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. The elementary class at Pleasant Valley Montessori, initially serving children ages 6 through 12, is an environment rich in opportunities for exploration, research, and activity. Maria Montessori saw that the elementary-aged child had a wondrous ability to grasp vast amounts of information and to reason and draw conclusions. Some of the characteristics of this age are: moral and social awareness; development of the reasoning mind and the imagination; and the ability to abstract. Montessori observed these characteristics and crated a broad program which draws on these natural tendencies. In a Montessori elementary environment the child is presented with a vision of the interconnectedness of their studies. Materials are presented to small groups of children in the form of Great and Key Lessons. These lessons open doors to the child and give them a tool for ordering their knowledge and understanding. These lessons encompass all of the curriculum, which includes the study of geography (human and physical), biology (including botany, zoology, ecology), geometry, mathematics, music, art, language (language arts, grammar and literature) and history. Presented to small groups of children (usually 3 to 5), lessons are usually active, hands-on affairs which may include experiments, demonstrations, and/or stories. The work of the children includes writing projects, displays, oral presentations, or other projects. The children coordinate with the adult to create individual or small group follow-up to presented materials. The children are encouraged to explore their own interests and the program is flexible to allow for this.
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children are not limited to the classroom and a "going out" component is an
important aspect of the program. These are field trips of small groups of
children who are seeking further information in a field of study. These trips
might include museum excursions, visits to the public library, a musical event,
or interviewing an expert in a field in which the child is interested.