Lower and Upper Elementary
Intellectual and Moral Independance
The Elementary programs offer children 6-9 (Lower Elementary) and 9-12 (Upper Elementary) an exceptional opportunity for growth in this new period of life. These peer-oriented and imaginative children thrive in an environment that will allow freedom within limitations. The extensive curriculum in the Elementary classrooms will support curiosity and the preparation for a successful life.
I Can Think it Myself
Striving for intellectual independence, the children at the Elementary level desire to be free to think alone. These children are developing their ability to think abstractly as well as beginning to wrestle with moral questions and making judgements.
Dr. Montessori wrote, “…it is at this age that the concept of justice is born, simultaneously with the understanding of the relationship between one’s acts and the needs of others.”
A Cosmic Education
The educational program for Elementary at KMS is distinguished by a core curriculum where each child acquires and applies a breadth of skills during a three-year learning cycle. The Elementary Curriculum is interconnected using a Cosmic Education framework. This framework takes the foundation that has been learned in Primary Classes and expands it to ignite the imagination and kindle a passion for learning across all subjects.
The Prepared Environment
Well-planned lessons are presented in a carefully prepared learning environment filled with specifically designed, age-appropriate, hands-on Montessori materials. The trained educator uses these holistic learning activities to nurture each child’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Each student learns and achieves at a rate which meets their particular need and allows their talents to emerge.
Enrichment
Exploring the world outside of the classroom allows the Elementary child to gather knowledge through outings, guest presenters, and other experiences.
Outings include experiences in the natural environment of the National Park and Nature Centers, attending plays and concerts, visiting cultural or scientific exhibits, and more. Guest speakers are often invited based off of the subjects the students are studying in the classroom. These opportunities range from large group (both Upper and Lower Elementary attending) to classroom or age level specific.
Students in the Upper Elementary classroom are given the real world experience of planning their own trip (with the assistance of the teacher), including arranging transportation and other details needed for the success of the event. These Practical Life experiences place the responsibility on the students and allow them to develop vital communication and organizational skills.
Standardized Testing
Beginning in 3rd grade, KMS offers the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth Assessment test. This student-centric approach to standardized testing has become a popular choice for more and more Montessori schools and aligns with the TNReady testing program.
Just as Montessori is unique to each child, MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive test, meaning every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions get harder. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. By the end of the test, most students will have answered about half the questions correctly, as is common on adaptive tests. The purpose of MAP Growth is to determine what the student knows and is ready to learn next. It is also designed to track students’ individual growth over time, wherever they are starting from and regardless of the grade they are in.
“What a great environment for my kids! We love the staff, teachers and administrators!”
- KMS Parent, 2014
