The Montessori elementary course of study is an integrated view of interrelated disciplines offered in three-year cycles, which starts with the global and historical perspective, then moves forward to current and local events. This approach differs from the traditional model in which the curriculum is compartmentalized into separate subjects, with given topics limited by grade level.  In the Montessori approach, lessons are introduced simply and concretely, in the context of history in the early lessons and are reintroduced several times during the following years at increasing degrees of abstraction and complexity. The curriculum from the primary through the elementary program is engineered to meet and capitalize on the changing developmental stages of the child. This is a very key foundation of the Montessori Method. The major developmental change for a child of elementary age is gaining the ability to reason and to imagine, and these skills are used in the classroom.

This course of study is an integrated thematic approach where major concepts are introduced through the Great lessons, which challenge the imagination and provide a framework which ties separate disciplines of the curriculum together into studies of the physical universe, the world of nature, and the human experience.  Mathematics, science, literature, the arts, history, social issues, government, philosophy, economics, art, and the study of technology all complement one another in our curriculum.

As language serves as a foundation for much of what the child learns in all other areas, reading, writing and oral expression are fundamentally important – for both English and Putonghua.  Through the child’s earlier experience with sound, phonics, and writing, plus sensorial experience with grammar, children begin to develop an almost instinctive sense of language.  With this foundation, teachers encourage children to pursue reading, to write creatively, to interpret drama and to improve their reading skills as they explore all disciplines.  The Chinese language program is patterned as closely as possible after the native language experience:  first oral – with rhymes, philosophical stories and songs – then character recognition and reading, then writing and grammar, incorporating ideas from Montessori schools in China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Language	The Montessori Language program consists of sequential exercises for writing, reading and vocabulary which begin in the Casa dei Bambini. The multi-sensory approach facilitates the association of the shapes of the alphabet letters with the phonetic sounds and represents one of the essential steps in the early study of language. Once the child masters sounding out written words, he/she will come spontaneously to the explosion into reading. In the elementary program the fourth Great Lesson introduces the use of signs for communication – the origins of Human Language.  This story introduces the first written words, their use in historical context, and the impact on the lives of humans.  Reading and writing skills involve: ·      Reading books of increasing difficulty on a variety of topics ·      The study of the nine parts of speech is introduced primarily with the exercises of the Montessori Grammar Boxes. Further exercises in grammar include word study, number and gender of words, correct expressions, compounds, synonyms, homonyms, antonyms and syllabification, Grammar and Syntax o  Spoken Language – discussions, oral reports speeches, debates, recitation, dialogue, interpretive reading and drama/plays o  Written Language §   Free expression – imaginative/factual §   Practice – form and content, punctuation, spelling, handwriting, illustration and decorating §   Written composition – reports, letters, stories, composition, poetry, drama/plays, news articles §   Literature
·          History of Language
·          Work Journal
·          Writing
·          Calligraphy
·          Compositional writing
·          Creative Writing
·          Word study
·          Spelling
·          Reading
·          Interpretive Reading
·          Grammar
·          Parts of Speech
·          Sentence analysis
·          Style
·          Research (Library and Reference Books for both research and pleasure)
·          Typing (Word processing skills in English and Pin Yin)