Each Elementary classroom has a full-time accredited guide and an assistant. The Elementary program is divided into two sections: Lower elementary (grades 1-3) and Upper Elementary (grades 4-6). These multi-age groupings combine all three grades. A key feature of Montessori education, multi-age groups allow children to progress at their own pace in both social and academic areas and to both learn from, and help, one another.
The richly integrated Montessori Elementary curriculum includes the “Great Lessons,” a series of five stories dramatizing broad themes from human history and the physical world. The unifying nature of the Montessori curriculum means that learning is never compartmentalized; it continues to be integrated for the child, always interconnected with other subjects in a growing tapestry of knowledge. Our students do compelling work on early literacy by learning to think like writers, and learn math through rich, hands-on, sequenced materials.
MMEC Elementary students do not receive letter or number grades. Instead, our guides write detailed reports based on their close observations and the students’ work, and are happy to meet with parents personally to discuss their child’s progress. Regularly scheduled student led conferences also give parents the opportunity to experience their child’s learning first hand.