Elementary I

Elementary I for Ages 6 to 9

Education for the Second Plane of Development

Dr. Montessori spoke of 4 Planes of Development: Birth to 6; 6 to 12; 12 to 18; and 18 to 24. Education for the Second Plane is not a direct continuation of the Montessori Program offered for the First Plane; new sensitive periods and changing psychological characteristics must be considered in formulating a meaningful and successful educational program for the 6 to 12-year-old.

Two sensitive periods during the Second Plane were discussed by Dr. Montessori: imagination and abstraction. Cosmic Education, the unifying study of this Plane, utilizes both imagination and abstraction. The child is presented with an intimate relationship that exists among all forms of life. This study sparks the child’s interest, engages the imagination, and helps with the understanding of the cosmic task of each element and of each force in the cosmos including our human society.

During the First Plane, the child incarnates the immediate environment; during the Second Plane, the child uses his creative imagination based on reality in order to psychologically conquer the world.

At six years of age, all aspects of culture are received enthusiastically; later these seeds will expand and grow. The child is presented with vast fields of knowledge that he/she is eager to explore. The Montessori Elementary teacher works in the service of the complete human being who is able to exercise in freedom a self-disciplined will and judgment, and who will be able to function effectively in these expansive times.

Classified Nomenclature for botany, zoology, geography, and geometry; impressionistic charts in botany and geography; language extensions; concrete math and geometry; classification charts of the plant and animal kingdoms; and timelines of life and of humans – all are a part of the Montessori lessons used during the Second Plane to strike the imagination and to provide beautiful and clear presentations. The use of all of these materials is presented during the academic component.

This course is MACTE accredited.

Elementary I – Course Description

Prerequisites to receive the AMS Elementary Credential

1. A four-year college degree from an accredited college or university
2. Successful Completion of all Elementary Course Requirements
3. Montessori Early Childhood (for ages 3-6): either a 3-6 Credential or completion of the Early Childhood Overview

If Adult Learners do not wish to take the entire credential program, they may elect to participate solely in the academic component. The minimum requirement for attending the academic component is 60 credits from a regionally accredited college/university and permission of the Course Director. The minimum requirement for participating in the Practicum Phase is a 4-year college degree from a regionally accredited college/university.

Montessori Center for Teacher Education welcomes diversity in our student body, faculty, and staff. We adhere to a policy of non-discrimination in regard to race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.