Upper Elementary

Developmentally, children this age become stronger abstract thinkers and the curriculum continues to accommodate their developmental changes. The true measure of their knowledge comes, as students are required to go out into the community and use what they have learned. This may come in the form of putting together a science fair project, calling a foreign embassy to get information about a country they are studying, or planning a class trip to New York City. Community service rounds out the upper elementary experience.

Upper Elementary Profile

• Mixed age classrooms for children in grades 4–6
• Challenging interdisciplinary curriculum
• Strong emphasis on project work that moves from the concrete to the abstract
• Class trips include Betsy-Jeff Penn, Earthshine Mountain Lodge, Sound to Sea Trinity Environmental Education Program, Don Lee Center
• Sixth-grade students plan and implement a trip to New York City

Upper Elementary Experience

A small group Spanish lesson.

Bigger Questions
First they asked their parents, “Why is the sky blue?” Then they asked their teachers, “What will happen if… ?” They asked their peers, “Will you be my friend?” But now, they ask themselves, “Who am I?” and “Who will I become?” For our upper elementary students, this is their age of enlightenment, their last years of childhood, and the world as seen through their questioning eyes.

Continuous Course
Three classrooms, six faculty members, many students, and millions of ideas: That’s our program in a nutshell. This is the pinnacle of the Lead Mine campus, the stuff of dreams for lower elementary students. With open doors between their classrooms, they have seen the pin maps, watched science experiments, listened to the music, and heard about the trips: Betsy-Jeff Penn, North Carolina exploration, and New York. And when they finally arrive in upper elementary, these students are ready to take on the world.
Academically, physically, and emotionally, children in upper elementary—grades 4, 5, and 6—are continuing their lower elementary education. Completing the next level of development, the children are characterized by a strong reasoning mind and an incredibly social core. The difference is found in their natural maturing; the more they learn about the world, the more they want to define their path. Children are beginning to become who they will be and their individual personalities and interests are clearer. Their focus is getting as wide as possible, and the Montessori method encourages them to maximize their potential and learning process.

An Upper Elementary student works with Montessori materials.

Culture of Learning
Observe a class in progress and right away you’ll note three things. First there’s a lot going on. There is a diversity of lessons that unfolds every day. The culture is so rich within a given day that the children can’t help but be enthused and learn.
Next, the lessons are given in a way that is meaningful. Rather than having isolated facts tossed about, ideas are presented in context and the traditional subjects are allowed to overlap. Mathematics doesn’t exist in society in isolation, so it is taught within the framework of everything else that we do.
History is a major part of elementary work. Every area has a historical component, that element of asking, “Where did this idea originate?” Once the children have an appreciation for the work that came before, they begin to ask, “What is my role? What will I discover? How am I going to make a difference in the real world?”
Finally, the children are expected to apply the things they learn. They look at everything and ask, “Why did that happen? What can I do to figure that out?” Only then can they understand the lesson and pursue knowledge in a way that is meaningful to them.

A student does research for a project.

Leaving the Classroom
Going out into the real world is a significant expectation for our upper elementary students. It may be to do research, to purchase materials for a project, or to lend a helping hand in the community. It may be placing a telephone call to a professor at NC State or to the curator of a museum in New York, but every experience requires the child to apply lessons learned — including grace and courtesy — in a way that is designed by the child. And every experience helps the child find his or her own place in the community.
Reaching out, making choices, and accountability — these are the character building opportunities encountered every day in our upper elementary classrooms. Presented in a real world context, not as part of a philosophical debate, our children apply their lessons and learn by doing. They will leave the classroom not only with a deep understanding of their academic studies but also as good, caring community members.
We’re preparing them for life, so they are ready for that next beginning.