Ages 6 – 9: Mrs. DeJesus & Mr. Bridwell’s Class

As each day begins, our Student of the Day leads classmates in the Pledge and the morning exercises. Then, students retrieve their weekly journals and select work to begin Uninterrupted Work Time. During this time that the guide (teacher) assists where needed and presents new material to students when they are ready. It is also during this time that students receive individual Occupational, Speech and Behavioral Therapies as needed.

We use several reading programs in the 6 – 9 classroom such as: Fairview Learning, Houghton Mifflin Leveled Reading series and the Multiple Skills Series, all of which combine together nicely to create a comprehensive, effective and fun language program. In addition, the Montessori curriculum is incorporated into our language instruction and we have developed a revolutionary way of working with children on comprehending written English in ASL. Math lessons also follow the Montessori curriculum which is supplemented by the Saxon Math program. The cultural studies in our class range from naming the countries, states, and capitals to the respiratory system of a horse and everything in between.

The 6 – 9 classroom gives children the opportunity to set their own goals, budget their time and evaluate the results of their own work so that they become self-starters who work from an authentic awareness and passion for their work. In working with the specially designed materials, children are encouraged to develop their own accuracy skills. Evaluation of a student’s progress is partially inherent in the materials: successful completion of a task depends on the child understanding the concept and applying it. This is a self-test which helps children learn what is needed in order to continue. Evaluation is also made through student/guide conferences, by written evaluations given to parents at conferences and by standardized testing.

Montessori is a hands-on, multi-sensorial way of learning. This is what any visitor would see as they enter our classroom. Children using three dimensional wooden geometric shapes to symbolize grammar; manipulating different sticks of wood in the study of triangles; drawing on a five foot map of the world, plotting places and landforms; observing the array of animals in the class to further their study of animals and many other wonderful activities. This process continues through the morning with simplicity and serenity.