4th through 6th Grade
Glendale Montessori School's Upper Elementary is a multi-aged classroom for students from 4th through 6th grade. In the Montessori philosophy, we believe the elementary years are ones of great stability. Children are comfortable with the flow of the classroom and are more in-tune with their emotions than during the early years.
In Upper Elementary, we continue Montessori’s cosmic curriculum, where the children are encouraged to see their place within a universal perspective. Students begin to explore where they came from through the study of history, geography, and mythology.
During this time, students continue to develop themselves with the guidance of their Montessori teachers. By working at their own pace, they are able to take ownership of their learning and grow to be independent and self-motivated. They learn how to set goals, manage time, organize projects and access resources—all skills that will help them continue to be academically successful well beyond their time at Glendale Montessori. In addition to individual work, students participate in hands-on learning and group activities.
Learn more about our Core Curriculum.
"It is their 'years of plenty;' and if given the right opportunity and the right means, they will lay up a great store of cultural information."
— Maria Montessori
In addition to the core Montessori curriculum, our Upper Elementary students participate in:
Monthly Field Trips
An important part of the Montessori curriculum is extending the classroom to the broader world. Students get an opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom with the wonderful resources that are around the Greater Los Angeles area.
Past field trips have included:
- Astrocamp
- Riley's Farm
- Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum
- Glendale's Steam Generator Plant
- Glendale Community College
- Hyperion Water Treatment Plant
- Getty Villa
- LACMA
- Norton Simon
- Los Angeles Times Printing Press
- Occidental College
Monthly Etiquette Lunches
Each month two students bring a meal to share from their culture. Students further develop their practical life skills by practicing to eat properly, hold a conversation, set the table and wash their dishes.
Art Instruction
Each week students participate in a weekly art class. Each year they focus on a separate theme in art. Past themes include:
- Mixed Media
- Drawing Techniques
- Composition and Painting
- Art History: A survey of Western art with a focus on particular artists in the modern era
Listening Program
Students participate in The Listening Program every day. This is a music listening method to improve your mental, physical and emotional health.
Annual Science Fair and Biography Speech
Students participate in two major oral presentations each year, science fair and biography speech. Science fair is a 6 to 8 week project were students pick a scientific topic of their choosing to research in detail. They then give presentations to their family, the rest of the school’s students and families. The biography speech is a 5 to 4 week project where students pick a person who has positively impacted their community or the world and read their biography. They then compose a speech as if they were this figure and introduce themselves to an audience of parents, other students, and staff.
Tennis
Students participate in two tennis sessions, once in the fall and once in the spring.