Academics

The Montessori Program at Tobin Montessori School is organized in a unique way. Children are grouped in clusters of classes, according to developmental stages.

girl listening to teacherThe cluster for the youngest children is referred to as Children’s House for 3, 4, and 5 year olds. The children spend three years in the same class with the same teacher, and each year they grow in maturity and independence. By 5 years of age the children have experienced the spiral Montessori curriculum. They use concrete, self-correcting materials to develop abstract concepts by exploration in math, literacy, geography, social studies, science, practical life, sensorial exploration, art music, and physical education.

student using a laptopThe Lower Elementary cluster consists of classes for 6, 7, and 8 year olds. They too enjoy the guidance of the same teacher for their three years in this cluster as they spiral through the elementary Montessori curriculum based on immersing this age group in the five Great Lessons as well as math, literacy, geometry, geography, physical and biological sciences, art music, and physical education. From the beginning of the school year the children are given a grand view of the universe beginning with the Creation story.

The Upper Elementary program consists of 4th and 5th graders. They too enjoy the guidance of the same teacher for their two years in this cluster as they spiral through the elementary Montessori curriculum, described above, based on immersing this age group in the five Great Lessons, and in particular the last three Great Lessons concerning the appearance of humans on the earth, and the establishment of civilizations, culminating in the stories of math and communication.

students working in a groupIn this configuration curriculum is unfolded to the child at a time and rate that conform to the particular developmental stage of the child. At Tobin, there is another element at work. At Tobin, a unique coaching team offers teachers a road to complementing Montessori with district, state and common core standards. In addition to Montessori coaching, the staff enjoys coaching from math and literacy coaches. These three coaches combine their efforts to bring about a synthesis between Montessori and the best practices of traditional education.

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