Lower Elementary

List of 7 items.

• Practicals

  Younger classrooms are spaces for developing everyday living skills that allow for children’s emerging independence and sense of responsibility to self, others, and environment. At this next stage of learning, Practicals are lessons and expectations that help children navigate the physical and social world they are entering. These activities now bridge from grace and courtesy to learning social norms of a group. Managing their use of time, planning and executing short-term projects, reflection on learning, and listening and respecting the ideas and thoughts of others in their group all provide authentic opportunities to understand themselves as a member of society.
  
  Some examples of Practicals lessons include advanced everyday living skills such as working in the greenhouse, sewing, woodworking, and cooking. Other activities include student-led morning meeting and lunch preparation, student-guided mindfulness exercises, reading buddies with the Children’s House students, community engagement with the neighbors living at the nursing home next door, ‘turkey-chore’ project, beach clean-up, etc.

• Social and Emotional Learning

  As students enter this plane of development, they extend themselves socially, collaborate more frequently, and share experiences together both in work and in play. It is during this period of academic focus and social experiences that they shift their understanding from self to the power of partnership and teamwork. Together, they benefit from the daily continuation of grace and courtesy lessons as well as the principles and activities from a comprehensive social-emotional curriculum that guides them through a period of growth and development in a nurturing and safe environment.
  
  An annual tradition that represents Harborlight’s openness and creates a welcoming classroom is called “Bundle of Sticks”. Following Aesop’s fable, the class community gathers sticks from around campus and constructs a tight, unbreakable bundle tied together with ribbons and twine. Each stick represents the individual student and the one value they contribute to the classroom constitution. This is just one of many unique class meeting activities that centers on the children working together in a promise of mutual respect and unity.

• Math & Geometry

  The mathematics curriculum begins with the Fifth Great Lesson: The Story of Numbers. Through this story, students are introduced to the history and influence of numbers, arithmetic, and geometry in human life, culture, problem-solving, inventions and discoveries. The study of mathematics and geometry at the lower elementary level is extensive and exciting.
  
  The Montessori materials have a dual-purpose. They each house a lesson in history (inventions by the Sumerians, Ancient Greeks and Romans) to modern day examples of notation and numerals in world languages. These materials serve a means for the youngest students to compose numbers, solve problems of operations, measure, graph, etc. at an early stage because they allow for free exploration and manipulation to gain understanding of the following: numeration; operations, multiples and squaring, measurement, fractions, graphs, geometric concepts of line, point, solid form, angles and polygons. Math extends into everyday living skills for time, money, and measurement.

• Language Arts

  The Fourth Great Lesson, The Story of Communication in Signs, brings students an understanding of how language (including the written form of communication) throughout history is a fundamental aspect of the creative human intelligence, which has influence and staying power in our forms of contemporary communication today.
  
  Lessons begin with stories of early man’s recordings around the world and the influence of Ancient Civilizations’ invention of letters and recording, to revolutionary devices that influenced communication systems and cultures. The formal study of Language Arts is integrated into all areas of the curriculum with the focus on reading fluency, writing, and verbal expression.

• Reader's Workshop

  Harborlight incorporates a Reader’s Workshop model in the Language Arts curriculum. Workshop begins with a mini-lesson focusing on one aspect of literature or a reading strategy taught to a small group. The mini-lesson expands to engage students in authentic reading experiences through guided, small-group reading and independent (or silent) reading.
  
  Students maintain a Reader’s Notebook where they respond and reflect on the assigned literature, use strategies for selecting and reading books, and answer comprehension questions. The Reader’s Workshop includes exercises for writing about books and sharing ideas about books with partners or in discussion groups.

• Natural World

  Harborlight’s Natural World curriculum fosters the students’ natural curiosity and ignites the imagination. The first two Great Lessons, The Story of the Universe, and The Coming of Life, set the scene for all emerging curriculum. Natural World begins with the creation of the Universe and its parts followed by the Timeline of Life. Through the Clock of Eras study, students are given a general overview of the work in Biology, History, and Geography. It is through these lessons that the students discover the answers to their “Why” questions. Science theory concentrates study of processes: hypothesis, procedure, observation, data analysis and conclusion or questioning. This allows students to think before deciding and use a logical method of testing to evaluate results and reflect on the process.
  
  All students explore a sequence of hands-on lessons and activities that provide a basic knowledge and understanding of zoology, botany, matter, energy, earth science, astronomy, human development and personal health. Montessori materials promote learning animal classification, chemical processes, earth forces, botanical components, and rock types.

• Physical Education

  With the philosophy of health and fitness for life, students at this level embrace both competitive and cooperative games and activities in the out of doors. Gym class rotations include project-adventure, hiking, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, kayaking, snowshoeing or ice skating, yoga, individual fitness testing and achievement. There are daily lessons on health, hygiene, nutrition, sleep, emotional regulation/mindfulness, and wellness.