Montessori Elementary - Writing Process

The children at any level follow the same process from beginning to end of their writing, but the depth will vary dependent on their ages and experience.

The language album does not specific an explicit writing process, but recently I had the opportunity to put together an outline for my son that indeed covers every situation and is perfectly in line with Montessori:

1. get your ideas down on paper (wide variety of options - notecards, bubbles, lists, etc.)
2. organize those ideas under main headings
3. consider any other headings that should be included (look at "audience requirements") - edit as needed
4. physically organize all these ideas in order, and begin writing on paper with complete sentences.
5. Edit from there as needed.

Montessori Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary

The elementary Montessori materials center around sets of large impressionistic charts. These are the core material for the elementary age (where we had lots of trays for the primary child).

It is that time of year that people have been facing the reality of creating these Montessori impressionistic charts by hand or purchasing sets. And the options grow each year.

In reviewing many links lately to various Montessori Elementary Impressionistic charts, an overwhelming concern has arisen.

So many of the advertised impressionistic charts are divided by "lower elementary" and "upper elementary". I just looked at a site a few minutes ago (the one that is prompting this Montessori Nugget!) - that specifically states that the geography album chapters 1, 2, and 3 are lower elementary and chapters 4, 5, and 6 are upper elementary. I verified that their chapter headings correspond with the AMI albums (although this is an AMS site).

This is SO FAR from the truth! ALL SIX chapters are intended for BOTH ages! Not in entirety (each album page might cover 1-6 years of study alone, let alone an entire chapter).

Montessori albums are NOT curriculum guides. They are organized in the way they are for the ADULT to find what they need in order to present to the children according to their interests. You don't just move through the album from page 1 to the end in exact order, with no regard for the child in front of you....

The geography chapters in the AMI album:

Chapter I: Creation of the Earth/Idea of the Universe -
almost all of this chapter happens in lower; all should be repeated in upper, with extensions and final lessons

• God with No Hands 
• Experiments with God with No Hands 
• Notes on the Story 
• Follow-Ups to the Story 
• Composition of the Earth 
• Further Details of the Composition of the Earth 
• Formation of the Mountains 

Chapter II: Nature of the Elements -
mostly lower elementary, but extensions/review into upper elementary

• Three States of Matter 
• Further States of Matter 
• Different Ways of Combining 
• Separation, Saturation, Super-saturation 
• Attraction and Gravity 

Chapter III: The Sun and the Earth -
all of it at both ages in various depths of study

• Rotation of the Earth and Its Consequences 
• Time Zone Chart 
• Earth as a Sphere and Its Result 
• Tilt of the Axis 
• Seasons and the Two Tropics 
• The Zones 
• Zones’ Work Chart 
• Protractor Chart 
• Seasons Work Chart 
• Protection of the Atmosphere and the Rains 

Chapter IV: The Work of Air - 
all of it at both ages in various depths of study

• Experiments Prelude to the Winds 
• The Winds 
• Land and Sea Breezes 
• Changes in the Winds Caused by the Seasons 
• Rains 
• Work Chart of the Winds 
• Ocean Currents Caused by Winds 
• Wind as a Sculptor 

Chapter V: The Work of Water - 
all of it at both ages in various depths of study

• The River 
• The Rains 
• Ocean Waves 
• Ice 
• Water Cycle 
• Spread of Vegetation 
• People in Different Zones 

Chapter VI: Human Geography

• Interdependence of Human Beings in Society  (SPECIFICALLY noted as lower elementary)
• Economic Geography  (early stages are lower elementary; later stages upper)
• Study of Natural Resources (this album page onward, typically upper elementary, but lower elementary for those interested - although the TOPICS can be introduced at the lower elementary level for each of the topics in the chapter)
• What is Produced and Where 
• Study of Consumption 
• Comparison of Production and Consumption
• Imports and Exports 
• Volume of World Trade
• World Commerce

We could say that EACH CHAPTER covers the scope of SIX YEARS OF STUDY. Other studies are interspersed, chapters overlap within the one album, and the child has other personal studies of interest. Some topics just won't be touched in year 1, due to time constraints, but they COULD be done in year 1 if the child has interest. There is flexibility here - not a rigid set of "when" - we are not dictating which entire chapters are for a particular age. We have suggested ages, not dictated ages.

So let's NOT ignore the primary Montessori principle of "follow the child" when we are planning which lessons to give. Not a free-for-all following, but an honest exploration of interests and expansion of experiences to discover new interests. 

Lower and Upper Elementary Presentations - 2

(continuing on from yesterday's Nugget)


In this way, only one set of elementary albums is necessary for both lower and upper elementary as compared to albums for lower and separate albums for upper; complete albums allow the children to flow where they need to be at a particular moment in a particular area.

The children will let you know where their interests are; good elementary albums allow you time to explore those interests without mandating every second of a child's work. Good albums will provide some but not too many suggestions for follow-up, personal research resources, resources to have in the environment --- the main control here is what does YOUR environment need? Not "does your environment match everyone else's?"

Question: If your environment matches anyone else's, are your albums dictating far too much leaving little room and time for personal research? Are you able to strive to meet the particular needs and interests of the elementary child before you? Are you meeting the child's needs and tendencies? Are you able to meet the psychological characteristics of the elementary age with the tools you have on hand? Do you need to get rid of some tools? Replace? Add different ones?

Lower and Upper Elementary Presentations

The same themes are present in the lower and upper elementary. Themes are simply re-presented (sometimes with the same material and close to the same wording of the presentation!) and explored deeper and wider - more thoroughly.

In lower elementary the children explore the foundation, they are exposed to cosmic education and provided the grand overview of the universe. They then delve into details of interest.

EVERY year they receive the Great Lessons - every year they delve into different details.

Most album pages, the children get them when they get them - whatever is appropriate for the individual child.

The few album pages that are specifically set aside for only upper elementary, those that are "almost" a requirement to be in upper elementary, are going deeper with a particular theme from lower elementary - expanding upon and deepening it.

So focus lower elementary on laying the foundation in each area, and presenting the grand overview of Cosmic Education.

Then allow upper elementary for going deeper and more thorough.

Grammar Boxes - Word Order

What about the order of the compartments? It really does not matter. Some people seek to have them "in order that we speak our language" - but look at these two sentences: 

the brown dog ate his bone. 

the brown dog ate his bone in the large yard. 
the dog that is brown ate his bone in the yard that is large. 

The first sentence has 2 nouns. So where should the nouns section go in the box? Towards the beginning or towards the end? 

The second sentence has three nouns - and three adjectives (brown, his, large) - so where shall we place the adjective? In front of the noun? Ok, that makes sense, but the children are still going to be going back and forth for the nouns, since there are articles throughout the second sentence; prepositions that could be at the beginning or middle; etc.

As the sentences add parts of speech, there is more and more complexity with word order. See the third sentence. The adjectives are coming after the nouns they describe. Hm. 

The boxes are a storage and display - an organizer, but NOT for the order in which we speak.  

We want the children to explore language - their own language which has already been given as a gift to them in infancy and toddlerhood; that they have striven to learn, to perfect, to master and to share. Even if we *could* hand them the boxes in order, should we? It would be less of a puzzle, less of a game, and more of a mindless matching activity. Indeed that has been the experience of many teachers when doing the noun/adjective/article box with the box in English order: article, adjective, noun. It became mindless. The children didn't have to *think*.

Now, at this age, we are not really looking to just hand them their language - they already have it! Now we are looking to examine it, to explore it, to play with it. So we hand it to them "messed up" - with colors that don't match the symbols they've learned; with transposing and making silly sentences; learning all sorts of play on words (the push cart, push the cart); developing poetical skills as they mix up the sentences and find what still makes sense, what makes sense but with a different meaning and what is entirely non-sensical. 

We are also training their ears to truly *hear*. 

It is impossible to create the boxes "in the order that we speak" - so don't try! Just play along with the language games and enjoy the company :) 

Elementary Continuum

          The same curriculum is given at 9-12 as is given at 6-9. 

In terms of geography, for example, all of the general areas of the work need to be introduced in the 6-9 group in some manner; however, every presentation will not be covered, and many of the details are not reached until 9-12, when the children are interested in those details. 

6-9 is an introduction to and a preparation for the work at 9-12.  

What does this mean for us adults? 

It means that it is not for US to decide what is upper elementary or lower elementary - it is up to the internal workings of the child to reveal to us what is appropriate for them at that time or not. 

It means that when we have outside-of-the-child requirements (ourselves, local educational standards), we seek to find a way to provide what is necessary in the present situation, but not as a burden - focus instead on  the child learning about fulfilling responsibilities, in an environment that respects their developmental needs.