The Montessori Academy of North Hoffman (MANH) offers a Montessori elementary programming (1st through 6th grade) across two elementary classrooms. Both located at the Freeman East campus. A certified Montessori elementary teacher, along with one or more highly qualified assistant teachers, teaches each class.

At age six, the child moves to what Maria Montessori called the Second Plane of Development. This plane encompasses children 6- to-12 years-old. There are enormous changes in the needs of the child from those of the First Plane of Development (the years from birth to six years). The child now actively seeks to explore society and the world, moving beyond a self-centered focus on themselves and their family. If the first plane is the age of “what,” the second plane is the age of “why, where, who, when, and how.”

In the Montessori elementary classroom, we give the child the history of the universe, the world, the coming of plants and animals, and the emergence of humans on Earth, including their contribution to language, culture, arts, mathematics, and science. This is also the age during which the child develops a moral sense, learning what is right and what is wrong. He strives to find how he can play an important and meaningful role in life. Elementary students at the MANH learn about moral values through the study of virtues and various aspects of community building.

During this stage of development, children are interested in the world outside the classroom. Our elementary students explore with a purpose. They actively conduct research, equipped with the necessary tools. Not only using books and computers, but also using their minds and imaginations. We regularly schedule field trips based on the children’s classroom work and additional interests they may show in a particular area. The field trip group may consist of the entire class or a few students who share a common interest. Some examples include:

• Every year the students go on a three- to five-day field trip to experience learning through natural surroundings
• Every three years the upper elementary students experience real-life situations of our ancient ancestors by living in a primitive setting at Ancient Lifeways in Michael, Illinois
• Every three years, as part of our cultural, political, and civic studies, upper elementary students visit Springfield, Illinois

Opportunities are provided for elementary children to work together or alone, pursuing individual or group interests. Their teachers facilitate creativity, independent thinking, and personal responsibility through practical life exercises in the classroom. The students prepare their meals twice a week and are fully responsible for taking care of their classroom and its materials.

Core Curriculum

The curriculum in the elementary program consists of practical life, language, mathematics, geometry, science, geography, history, Spanish, and Japanese. We also offer art, physical education, and music. The Montessori elementary curriculum is highly enriched and challenging, consisting of the following core elements:

• Mastery of Fundamental Skills & Basic Core Knowledge
  • Students explore the realm of mathematics, science and technology, mythology, literature, history, world geography, civics, economics, anthropology, and the basic organization of human societies. Studies cover the basics found in traditional curricula such as the memorization of math facts and spelling lessons. Considerable time is also devoted to the study of vocabulary, grammar, sentence analysis, creative and expository writing, and library research skills.
• Dr. Maria Montessori’s Great Lessons
  • The Great Lessons are five key areas of interconnected studies presented to all elementary students. These are in the form of inspiring stories, related experiences, and research projects. The Great Lessons—intended to give children a “cosmic” perspective of the Earth—include the story of how the world came to be, the development of life on Earth, the story of humankind, the development of language and writing, and the development of mathematics. The lessons, studies, and projects surrounding each of the Great Lessons normally span many months, and the questions that children pose and their efforts to find the answers to their own questions may continue for many years.
• Individually Chosen Research
  • We encourage elementary students to explore topics that capture their imagination. We encourage students to do a great deal of independent reading through both library and internet research. The information is then shared with their classmates on a regular basis. Their oral presentations and written reports grow in sophistication and complexity over the years. Every year our elementary students select a topic to research in detail. They then present it to an audience on Presentation Nights. The presentation includes oral and written reports as well as visuals consisting of a presentation board and other related items.

We adhere to the Montessori curriculum but we feel we must also reflect American standards of performance. This is so that when our students leave for other schools they will be secure in their new environments. To ensure this, we administer standardized tests to the children every year. We also teach them test taking skills and strategies which will help them in the future.