests. Children begin book studies and various reading comprehension activities. Focus on writing skills continues throughout the elementary years.
MATHEMATICS
The following is a list of areas to be studied by students enrolled in the Montessori classroom. Work will depend on the strengths, weaknesses and interests of the individual child. Concepts are presented to children using specially designed Montessori materials. Through extensive work with a variety of materials, children acquire a concrete understanding of the concepts, encouraging the development of a deeper understanding of math.
Simple operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Dynamic operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Place value
Patterns
Money
Unit multiplication
Unit division
Long multiplication
Long division
Fractions
Decimals
Measurement
Graphing
Multiples
Geometry
Word problems
CULTURE
When discussing culture in the Montessori curriculum, we refer to the study of geography, history, botany, and zoology. The Ontario Curriculum divides this area into the social studies and science and technology. The Montessori materials cover the standard curriculum generally and indeed, go much further in many instances.
The cultural area is the one area where all the disciplines come together. Its exercises involve precision, sensorial experience, verbal and written language, reading and measurement. Following the guiding principles in Montessori pedagogy, the child is first given the whole which is subsequently broken up into its components. This is completely different from the way information is explored in the public school system, where children begin with themselves (specific) and then move to the whole (general). Elementary children are encouraged to explore their interests and for Upper Elementary students, this may involve "going out" to study beyond the classroom. An after school Science Program will be offered in the fall for interested students.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Phys. Ed is an important part of the Montessori classroom. Healthy living is encouraged at all times through nutritious snacks and lunches as well as daily physical activity, including a 15 minute walk to a local park where children are encouraged to freely play.
Formal physical education classes are offered on a weekly basis. In each class we aim to create an environment which invites activity and independence. The development of a good atmosphere in which each child feels comfortable, accepted and therefore willing to put forth his/her best effort is extremely important for setting a healthy attitude toward participation and realistic goal setting in physical activities. The spirit of enjoyment and co-operation is fostered at all times. Children will also be transported off site at times throughout the year to participate in sessions such as tennis, downhill skiing or karate. Skills better taught and acquired in the proper settings.
MUSIC & DRAMA
Students at Avalon participate in a weekly music class. As with the Ontario Curriculum, the goal of our program is to encourage children to develop their musical knowledge and skills through listening to music, manipulating basic elements of music, singing and simple instruments. Children are encouraged to express themselves musically - namely with their voices. Children learn to sing in a group, about rhythm, pitch, beat, and tempo. Students are given the opportunity to perform in front of an audience several times a year. We also offer an after school music program for those students who are interested in private lessons. CLICK HERE for more information.
Drama is an integral part of the Montessori classroom, as children are encouraged to express themselves in a variety of ways. Projects, reading responses and poetry may be presented to classmates on a regular basis. Twice a year, students participate in a formal performance before a large audience. Performances involve acting, singing and choreography. After school programs are available throughout the year for those students who are interested. They may include yoga, karate, wood working, drama, sportball to name a few past programs.
FRENCH
French is not part of the Ontario Curriculum until grade 4. At ACMS, children begin their study of French as a second language upon entering the elementary classroom. The goal is to give the children an introduction to our official language while they are keen and learning is natural.
* A detailed Elementary curriculum is available upon request.