Lake Montessori School

CURRICULUM GUIDELINES

Lake Montessori School has an enriched curriculum for all students, based on the needs and characteristics of each age group. The curriculum is designed to help students develop intellect and independence, express themselves effectively, learn the ways of society and of the natural world, build community with peers and adults, and serve others.

The adults at Lake Montessori set and enforce high standards of behavior for students of all levels. Discipline is based on being sure that children are aware of the choices that they have and the consequences that accompany those choices. Students are treated respectfully and are expected to respect others. They are free within these boundaries to make decisions and solve problems, always knowing that an adult is there to encourage and assist.

Class meetings are held in Elementary and Middle school classes to offer an opportunity to develop communication and relationship skills . These meetings also give students a forum to make suggestions, complaints, and to recognize contributions of others.

Field trips are an integral part of the Elementary and Middle School programs. All these classes venture out into our immediate environment frequently. We also plan one overnight total class field trip each year in Upper Elementary and in Middle School, as well as an extended trip for students in their fifth- and eighth-grade years.

Students in grades 1 through 8 take the Stanford Achievement Test each year.

Primary Curriculum

Lower Elementary Curriculum

Upper Elementary Curriculum

Middle School Curriculum

Primary Curriculum

The Montessori method is unique in that we “follow the child” in his/her abilities and interests. Specific ages of sensitivity guide the lessons that are planned, but since children perfect these activities at different rates, materials may be adapted or added to the classroom to meet specific needs. The Montessori method is also unique in that all lessons are learned concretely and move gradually to the abstract.

The following is a general list of the activities presented to students in the Primary classes. This list is meant as a guideline of goals to be completed by the end of each year a child is enrolled. Although the materials are designed with these goals in mind, the activities and lessons are not limited to those listed. The children are also introduced to a wide variety of social and cultural lessons throughout their years.

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Language
Writing 3-letter words with the moveable alphabet	Writing 3, 4, & longer words with moveable alphabet	Writing sentences with moveable alphabet & pencil
Writing letters with chalk	Introduction to writing sentences	Knowledge of letter names & capitals
Introduction to pencil with metal insets	Introduction to story writing	Basic story & factual writing
Storytelling	Perfecting pencil control with metal insets	Correctly forming letters with pencil
Exposure to all sounds	Writing single words with pencil	Basic story & factual writing
Knowledge of many sounds by sight	Knowledge of all sounds by sight	Reading phonetic books & simple stories
Hearing sound placement in words	Phonetic reading with pictures (3 letters)	Reading sentences
Names of items in environment	Introduction to phonograms & sight words	Exposure to spelling
Speaking in sentences	Speaking clearly and using proper grammar	Recognition of many phonetic words
		Phonograms/sight words – full exposure
		Exposure to article, noun, verb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, adverb
Mathematics
	Numbers 1-10	Recognition & sequence (1-100)
	Recognition (numeral & word), sequence, counting, tracing, writing, odd/even	Square Chains (linear & skip counting)
	Teens	Cube Chains (linear & skip)
	Recognition, sequence, counting, tracing, writing	Decimal System
	Numbers 20-100	Golden Beads - lots of addition subtraction, multiplication, division
	Introduction to recognition and sequence	Memory Work
	Decimal System	Snake Game (addition)
	Introduction to tens, hundreds, & thousands	Strip Boards - addition, subtraction
		Memorization charts (addition)
		Multiplication w/bead bars
		Multiplication bead board
Sensorial
Discriminating size, shape, & color by sight	Shading primary & tertiary colors	Recognizes most geometric shapes formed from triangles: Trapezoid, rhombus, parallelogram
Knowledge of basic shapes: Circle, triangle, square, rectangle	Construction of shapes from triangles	Exposure & work with polygons & all triangles (acute, obtuse, right, equilateral, isosceles, scalene)
Exposure to the binomial cube (algebraic equation)	Knowledge of most geometric shapes: Oval, ellipse, quatrefoil, curvilinear triangle	Recognizing famous works of art
Exposure to famous works of art	Exposure to the trinomial cube (algebraic equation)	Recognizing geometric solids by touch
Discriminating shapes, textures, & weight by touch	Discriminating styles of famous works of art	Recognizing the order of bell notes – low C to high C
Introduction to geometric solid shapes	Discriminating degrees of temperature by touch	Playing songs on the bells
Playing the scale of bells	Discriminating degrees of sound and bell notes auditorially
Science/Geography


Witnessing experiments	Witnessing/testing experiments	Testing various experiments
Exposure to various types of plants & their parts	Introduction to leaf shapes	Knowledge of many varieties of plants and animals
Exposure to various types of animals & their parts	Expansion on plant and animal names	Animal Classification: Plants/Animals Invertebrates/Vertebrates Bird/Fish/Mammal/Reptile/Amphibian Insects/Arachnids/Crustaceans
Introduction to continents & oceans	Animal classification: Living/nonliving & plant/animal	Knowledge of land forms
Exposure to land & water forms	Knowledge of continent names	Exploration of all puzzle maps with language work
	Repeated work with puzzle maps
	Exposure to famous places

Lower Elementary Curriculum

The elementary curriculum is structured around Montessori materials, which allow concrete experiences in all academic areas long before a child is expected to understand concepts abstractly.

LANGUAGE:

Develop and fine-tune reading skills using well-written literature. All students participate in the Accelerated Reader Program.
Daily composition – Using the writing process and working in different genres.
Writing Mechanics: Spelling, Punctuation, Handwriting-Cursive and Manuscript
Vocabulary development through study, use in written work, and use in daily life
Grammar study: The functions of all parts of speech. Analysis of basic sentence parts: subject, predicate, direct and indirect objects, simple adverb and adjective modifiers
Research/Study skills
Oral presentations as well as many opportunities to discuss ideas with peers and adults.

MATHEMATICS

Math Operations and memorization of facts – Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division – from concrete materials to abstract understanding. Strong emphasis on understanding place value.
Geometry concepts through concrete work – constructive triangles, identifying plane and solid figures, lines and angles, introduction to similarity, congruence and equivalence
Fraction concepts and equivalence through concrete work
Fraction operations – concrete work – adding and subtracting with like denominators
Money – counting and making change
Measurement
Graphing
Mathematical problem solving

SCIENCE

Students in elementary study science every year. Concrete experiences with plants, animals, and scientific demonstrations illustrate the lessons that present scientific concepts in an orderly and integrated fashion. Emphasis is placed on scientific method. Each year lower elementary students participate in a special science event, such as Science Olympics.

LIFE SCIENCES

Students are introduced to the concept of five kingdoms of life and then examine plant and animal life in greater detail.

Zoology:

· Characteristics of Animals

· External Parts of Vertebrate Animals

· Animal Classification: Phylum level - Porifera through Chordates

· Internal parts of vertebrate animals

Botany:

· Characteristics of Plants

· Plant Classification: Nonvascular, Vascular

· External Parts of Plants

PHYSICAL/EARTH SCIENCE

· Forces

· Matter and Energy

· Basic Chemistry concepts

· Universe, Solar System, Earth

· Earth parts, Rocks and minerals

· Earth movements: Days/ Season

· Air

· Water

GEOGRAPHY

Globes and maps
Political Geography: Study of Continents, Countries, US States
Physical Geography: Land and Water forms

HISTORY

Lower elementary students are just beginning to formulate the abstract idea of time. We first develop their understanding in this area and then look at the largest measures of time such as the history of the earth, of life on earth, and of humans. Where possible, history concepts are linked back to other subjects such as science to enrich the students’ understanding.

Concept of time and how it is measured: Years, months, days, telling time on a clock
Personal Timelines
History of the Earth: Clock of Eras
Timeline of Life
Human Progress: Fundamental Needs of Humans over time
Timeline of Humans
Biographies of historic figures

ART AND MUSIC

Art History
Elements of Art
Drawing and Painting
Experiences in different media
Singing with emphasis on classic children’s songs from American history
Orff rhythm instruments

COMPUTERS

Keyboarding experiences
Word processing
Logo

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking
Group and Individual Work, Projects, and Games

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Elementary classes take part in physical education every day. They participate in games that focus on cooperation and team work as well as physical fitness.

Upper Elementary Curriculum

In Upper Elementary students move to abstract understanding in many areas that were begun in the Lower program. New concepts are always presented concretely and the subsequent work allows students to move to abstract understanding at a gradual pace.

LANGUAGE

Detailed studies of well-written fiction, examination of poetry. Literature studies allow interpretation and examination of the elements of writing style. All students participate in the Accelerated Reader Program.
Practice the components of writing process and style in daily writing.
Further develop writing mechanics: spelling, punctuation, handwriting
Continue their Lower elementary experience of the steps in the production of researched work and essays, and begin to develop good note-taking and study skills.
Vocabulary development through study, use in written work, and use in daily life
Grammar is thoroughly addressed, combining concrete experiences with abstract practice to lead to mastery of the parts of speech, parts of sentence, correct usage, etc.

Opportunities for speaking are encouraged and assigned for all students throughout the year. Preparation for these activities are geared to improving communication skills and thought processes. Students also have many opportunities to discuss ideas with peers and adults.

MATHEMATICS

Fourth graders fine-tune their abstract skills in the basic operations (addition through division) and master their quick recall of all math facts. They begin working abstractly with the concepts of fraction numeration and equivalence, LCM and GCF, and of addition and subtraction of fractions with same and different denominators. They also learn the concepts of decimal numeration and addition and subtraction of decimals. They are introduced to the concept of integers and work with problem solving and algebraic thinking, measurement, graphing, probability, and related math concepts.
Fifth graders review the fourth grade activities and further learn multiplication and division of decimals. They learn addition and subtraction of integers and work with percentage and interest. They also continue to work with problem solving and algebraic thinking, measurement, graphing, probability, and related math concepts.
Both grades are presented Geometry concepts such as plane and solid figures and their parts, angle measurement, area, diameter, circumference, volume, etc., and have concrete experiences for reinforcement.

SCIENCE

Students in Upper elementary continue and extend the work begun in the Lower Elementary classes in Botany, Zoology, and General Science. Each lesson is accompanied by concrete experiences with live organisms, scientific demonstrations, and experiments. Scientific method continues to be emphasized, and students participate in the yearly science event.

LIFE SCIENCES

· Students in fourth grade do a more detailed study of all five kingdoms of life, Monerans through Animals. They classify, identify parts, and learn the functions of all organisms studied.

· Fifth graders do a year-long study of human anatomy.

PHYSICAL/EARTH SCIENCE

· Forces

· Matter and Energy

· Basic Chemistry concepts

· Universe, Solar System, Earth

· Earth parts, Rocks and minerals

· Earth movements: Days/ Season

· Air

· Water

SOCIAL STUDIES

HISTORY

· Fourth graders complete a yearlong study of ancient civilizations worldwide.

· Fifth graders complete a yearlong study of United States History and Government, Colonial to Present

· Biographies of historic figures

GEOGRAPHY

· Each year both grades explore the physical, political, and cultural aspects of each of the seven continents.

· Geography and history of Florida

· Map and atlas study

· Economic Geography

ART AND MUSIC

Art History
Elements of Art
Drawing, Color, and Painting
Experiences in different media
Singing with emphasis on classic children’s songs from American history
Orff rhythm instruments, recorders

COMPUTERS

Keyboarding skills and Word Processing
Data Base, Excel projects
Logo
Internet Access

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking
Oral Proficiency
Cultural Elements
Group and Individual Work, Projects, and Games

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Soccer, Volleyball, Flag Football, Kickball
Cooperative Games
Dance
Distance Running
President’s Council on Physical Fitness

Middle School Curriculum

The Middle School Program has a more traditional slant, as students begin to work from textbooks and each subject is taught by different teachers. The texts and programs are selected with the most able students in mind. Students are encouraged to use their more developed abstract thinking ability to perfect study and test-taking skills. They receive quarterly report cards and are encouraged and supported in setting high standards for their grades as well as their learning.

LANGUAGE

Literature Based Reading in all genres. All students participate in the Accelerated Reader Program.
Advanced Grammar, Sentence Analysis, Complex and Compound Sentences, Verb Tense, Mood, Conjunction Parts, Clauses and Phrases
Daily composition in all styles, Business Writing, Research and Poetry
Writing Mechanics: Spelling, Punctuation, Handwriting-Cursive and Manuscript
Vocabulary development through study, use in written work, and use in daily life
Research/Study skills
Oral presentations as well as many opportunities to discuss ideas with peers and adults.

MATHEMATICS

· Decimal Operations

· Geometry

· Area and Volume

· Square Root and Cubing

· Sine, Cosine, and Tangent

· Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Algebra Honors

· Surpass Lake County Curriculum Standards in Each Course

SCIENCE

Physical Science/Experiments – 1 year
Earth Science – 1 year
Life Science – 1 year
Scientific Method
Participation in a yearly Science Event

SOCIAL STUDIES

World History – Western Hemisphere
World History - Eastern Hemisphere
U.S. History
Civics
Debates and Presentations

ART

Elements of Art
Drawing, Color Theory, and Painting
Experiences in different media
Crafts: Jewelry, clay, fabric, etc.

MUSIC/DRAMA

Storytelling, Role Playing/ Theater presentations
General Music/Guitar/Chorus

COMPUTERS

Keyboard Skills, Word Processing, Data Base
Problem Solving, Internet Access

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Cooperative Games, Physical Fitness, Tennis, Golf
Rock Climbing, Skating, Surfing, Windsurfing, Team Building Ropes Course

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Listening, Writing, Reading, Speaking, Group and Individual Work, Oral Proficiency, Cultural Elements, Projects and Games

CULINARY

Knife Safety and Skills
General Cooking Skills - learning about and experiencing styles (French, Pan-Asian, American, etc.) and techniques (Sauces, Braising, Pan-Searing, etc.)
Sanitation and Food Handling Safety, Mis En Place, Reading a Recipe, Recovering from a Mistake
Planning, Executing, and Managing a Large Gourmet Lunch and Dinner

ADDITIONAL

· Odyssey of the Mind