The Upper Elementary curriculum is based on world history and covers all subjects except math, which is taught separately. The math is geared to each student’s level of ability and uses both Montessori math materials and Saxon math books.
Our Upper Elementary curriculum brings history alive to our students. It is filled with hands-on experiments and projects, in which they can see the relevance to everyday life. A child can memorize answers for a test without any real learning having taken place, but with this curriculum our students internalize their many varied experiences. We also place a strong focus on self-directed research and free reading on designated topics.
The areas of study in the Upper Elementary curriculum are interrelated, just as our experiences in the real world tend to be. The broad subject areas that are covered are:
The first year covers Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the Age of Exploration (approximately 2300 B.C. to 1600 A.D.). For our Upper Elementary students the past comes alive as they examine the customs and meet the characters who lived long ago through their studies. They step back in time to a world of pyramids and pharaohs, Olympic Games, Roman legionaries, erupting volcanoes, knights and castles, reformers who dared to defend their beliefs, and explorers who dared to dream their dreams.
Sampling foods of Egypt - plums, melons, pomegranates, dates, and figs • Geography of Egypt • Experiments dealing with the sun's energy, evaporation, and transpiration • Egyptian art and architectural techniques • Pyramids and construction of a model pyramid • The formation of deserts • Mapping deserts of the world • Biomes, ecology, desert storms, weathering and erosion in the desert • How the Nile gave life to an otherwise barren country • Comparing and contrasting maps of ancient and modern Egypt • Making models of reed boats • Creating a historical timeline of events in ancient Egypt • Ancient Egyptian customs • Making Honey Cake and Lentil Stew • Reading The Golden Goblet – a story of an ancient Egyptian boy involved in a dangerous mystery • Writing about The Golden Goblet and learning how to improve our writing • Comparing and contrasting the two boys in The Golden Goblet through a character study • The craftsmen of ancient Egypt and their beautiful work • Papyrus and its uses • Making paint with the same ingredients the ancient Egyptians used • Chart reading and interpreting a pictograph • Hieroglyphics, the Rosetta Stone, and deciphering a coded message of our own • A study of the pharaohs • Paragraphs – narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and expository • Editing and punctuation skills.
The second year covers the years 1600-1800 A.D. in American History and a study of Canada. Students visit the fascinating places of early American colonial days. They experience a world in which excitement and danger lurked in the shadows and around the next bend in the road. They feel the tension rise as the colonies decide to unite and patriots risk all for freedom in the American Revolution. They hear the "shot heard 'round the world" that led to what would later mean Liberty and Justice for All. They watch as some of the greatest and most talented individuals of all time created and signed the United States Constitution – a document that still lives on today.
Feel the excitement of sailing into Jamestown harbor with John Smith and the first settlers of Jamestown • Celebrate the unit theme with Armstrong Sperry's story of high adventure and suspense, Call it Courage • Learn about the impact of insects on the Jamestown settlers and on us today • Find out how insects are classified, collect insects, learn about insect body parts and systems, life cycles and development, and participate in insect activities • Continue adding to your time line of history • Build your own model of the Jamestown fort • Experience encounters in history as new peoples enter new lands and meet the Native Americans • Explore Native American Indian Sub-Cultures and compile a Notebook about them by gathering information on the Eastern Woodlands peoples • Understand the conflicts between newly arrived European settlers and Native Americans • Learn about Native American customs and play the Stone Game, the Hand Game, and other Indian games • Watch the changes in Jamestown as time passes and more settlers arrive • Find out why the rebellion that rocked England meant changes for the colonies as well • Let Grandpa Beebe teach you about Standard and Non-standard English, slang, jargon, and dialect • Whip up a batch of Grandma Beebe's Golden Cornbread • Learn about American Colonial artists and their work • Learn about music of the colonies and states
The third year covers 1800-1860 A.D. in American History and a study of France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Scandinavia. Our students travel the pathways of the pioneers who dared to imagine a new life in an unsettled land and had the courage to follow their dreams.
Analyze, understand, appreciate, and memorize Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" and paraphrase poetry • Consider choices and pathways in life • Travel with Daniel Boone over the Wilderness Road, through the Cumberland Gap and into Boonesborough, exploring the history and culture of Appalachia • Settlers and immigrants on the frontier and the pathways and roads they traveled • Experience the heartwarming story of Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight • Hike the mountains of the world, learn the significance of mountains in history, and study the geology of mountains (elevation, relief, formation, types, erosion, avalanches, world ranges and systems, glaciers, mountain wildlife, habitats, and cultures) • Elements of literature, literal and figurative language (idioms) • Note-taking, the Five W's, and Personal Reaction Writing • Sing and dance to the Music of Appalachia and investigate American folk songs and art • World Spotlight on the United Kingdom • Map and almanac skills • English writers and their works • English language and dialects • Create a model of Stonehenge • English arts, craftspeople, Celtic art and music • Stroll through the purple heather in the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland, and sit down to a steaming bowl of cock-a-leekie soup • Roam the countryside of Wales and feast on Welsh Rarebit • Tour the Emerald Isle, kiss the Blarney Stone, and bake a crusty loaf of Irish soda bread • Irish lace project and shamrock printing
09/17/2010 11:30 am -
3:00 pm
Hike
09/18/2010 8:00 am -
2:30 pm
UMC Fall Workshop
09/24/2010 6:00 pm -
7:30 pm
Moon Party
10/04/2010
Teacher Prep
10/04/2010
NO SCHOOL
“Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world”