Lower Elementary Program
"Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.”
- Maria Montessori
Expanding Imagination & Intellectual Curiosity
Somewhere around age six, children stop asking "how" and start asking "why." They want to know how the universe began, why people build the things they build, or what makes a volcano erupt.
Our Grades 1-3 program is built for exactly this moment — giving children the freedom to chase big questions while grounding them in a genuinely rigorous foundation across math, literacy, science, history, languages and cultures - all tied back to our Jarrow values.
Where Curiosity Becomes Rigor: The Lower Elementary Program
How It Works
Children ages 6, 7, and 8 learn together in the same classroom for three years. Younger students learn by watching older ones; older students build real confidence by mentoring younger ones. Each day includes a long, uninterrupted work period, during which children choose from a range of lessons and hands-on materials — guided by a trained teacher who tracks every child's progress individually, by mastery, not by grade level or age.
What They Learn
Math
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Hands-on materials carry children from concrete understanding into abstract reasoning — multi-digit operations, fractions, decimals, and early geometry, built on a foundation they can see and touch before they're asked to work in pure symbols.
Language
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Grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary through tactile, visual tools, paired with growing independence in reading and writing across genres — from research reports to creative fiction.
Science
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Biology, botany, and zoology, with a strong emphasis on classification, observation, and hands-on investigation.
History & Geography
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Children explore human history and world cultures through storytelling, timelines, and self-directed research — often sparked by small-group trips outside the classroom to dig into a specific interest.
Why This Age Is Different
This is the age we begin what Montessori called the "great lessons" — sweeping, story-driven introductions to the origins of the universe, life, and human civilization. These aren't single lessons; they're starting points. A child fascinated by volcanoes might spend weeks building a working model. One captivated by ancient Egypt might write and illustrate a full report. The goal isn't just to transfer knowledge — it's to teach children how to learn, and to trust that they want to.
What This Looks Like Day to Day
No worksheets. No grades. No single right pace. Instead: real materials, real questions, and a teacher who knows exactly where each child stands and exactly what they need next.
Curious what a day in our 6–9 classroom actually looks like? Tour our School!
"Our son started in the Jarrow Montessori Toddler Program at 18 months old. It’s been amazing to watch him grow and thrive in the Montessori setting. He is learning life skills and how to be a caring and considerate person in a fun, safe environment. Jarrow is truly his home away from home."
- Jarrow Toddler Parent