“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.” ~ Maria Montessori
Tidewater School Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms are busy, joyous communities of children from ages 6 to 9 years, (1st-3rd grade) and 9 to 12 years, (4th-6th grade).
Tidewater School’s elementary program begins at 8:20 AM and ends at 3:10 PM. Elementary students begin their school day with “Outdoor Start” where students can begin the day in the outdoors.
Community, confidence, curiosity, and a comprehensive curriculum are the drivers of our elementary classrooms. Building on their journey of exploration and their search for knowledge, our elementary students explore the depths of abstraction, using their creative forces of imagination and their emerging sense of logic. Complex mathematical concepts found naturally in our world become the reality for embracing the beauty and redundant patterns of numerical equations. Language is analyzed, practiced and recognized as a vehicle not only for learning but for sharing information. Research becomes presented in both written and oral formats, and our students embrace the responsibility of being an educated individual. This new knowledge becomes wisdom when it is shared with other human beings. Our students build long lasting relationships and continue to mature into the leaders and thinkers of the world.
Elementary Program - Further Information
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Community
Elementary age children possess a natural desire to be together, work together, cooperate, collaborate, and learn from one another. It is the great work of this age – to begin to find a place in their community whereby they contribute, find value, and learn. The multi-age classrooms allow for individualized instruction where children work at their own pace as well as participate in classroom community activities. Tidewater elementary classrooms provide the necessary opportunities for students to work together, make group decisions, share information and resources, question and problem solve, and celebrate each other’s successes ultimately leading to feeling a sense of place and agency as learners and thinkers.
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Confidence
Tidewater classrooms are places where students come to learn and teach. Confidence is developed through real world work and effort. Students construct their learning as they construct themselves and develop a sense of power and achievement. There are opportunities to mentor younger children, develop community service projects, dig deep into topics of interest, and employ their new found abilities for abstraction and imagination to solve complex and relevant challenges, understand moral issues, and ultimately become confident, capable scholars both poised and confident to move into their futures.
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Curiosity
A burgeoning and vital imagination along with keen sense of curiosity are characteristics of the elementary child. Montessori classrooms welcome and support these natural inclinations both by being spaces for inquiry, but also providing for finding answers outside of the classroom. Going out in to the local community to learn from experts in the field, or visit museums, or simply making observations are valuable tools and learning experiences that Tidewater elementary students experience throughout the school year.
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Comprehensive Curriculum
The Montessori Elementary curriculum begins with big questions, big ideas, and lots of room for investigation, research, conversation, and wonder. The mysteries of the universe, the histories of humankind, the wonders and beauties of the natural world are the backdrop for explorations in mathematics, language arts, the sciences, and creative arts and reflects the way real world problems are solved. Students approach their days with a, “Let’s find out!” attitude and the Montessori elementary classroom is ready to serve.
