Lower Elementary

The Lower Elementary program at Summit Montessori School comprises first, second and third grades. The three grades are unified in a multi-age classroom, so that the children spend three years with their peers, establishing friendships, developing cooperation and leadership skills while mentoring those in the younger grades.

Current, cutting-edge lessons mesh with the Montessori approach to education.Three disciplines are incorporated in Summits Lower Elementary curriculum: 1) math, 2) language, and 3) cultural studies.

Mathematics

Following the continuum established in Children's House, children learn math by working their way from the concrete to the abstract. Through extensive use of multisensory materials, early math lessons involve manipulatives like beads, tiles and cubes, which may be color-coded or range in size. As the child uses these objects, numeration, measurement and basic operations are strengthened. He or she is introduced to the decimal system, working with graphs and charts and geometry.

Language

Summit puts an emphasis on fine reading and writing skills. Children read in groups, independently, and to each other; they play spelling games and receive one-on-one attention from their teachers. Writing begins with process writing, developing skills for editing and revising. We concentrate on written forms to include story form, where students analyze literary components of setting, characters, plot, and fact vs. fiction. Report form is another focus, as are journals, logs and book reports. In this way our Lower Elementary children strengthen their reading comprehension, research skills,
and writing capabilities.

Cultural Studies

Biology, social studies, geography, history, arts, music, as well as the study of Spanish, all fall within this discipline. At Summit we follow the Montessori curriculum spiral, which posits that all studies are interrelated and one lesson leads to many others. Every three years, major themes in the curriculum are studied again in greater depth and abstraction. This means, for example, that in a given year the whole school might be working on a topic such as Asia; the youngest in the Children's House will be participating in a Silk Road-oriented puppet show while the oldest students in the elementary school will be reading books and writing research papers about the Silk Road.

As noted in our mission statement, Summit is dedicated to developing life-long learners from preschool through grade six. The Lower Elementary years are a time of exciting exploration and vital skill-building. First, second and third graders benefit from talented faculty who care about their students and ensure that each child owns his or her work and achieves her potential. As they graduate to our Upper Elementary school, Summit students have been given outstanding preparation and the capacity for advanced learning.


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Our Program Montessori Philosophy Children's House Lower Elementary Upper Elementary Search Site	Lower Elementary The Lower Elementary program at Summit Montessori School comprises first, second and third grades. The three grades are unified in a multi-age classroom, so that the children spend three years with their peers, establishing friendships, developing cooperation and leadership skills while mentoring those in the younger grades. Current, cutting-edge lessons mesh with the Montessori approach to education.Three disciplines are incorporated in Summits Lower Elementary curriculum: 1) math, 2) language, and 3) cultural studies. Mathematics Following the continuum established in Children's House, children learn math by working their way from the concrete to the abstract. Through extensive use of multisensory materials, early math lessons involve manipulatives like beads, tiles and cubes, which may be color-coded or range in size. As the child uses these objects, numeration, measurement and basic operations are strengthened. He or she is introduced to the decimal system, working with graphs and charts and geometry. Language Summit puts an emphasis on fine reading and writing skills. Children read in groups, independently, and to each other; they play spelling games and receive one-on-one attention from their teachers. Writing begins with process writing, developing skills for editing and revising. We concentrate on written forms to include story form, where students analyze literary components of setting, characters, plot, and fact vs. fiction. Report form is another focus, as are journals, logs and book reports. In this way our Lower Elementary children strengthen their reading comprehension, research skills, and writing capabilities. Cultural Studies Biology, social studies, geography, history, arts, music, as well as the study of Spanish, all fall within this discipline. At Summit we follow the Montessori curriculum spiral, which posits that all studies are interrelated and one lesson leads to many others. Every three years, major themes in the curriculum are studied again in greater depth and abstraction. This means, for example, that in a given year the whole school might be working on a topic such as Asia; the youngest in the Children's House will be participating in a Silk Road-oriented puppet show while the oldest students in the elementary school will be reading books and writing research papers about the Silk Road. As noted in our mission statement, Summit is dedicated to developing life-long learners from preschool through grade six. The Lower Elementary years are a time of exciting exploration and vital skill-building. First, second and third graders benefit from talented faculty who care about their students and ensure that each child owns his or her work and achieves her potential. As they graduate to our Upper Elementary school, Summit students have been given outstanding preparation and the capacity for advanced learning.