GREENLEAVES MONTESSORI
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
INFANT COMMUNITY 6 – 36 MONTHS
ELEMENTARY 6 – 12 YEARS
In the stage of Lower Elementary I (6-9 years old) and Upper Elementary (9-12 years old) children are in what Maria Montessori called the stage of the reasoning mind.
This work environment is designed to satisfy the need for hands-on investigation, exploration and curiosity that leads children of these ages to question everything.
Their collaborative and cooperative personalities allow them to delve into a wide variety of projects, develop social skills such as assertiveness and empathy, and implement their own conflict resolution strategies.
They therefore acquire the mastery and integration of cognitive, social and emotional skills necessary to face the challenges of their present and future.
With the purpose of achieving a pedagogical model that promotes the integral development of our students and their capacity for inquiry, both at school and in the world in general, at Greenleaves we offer the integration of the Montessori curriculum together with the recognized program (PYP) within the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum
The environment in the Elementary is structured by keeping in mind the following table:
| ELEMENTARY (DEVELOPMENT OF OWN IDENTITY) |
|---|
| First Grade (1st Primary) |
| Second Grade (2rd Primary) |
| Third Grade (3rd Primary) |
| Fourth Grade (4th Primary) |
| Fifth Grade (5th Primary) |
| Sixth Grade (6th Primary)) |
| ELEMENTARY (HELP ME TO THINK FOR MYSELF) |
|---|
| Elementary I From 6 to 8 years old 2 Montessori guides per group 15 students per teacher |
| Elementary II From 8 to 10 years old 2 Montessori guides per group 15 students per teacher |
| Elementary III From 10 to 12 years old 2 Montessori guides per group 15 students per teacher |
Our work program has two key moments for the children’s development: At an intellectual level, in Elementary, children involve themselves within the academic curriculum through great lessons or units of inquiry, favoring moments in which to question themselves about the creation of the universe, the history of humanity …
Through these transdisciplinary themes , children are awakening interest in learning and developing projects that satisfy their need for research.
Taking advantage of these moments, in the Elementary environment, the acquisition of content is promoted through uninterrupted work cycles where the teaching-learning process is designed according to the individual study plan that the Montessori Guides carry out monthly for each child. During this time, children develop authentic learning experiences that are not restricted by the limits of traditional subjects, but allow them to expand their learning by developing their conceptual understanding, reinforcing their knowledge and skills in all disciplinary areas:
This area aims to develop basic skills in the use of language (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in an integrated way.
It promotes that the student acquires the necessary skills to communicate with precision their own ideas, make speeches that will be increasingly elaborated and to listen actively, interpreting correctly the speeches of others.
The teaching of writing is oriented to the usual practice of written composition, promoting spelling correction, the increase of vocabulary, good writing, as well as presentation and calligraphy.
From the school we give much importance to the development of the reading habit. That’s why on the class, all areas of knowledge are composed of reference books and literary books. In addition, our students have a school library that allows them to select the books that they need for the development of their “investigation program”.
Mathematics has an instrumental character. That is, they are the fundamental base for the acquisition of new knowledge in other disciplines and, especially, in the scientific and technological process.
The practice of mathematics develops in our students the taste for research, reasoning, rigor and precision; develops their imagination and capacity for abstraction; teaches them to reason and to apply mathematical reasoning to the resolution of everyday problems.
The study of the contents of this area (botany, zoology, matter and astronomy) aims to understand and describe both the world of nature itself, as well as the one the man has built, providing the student with the opportunity to know and put into practice the values and behaviors that are the basis of scientific work: observation, analysis, criticism, contrast, reflection, perseverance, as well as the formulation of questions, the preparation of hypotheses, the interpretation of data and experimentation.
On the other hand, knowledge of nature will lead students to respect it. They will learn to take responsibility of the conservation of the environment, the care of the living beings and their own health.
This area includes various disciplines that deal with different aspects of human behavior in relation to society. Among them, Geography and History occupy a priority place in the Elementary curriculum.
It is mainly a question of acquiring a spatial and temporal reference system through the knowledge of the most relevant facts of our history. In that way they can place the experiences that they learned in later studies, bringing students closer to issues related to political, social and territorial organization promoting the acquisition of necessary skills for life in society.
As a complement to the work cycle, weekly physical education sessions and English workshops are alternated where listening, reading, writing and speaking skills are strengthened, in addition to carrying out project work.
Our goal is to encourage our students to think critically and transdisciplinary, fostering diversity, curiosity and the desire to learn, focusing on the integral development of the child and her capacity for inquiry.
At Elementary, each child is the protagonist of their learning, having their own personal journal that will help them tracking their academic progress.
By actively participating in an integrated and continuous assessment, students begin to regulate their own learning effectively and to be able to act on constructive feedback, providing them with life skills that will help them in their professional future.
At an emotional-behavioral level: Every day we allocate a certain time to work on positive discipline dynamics within the meeting point moment.
These dynamics are intended to help children feel important (adult-child connection rather than correction), teach valuable life skills (respect, problem-solving ability, participation, responsibility…), learn from the logical and natural consequences of their actions…
During the second part of the school day, complementary activities are developed to consolidate the so-called soft skills (communication skills, decision-making and conflict resolution skills, teamwork, creativity and critical thinking).
These activities are as follows:
In addition, to complete the academic offer of the Elementary program, optional extracurricular activities are offered such as multisport, robotics, ceramics, Chinese …
This area aims to develop basic skills in the use of language (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in an integrated way.
It promotes that the student acquires the necessary skills to communicate with precision their own ideas, make speeches that will be increasingly elaborated and to listen actively, interpreting correctly the speeches of others.
The teaching of writing is oriented to the usual practice of written composition, promoting spelling correction, the increase of vocabulary, good writing, as well as presentation and calligraphy.
From the school we give much importance to the development of the reading habit. That’s why on the class, all areas of knowledge are composed of reference books and literary books. In addition, our students have a school library that allows them to select the books that they need for the development of their “investigation program”.
Mathematics has an instrumental character. That is, they are the fundamental base for the acquisition of new knowledge in other disciplines and, especially, in the scientific and technological process.
The practice of mathematics develops in our students the taste for research, reasoning, rigor and precision; develops their imagination and capacity for abstraction; teaches them to reason and to apply mathematical reasoning to the resolution of everyday problems.
The study of the contents of this area (botany, zoology, matter and astronomy) aims to understand and describe both the world of nature itself, as well as the one the man has built, providing the student with the opportunity to know and put into practice the values and behaviors that are the basis of scientific work: observation, analysis, criticism, contrast, reflection, perseverance, as well as the formulation of questions, the preparation of hypotheses, the interpretation of data and experimentation.
On the other hand, knowledge of nature will lead students to respect it. They will learn to take responsibility of the conservation of the environment, the care of the living beings and their own health.
This area includes various disciplines that deal with different aspects of human behavior in relation to society. Among them, Geography and History occupy a priority place in the Elementary curriculum.
It is mainly a question of acquiring a spatial and temporal reference system through the knowledge of the most relevant facts of our history. In that way they can place the experiences that they learned in later studies, bringing students closer to issues related to political, social and territorial organization promoting the acquisition of necessary skills for life in society.
As a complement to the work cycle, weekly physical education sessions and English workshops are alternated where listening, reading, writing and speaking skills are strengthened, in addition to carrying out project work.
Our goal is to encourage our students to think critically and transdisciplinary, fostering diversity, curiosity and the desire to learn, focusing on the integral development of the child and her capacity for inquiry.
At Elementary, each child is the protagonist of their learning, having their own personal journal that will help them tracking their academic progress.
By actively participating in an integrated and continuous assessment, students begin to regulate their own learning effectively and to be able to act on constructive feedback, providing them with life skills that will help them in their professional future.
At an emotional-behavioral level: Every day we allocate a certain time to work on positive discipline dynamics within the meeting point moment.
These dynamics are intended to help children feel important (adult-child connection rather than correction), teach valuable life skills (respect, problem-solving ability, participation, responsibility…), learn from the logical and natural consequences of their actions…
During the second part of the school day, complementary activities are developed to consolidate the so-called soft skills (communication skills, decision-making and conflict resolution skills, teamwork, creativity and critical thinking).
These activities are as follows:
In addition, to complete the academic offer of the Elementary program, optional extracurricular activities are offered such as multisport, robotics, ceramics, Chinese …