Middle School
Maria Montessori saw education as a “preparation for life.” It is our goal that students who go through the Middle School program at Peaceful Children Montessori School will be prepared to go out into the world and make a difference. Adolescents need to feel capable and effective. Montessori calls this understanding one’s own worthiness and strength “valorization of personality.” Students are learning that they are valued members of the school community and the larger community, and that their choices have an impact far beyond themselves.
Cultural studies provide the framework for the rest of the program, with the focus on how human society has been and is being transformed by the work of human hands and hearts. Adolescents want to know how they fit into the larger picture. They need to know about the place where they live and appreciate its rich history, including individuals who have made a difference. Outings to museums, libraries and natural areas vary from year to year according to the curriculum and student interest. Underlying all of this is the understanding that, since the beginning of time, God has had a plan. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd provides the basis of religious formation in the Middle School. Students are writing their own blank pages in this great history, the history of salvation. Atrium work in the Middle School has a historical focus, the main text being the Bible.
The Middle School writing program seeks to provide tools which will enable students to communicate their ideas and feelings clearly, enhancing their personal and intellectual development. The program stresses that writing is a cyclical process that begins with clear thinking and moves toward organized written expression, in order to sharpen the understanding of ideas. Focus correction areas are included in compositions to apply proper grammar usage. Important aspects of the program also include opportunities for revision and peer editing.
Seminars support the Great Books philosophy that is predicated on the idea that young people can begin to read interpretively and to question and discuss outstanding works of literature. The students analyze characters and locate examples of emotion, mood, conflict and theme.
Academic work in science is an outgrowth of real tasks that are valued by the students and the community. Science work has an environmental focus and includes studies of water quality and soil profiling in Lake and Geauga counties. These lessons allow students to develop essential skills in scientific thinking and the scientific method. All science work meets and exceeds State Standards for Ohio.
In addition to the science applications, all students are involved in a highly individualized, methodical presentation and practice of mathematic and algebraic principles. There are many opportunities to solve problems that require a variety of approaches. Each learning situation is a way to integrate principles learned through Montessori studies to find solutions to everyday problems. Adolescents are becoming aware of the impact of their actions on others, and so Middle School is the time to discuss social justice issues.
Students are involved in outreach to their church, community and the larger world in a number of ways including involvement as altar servers, lectors and choir members for weekly Mass, preparing meals for those in need, collecting food and household items for the economically disadvantaged and fundraising for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
Cultural studies provide the framework for the rest of the program, with the focus on how human society has been and is being transformed by the work of human hands and hearts. Adolescents want to know how they fit into the larger picture. They need to know about the place where they live and appreciate its rich history, including individuals who have made a difference. Outings to museums, libraries and natural areas vary from year to year according to the curriculum and student interest. Underlying all of this is the understanding that, since the beginning of time, God has had a plan. The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd provides the basis of religious formation in the Middle School. Students are writing their own blank pages in this great history, the history of salvation. Atrium work in the Middle School has a historical focus, the main text being the Bible.
The Middle School writing program seeks to provide tools which will enable students to communicate their ideas and feelings clearly, enhancing their personal and intellectual development. The program stresses that writing is a cyclical process that begins with clear thinking and moves toward organized written expression, in order to sharpen the understanding of ideas. Focus correction areas are included in compositions to apply proper grammar usage. Important aspects of the program also include opportunities for revision and peer editing.
Seminars support the Great Books philosophy that is predicated on the idea that young people can begin to read interpretively and to question and discuss outstanding works of literature. The students analyze characters and locate examples of emotion, mood, conflict and theme.
Academic work in science is an outgrowth of real tasks that are valued by the students and the community. Science work has an environmental focus and includes studies of water quality and soil profiling in Lake and Geauga counties. These lessons allow students to develop essential skills in scientific thinking and the scientific method. All science work meets and exceeds State Standards for Ohio.
In addition to the science applications, all students are involved in a highly individualized, methodical presentation and practice of mathematic and algebraic principles. There are many opportunities to solve problems that require a variety of approaches. Each learning situation is a way to integrate principles learned through Montessori studies to find solutions to everyday problems. Adolescents are becoming aware of the impact of their actions on others, and so Middle School is the time to discuss social justice issues.
Students are involved in outreach to their church, community and the larger world in a number of ways including involvement as altar servers, lectors and choir members for weekly Mass, preparing meals for those in need, collecting food and household items for the economically disadvantaged and fundraising for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
